New Act-Labs guns are here!

[1UP]

Just got an email from Brandon Crick at Act-Labs with a link to the new USB PC light guns!  They're starting at $29.99 each.

http://www.act-labs.com/gun1.htm


Looks like the same ray-gun style they've been using, but these apparently work with Mame.  Also, he's told me not to expect to see a 2-player version anytime this year.    (Looks like I'll still need the T2 guns for 2 person shooters...)

[JustMichael]

I guess you could buy the old 2 gun system for $14.99 now...

[aramis]

yeah, I was really excited when I saw this posted...but here is why I won't buy one (just in case ActLabs is reading):

- The design.

- It doesn't work with TV-out or TV's in general.

- No two-player support.

Maybe I'm being too picky, but I won't buy one until those things are changed. I'm the customer, I can be picky.

[k-spiff]

I won't buy one because the dual serial set I have blows.. only ever got it to work right with Die Hard Trilogy II..

Maybe once somebody does a review on its MAME functionality.. I would like to play Point Blank..

That and, yeah, the design is a bit odd looking.. looks like they didn't change it at all..

k-spiff

[1UP]

They probably can't make it look like a real gun, or someone might hold up a store with it.  Of course, the old "put your hand in your jacket pocket and point it like you have a gun" routine still manages to work now and then, but nobody's outlawing jackets with pockets...  

[Lilwolf]

btw, I own the 2gun serial version, and I just bought a techmedia 3dzonemaster....

2 gun system sucks because of the lack of support (1) and it doesn't work well on weird monitors (doesn't work at all on a EYGO monitor at 640x480x60hz.  It worked well on a SVGA.  Faster the refresh the better.  Games with native support also worked great ( all 2 of them).  Last, every click you get a flash of white on the screen thats annoying.

The 3d zone master uses a thing that goes over the monitor so it should work with any size monitor, any refresh, any type... but you can only get one... if you think the act labs look silly, then you get a laugh at the 3d zone master.  Will NEVER work in XP or 2000 because no drivers and it's discontinued.  I haven't had time to play with it yet to find out how good it is (will let people know).

I would love to get a new USB act labs gun to see if they fixed their problems... but I don't expect it to really help my trouble.

[StephenH]

They will have one in the future that will work with TV Out.  However, the new version has been tested with MAME (according to Act Labs), when used on a PC Monitor.

[k-spiff]

Yeah, it's suicide for a console/PC gun to look like a real gun.. but they could've made it like the GunCon/GunCon2 so that it looks cool and realistic, but is an unconvincing fluorescent orange.. I remember getting a kick out of the GunCon2's warnings: do NOT point at another living thing, do NOT paint, etc.. the only nice thing about the previous guns were the rubber grips (lol.. remembered the hand controller.. OMFG..).

As far as compatibility with TV-out video cards, I doubt they'll fix it.. this is why I like the Dreamcast: the gun gets it's positional data through the controller port so you can use it on a computer monitor.. this gun -- correct me if I'm wrong, since I hate the VGA pass-thru method :0 -- would need either a VGA pass-thru to RCA/s-video, a totally new cable, or even a special base unit to work since (afaik) TV-out cards only feed video data through the active output (or at least mine does)..

I'm going to have to be skeptical on this one until I can get a detailed review from an impartial 3rd party.. the serial set was "future proof," but I only got it to work in 3 games (2 of which were Glitterstream hacks) with even laughable accuracy.

k-spiff

[Xiaou2]

I think it would be a good idea to support ActLabs, as they went through the effort in developing a mame compatible gun system.  Not many companys would do such a thing.

 Re-making thier guns from scratch would mean huge amounts of money (moldings for plastics are very expensive!)    

 Also,  there is a huge difference between tv and pc monitors.  To make a gun support both would probably be impossible.    (would need two different types of sensors, and special tv hardware)

 If you noticed... these new guns use a vga pass-thru.  That will allow for greater pixel accuracy - unlike the previous guns withough it.     I believe the new guns work simular to a light pen.   Should be awesome  : )

 Looking forward to the tv guns, but till then,  they got my order  : )    Hopefully the next guns will have an optional feedback coil in them.

