New lightgun plug-and-play system

[Tarma]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tasseidenki/gaime-plug-and-play-time-crisis-gun-system-for-modern-tvs

Saw this plug-and-play system the other night and thought folks might find it interesting. It uses a new technology that doesn't rely on IR sensors, etc.

It only comes with 4 games (Time Crisis, Point Blank, and Steel Gunner 1-2) for now though it looks like they plan to make more games available in the future.

Probably nothing anyone here is going to run out and get but neat anyhow.

[danny_galaga]

That's really neat. And licenced which means a bit of a stamp of approval 😎

[lllll44]

no slider recoil, no option to play other pc game freely, look like a cheap plastic, we dont know how the ai accuracy thing really is, pricy....yep, its a big NO from me.

[TapeWormInYourGut]

It's a product for people who want to play those specific games, and only those games. It's not a product for gun games in general or for emulation. I'm assuming that it as accurate as a Sinden lightgun which also uses a camera.

It's not for me, but they have a lot of backers. If you only want those 4 games then it's probably good enough.

[m64mrk]

Despite me not being a customer for it, these casual turn key solutions help more people get into the hobby and make it accessible - especially if these ever hit retail shelves and get plenty of eyes on them. A decent amount will want more after and learn about other options. Much like A1Up has brought more people in who've transitioned to original hardware or full size modded cabs. I think it's a good thing in general and creates more aftermarket options down the line as well for all of us.

[RandyT]

Despite me not being a customer for it, these casual turn key solutions help more people get into the hobby and make it accessible - especially if these ever hit retail shelves and get plenty of eyes on them. A decent amount will want more after and learn about other options. Much like A1Up has brought more people in who've transitioned to original hardware or full size modded cabs. I think it's a good thing in general and creates more aftermarket options down the line as well for all of us.

IMHO, this is the optimistic view.  It doesn't usually play out that way. After seeing how this site has declined since the introduction of the A1UP cabinets, where those "less than" offerings have taken on a life of their own, that is probably not the case.  Many who are attracted to them actually think they are getting the full experience when they aren't.  This pulls them into an alternative "sub-ecosystem" where it becomes about those particular units, rather than the more authentic experience.  It's not always the case, but if that was happening overall, it would have caused a "boom" in sites like this one, and that hasn't been the case.  As a result, we have a whole generation of players who think they have experienced something authentic, many of whom who have become disinterested due to shortcomings.

Poor experiences don't lead to more interest and are more likely to lead to abandonment.  So if more engagement is what you are hoping for, one should probably hope that this offering provides solid performance at least marginally on-par with what the PS1 and a GunCon could offer with a CRT.  Otherwise, it's likely to do more harm than good with regard to bringing new light-gun players into the fold, especially if it's only good enough to hold temporary interest or to be considered a nostalgic curiosity.

Blank white walls behind screens and disclaimers mentioning "casual experiences" are giving me a bit of cause for concern, but I'm waiting for the reviews to see how well it holds up.  Maybe they have some tricks up their sleeve which aren't being shown yet.

[m64mrk]

I'd expect general engagement to naturally decline over time as people of a certain age have had their years of fill with the hobby and are onto other things, but more so there's really not enough "new blood" to replenish the open spots. Someone born in the late 90's/early 00's just don't have that experience that we had of going to a location to play the premium experience of a game, the industry had a shift and their memories were on capable systems like the PS2 with online play.  You can see this with other hobbies where interest/pursuit have peaked and other sectors have picked up. A generational shift. I also feel things in life have just generally changed in the past few years and we feel like "where did the time go today". I'm certainly less engaged in forums than I used to be - more distractions, junk social media, fb marketplace doom scrolling, to take us away.

I think people quickly know that a child sized arcade cabinet with weak controls is not the same as a full scale commercial arcade cabinet. If they have a bad experience on a 1Up then I don't think it would turn them off from owning a full sized cab - rather those who want it will pursue it. Others just don't want 300lb monoliths in their house - we're a niche group. Likewise I know a few people who went straight into buying full scale originals and they didn't last over 1.5 years before selling - it was just a fad, not for lack of experience. It was just like the treadmill in the bedroom for them - a fancy laundry hanger. I think it takes a certain type of person to own a full scale in the home and to continue using it. I don't get too amped up when my friends say "I want an arcade machine", because I know it won't reach far past the honeymoon phase - I typically try to recommend a solid full scale multicade for variety sake.

The G'AIME isn't enthusiast grade. It will capture the casual market and is accessible. Many will fad out over time as there's only so much you can do in that rotation - maybe it will be moddable. But it will be nostalgic curiosity for sure for many. And if that's good enough for them, then I can't argue. I do see a spillover of those wanting more and learning about other options like Gun4IR or Blamcon. I think it will create a small gateway, but better than never introducing anyone new. Those who exit were probably just in for a quick fix to begin with and happy leaving it at that.

[RandyT]

Old timers were already hooked as they were "spoiled" from using the real hardware.  The problem getting new faces into the hobby is the quality of the mainstream retail "bait".  It's understandable, as quality parts can be costly, and people tend to gravitate toward the cheapest and easiest path.  This often leads to a different eco-system where form trumps function and/or without a proper frame-of-reference, poor conclusions can be drawn by the user with regard to what they believe they have experienced.  A simple analogy is someone who claims to dislike sushi because they got it at a gas-station once and it wasn't good.  So unless that individual is already motivated to experience good sushi, they are more likely to just avoid it...actively.  Poor experiences push people away, not toward.

I also highly doubt that this gun setup can be modded for use elsewhere.  I'm just guessing, but the gun is most likely a combo (USB?) device consisting of a camera and some buttons, with the processing occurring in the box itself as part of the rest of the code.  There doesn't appear to be a "gun out" of any sort to do something more with.  The only remote possibility would be the USB-C port that the unit uses for power, but unless it is a full-port (i.e. not just a power port) and there is a debugging mode one could activate somehow, it doesn't seem likely.

Note that I'm not saying that this unit isn't good or won't deliver on it's promise.  There's no way I can know one way or the other.  But it's mere existence isn't necessarily going to have a positive effect on the genre.