Light guns and LCD screens

[Veto]

This has probably been discussed already but are there any light guns that work with flat panel LCD monitors?  Light gun games suck with a trackball.  

[shmokes]

I'm pretty sure that the answer to the question, "Are there any light guns that work, period?" is:  Yes, the Act-Labs USB light gun (and next month the TV-out version) is the only light gun that can honestly be said to realistically work period.

That said, the ACT-Labs USB light gun (and next month the TV-out version) does not work with an LCD panel.

In other words, you're out of luck.

I'd love it if someone comes in, though, and says, "Shmokes is full of it, they work fine with LCD flat panel displays."

[anthony691]

Shmokes is full of it, they work fine with LCD flat panel displays!

That's what I would say if they did work on a LCD, but they don't; sorry.

[Moebius]

Light guns work by tracing the electron beam on a monitor/tv. With precise timing, yo can tell when a light gun is looking exactly at the beam, and in turn, whether the gun is pointing exactly at the beam/alien/zombie.

LCD's can't support this, because they don't have a beam. They update the entire panel at the same time, so no beam to find out where the gun is pointing at.

AFAIK, Plasma screens work with the same principles as an LCD screen. The current monitors/TVs could be the last generation of lightgun-compatible equipment, perhaps?

Moebius

[paigeoliver]

I don't think CRTs are going away anytime soon. Don't all LCD based displays suffer from a pretty low refresh rate? My laptop panel is like skip city, even when it is running something at 60 frames per second.

[anthony691]

I don't think CRTs are going away anytime soon. Don't all LCD based displays suffer from a pretty low refresh rate? My laptop panel is like skip city, even when it is running something at 60 frames per second.

LCDs don't have a refresh rate per say...

[shmokes]

that don't make no sense

[anthony691]

that don't make no sense

Well, their refresh rates aren't measured in Hertz... they don't funtion that way...

Okay let's get a monitor expert in here for the lengthy explaination!

[Lilwolf]

btw, CRT's could go away in the next few years.  Someone came out with a flatscreen CRT (that doesn't shoot electrons at a screen, but does it with a mesh... but the phosforus(big SP??) on the outside is the same.  

the reason why this could get rid of CRT's is that its much cheaper to produce (after they get some factories pumping them out).  So as long as the technology isn't proprietary, it might make for some sweet thin TV's and monitors in the days to come...

And no they wont help light guns...

and you will never get one to work with a LCD...

But the closest you will get will probably be the sonic gun (have one, but don't remember the name).  you put something on the edge of the monitor.... worked well, but it twisted, not pointed to aim.

[anthony691]

But the closest you will get will probably be the sonic gun (have one, but don't remember the name).  you put something on the edge of the monitor.... worked well, but it twisted, not pointed to aim.

Hmm... that reminds me... they could easily make a lightgun like that, but there is not a large enough market.

Note: Do you recall the NES Powerglove? I still have mine and it has an attachment to the tv of this sort.

[Dave_K.]

Hmm... that reminds me... they could easily make a lightgun like that, but there is not a large enough market.

Note: Do you recall the NES Powerglove? I still have mine and it has an attachment to the tv of this sort.

I still have a powerglove (hacked it back in the early 90's to my PC for some early Virtual Reality stuff).   Its works off an ultrasonic array. If you've ever seen Confidential Mission in the arcades, you will notice it has a similar array setup, but I believe its infared detectors and not utlrasonics.  Once calibrated at the beginning of the game, they are very accurate.  I agree there probably isn't a large home market for this.  Unless the next generation of home video game consoles decides to take the challenge.

As for the question on LCD refresh rates, you're really dealing with the pixel clock and not a traditional "refresh rate".  Although I think most documentation still refers to it as refresh rate.  So if you think you are seeing skip city, its all in your mind.  The only skipping that may occur is during fast motion animation (and its really bluring/ghosting, not skipping/blinking).

[shmokes]

The NES powerglove is the most retarded thing ever made.  Please don't mention it again.

[anthony691]

The NES powerglove is the most retarded thing ever made.  Please don't mention it again.

What do you have against it? I think it was a galant effort at virtual reality; given I never got mine to work quite right...

In any case it is NOT the worst NES controller, that prize would have to go to the UForce! That thing never ever worked!

Sorry OT