 Support them now, and hopefully, they will release more cool mame compatible products.

[k-spiff]

[/begin rant mode]
1.) though apparently this gun was made with MAME compatibility in mind, the last gun used MAME as a selling point as well and never came through.. I feel no need to support Act-Labs any further until they have a proven product;

2.) as I said, my DC light gun works on both.. but since the gun would need a video feed, the pass-thru is VGA, and TV-out cards usually only feed one output @ once, a PC light gun would be hard pressed to work this way;

3.) the old guns DID have a VGA pass-thru.. and they were fairly accurate when you could get them to work, but still not as good as Sega and [esp.] Namco's offerings.
[/eof]

k-spiff

[Howard_Casto]

The problem with these guns is they are using outdated lightgun technology.... infrared/sonic guns are where they should be going.  

The 3dzone master would be perfect if it was still in production and had updated drivers.  All that would be needed would be to make a special two player version so two guns can be used simultaniously.

Mame wouldn't have to be modded because sonic guns poll the gun constatnly and can emulate mice/joysticks analog values.  

It would work on any monitor since the bezel triangulates the trajectory and the display isn't involved at all  (extremely accurate btw if done properly)  

it doesn't have to be tethered which is always a plus... wireless guns are way more fun.  


Act-Labs?  Anyone?  Are you listening?  

[Zipper]

I'm not going to buy one until I find out if they will work through my glass bezel - can anyone confirm this? And secondly, not until there is a more realistic looking UK/world version. They look stupid.

Surely it would be much more sensible to ban the problem (i.e. selling killing weapons to morons and allowing them to keep weapons unlocked in their house), rather than give the press and politcal coverage to childs toys?!

[1UP]

Not to get OT again, but...  U.S. culture is definitely upside-down on this issue.  Brandon posted on the Mame.net boards how Columbine happened right as Act-Labs was trying to market their new guns, and CNN was at the expo where they were showcasing, with cameras in their faces, trying to make some controversy over the harmless electronic guns.  I've had it up to here with "P.C." crap.  When I was a kid, the coolest toy I had was a black M16 with a flywheel inside that went "rat-a-tat" when you pulled the trigger.  Playing with it never made me want to go kill my classmates.  It was all black with a bandolier strap, and pretty detailed, except that it was obviously too small to be the real thing.  Now, it'd be neon pink with a green barrel, just to make sure no one gets confused.  What's the point?  That's no fun!  

[Lilwolf]

1Up... the trouble is that now kids are carrying real guns.  And cops have to deal with a gun in a kids hands as if they are real... because in some areas, it could be.

I think it's to protect the kids for cops who couldn't tell the difference... so they shot!

[1UP]

I know, I was being facetious.  But it does suck.  I still don't understand why it's such a problem these days.  Guns are harder to get now more than ever, but kids are packing them everywhere.  It's a friggin societal problem that we'd better solve fast or else start gassing the excess population.

If liberals could tone down their tax-and-spend, military-cutting policies a little, and conservatives could wake up and start to believe that they aren't going to need their 1st amendment rights in order to overthrow the government in some dystopian future, we could put some real strict gun control into place.  We need a policy like other countries have, making all crimes committed with firearms into capital offenses.  Innocent people won't have guns to protect themselves, but they'll be WAY safer than they were WITH guns.

Anyway, I'm ranting way off topic.  Feel free to disregard the above.

[Xiaou2]

I know, I was being facetious.

[1UP]

(Back on topic again!)  My dream was that the new system would be 2 player, and I'd be able to hack the optics into my T2 guns and take them off my CP.

[Lilwolf]

Talking about real looking guns.  Anyone remember the really cool toy guns that looked so real that you couldn't tell and had a nice weight to them?  My prize toys when I was growing up.

until.  (true story)

I was flying from my dads to my moms for the summer... and of course I had to bring my ultra cool super favorite toys.  Well, I also packed so all my toys were in my carry on so I could play with everything.  no big deal at all.  I was 6 or so, didn't think much about 9-11 at that time.  

Well, I was going throught the metal detectors, and you can't imagine the face of all the people working behind the scanner as a kids backpack that is full of 4 weapons.  Then you wouldn't believe the face of my dad when he realized what they were talking about.  It took us about 40 minutes to get through (even when they realized they were fake) and they made me put them down below.... The sad thing, we forgot to pick them up when we got there so I lost my ultra cool collection of ultra realistic super guns!

wish I still had them to hack the optics of a new ActLabs gunsystem (if they work of course)

[MKC2000]

I have the Act-Labs GS Dual gun system and I think that the hardware itself is good.  The software and drivers suck!! If I knew C++ I would develope some new drivers).
 First of all they should be able to run a TSR program that watches what resolution that is currently being used and store calibration presets for that resolution.  Then the TSR program could bring up presets by watching what resolution is selected.  Also a setup screen to calibrate each resolution and refresh rate could be used, once stored these values would make life easy.
 I have a Thrustmaster joystick that allows the joystick configuration to be changed automatically by watching what game is running!
 The drivers once written like this could run as point and click mouse shots, not requiring any MAME special code.
 Currently the point and click setup requires you to pick a object on screen point and shoot at it, then move your mouse arrow to that location.  This is fine if you don't move your mouse anymore? (how do you start your application, hotkey??) Also once you do switch to a game that runs a different resolution your setup is f...ed! Bad setup!!
 Now my advice is, until someone has truely tested this new gun, and I'm talking someone that has been around MAME for a while, stick with what you have!!
Hopefully Act-Labs sees this and is willing to donate a couple of guns to MAME testers.

Mat

[1UP]

Saint is supposed to be getting one.  Just wait until he gives his verdict.

[Dr. Jay]

I ordered one also.  I'll keep everyone posted.  

[mw]

The 3d zone master uses a thing that goes over the monitor so it should work with any size monitor, any refresh, any type... but you can only get one...

I got the zonemaster but it's no gun. It's far better than the mouse or stick for shooting though. The problem I have is i tend to pivot my wrist to aim and you need to use your whole arm left/right, up/down) to make it move right. Could be my setting though, if you get yours working good let me know your settings. It's a nice toy and Virtua Cop and the ring toss were worth the cost of it anyway.

I'm dying to know how well the Act-Labs work.

[Lilwolf]

Anyone ordering a gun with a EYGO monitor?  

I got the originals to work well on my SVGA monitor, but could never get it to work with an EYGO monitor at all (well... it wouldn't fire at any location at the topleft side).

I think the trouble was the flash of white.  They EYGO monitors didn't display them fast enough (since it was obvious when it flashed).

[towlebooth]

Sorry for the newbie question, but are there guns on the market now that will work with S-Vid TV set-ups?

Thanks,
Chad

[Lilwolf]

Sorry... No.... No SVid TV support

the closest thing that I know of is the 3d zone master.  It's a cordless joystick that uses a L shape item on the monitor.  I have one and haven't played with it yet.   I got it on ebay for buck (and 8 bucks shipping   )

trouble with light guns in general is that they are VERY monitor / refresh dependent.   So using SVideo kinda kills it.

I've heard of people trying to get NES guns to hack in on a PC... but I've never heard of anyone being successful.

[towlebooth]

Thanks for the info Lilwolf.  

Bummer. . .I KNEW I'd forget something duing my monitor/TV selection phase of cab design!

Oh well.  Guess I'll have to make do with the 2,500 + non-gun games.  

[Howard_Casto]

I got the zonemaster but it's no gun. It's far better than the mouse or stick for shooting though. The problem I have is i tend to pivot my wrist to aim and you need to use your whole arm left/right, up/down) to make it move right.  

Actually this is a design flaw.  The goofy phaser-like shape of the gun makes the "barrel" too short to properly triangulate the postion by moving your wrist.  It does work that way but it takes ALOT of getting used to.  However, I'm about 80% sure that if you hacked the sensors and put them into a more "gun-shaped" container then you would get far better results.  

Man I wish someone would write some generic NT drivers for this device.

[Brandon9271]

Actually the zonemasters L shaped 3 sensor thing is major old news.  Anybody remember the power glove for NES  I paid $80 for that piece of crap.  wish I still had it.  Now that would be a cool thing to MAME hack.......