GunCon

GunCon

The Guncon (left), Guncon 2 (middle), and Guncon 3 (right) gun controllers for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3 video game consoles, respectively.
Manufacturer Namco
Type Gun controller
Generation Fifth generation era (1), Sixth generation era (2), and Seventh generation era (3)
Retail availability December 3, 1994 (PSX) Guncon
March 4, 2000 (PS2) Guncon 2
November 11, 2007 (PS3) Guncon 3
Connectivity DualShock port, DualShock 2 port, motion sensing

The Guncon (ガンコン Gankon)[1] (often styled "GunCon", a portmanteau of "Gun Controller"), known as the G-Con in Europe, is a family of gun peripherals designed by Namco for the PlayStation consoles. The original controllers used traditional light gun technology, while newer controllers use LED tracking technology.

Background

The first Guncon NPC-103 (G-Con 45 in Europe) (Sony ID: SLEH-00007) was bundled with the PlayStation conversion of Time Crisis. A second version of the Guncon, known as the Guncon 2 NPC-106 (G-Con 2 in Europe), was bundled with the PlayStation 2 conversion of Time Crisis II and Time Crisis 3. Time Crisis 4 came out for the PlayStation 3 bundled with the Guncon 3 NC-109 [2][3][4][5] (G-Con 3 in Europe[6]). In Japan, all three Guncon models were also available for sale as a separate accessory outside of a game bundle.

Prior to the Guncon, the Konami Justifier was the first light gun peripheral for the PlayStation and a few games support it. With the exception of the North American localization of Elemental Gearbolt and Maximum Force,[7] games that support the Justifier are not compatible with the Guncon and vice versa.

Models

The black GunCon controller for the PlayStation

The Guncon controller (known as G-Con 45 in Europe) uses the cathode ray timing method to determine where the barrel is aimed at on the screen when the trigger is pulled. It features a button below the barrel on either side of the gun (buttons A and B, both performing the same function) for auxiliary in-game control, such as to take cover and reload in Time Crisis. The controller is released in black in Japan, and gray (and eventually, in orange) in both Europe and North America. The controller is compatible with some PlayStation 2 Guncon titles, but is not compatible with PlayStation 3 due to its lack of controller ports. Many games that support it allow the A and B buttons to be swapped, making it comfortable for both right and left-handed players.

Guncon 2, Japanese domestic model: a d-pad has been added to the rear of the gun

Guncon 2 (G-Con 2 in Europe) features a smaller body, as well as a more rounded shape when compared with the original Guncon. The side buttons, A and B, have been moved rearward to a position directly above the trigger. Two new smaller buttons, SELECT and START, have been added to the left side of the shaft. Prominent additions to this second Guncon model is a D-pad at the back of the gun barrel and a C button added at the bottom of the gun handle. These new buttons served to open new gameplay opportunities, such as character movement in Dino Stalker or the ability to use two guns at once in Time Crisis II. Unlike the previous controller, the gun uses a USB connection as opposed to a PlayStation controller port. The controller is released in black in Japan, blue in Europe, and orange in North America. It is not compatible with original PlayStation titles or PlayStation 3 titles.

Guncon 3, Japanese domestic model: two analogue sticks have been added to the gun for advanced aiming/movement controls

The Guncon 3 utilizes two infrared LEDs as markers, placed on the left and right sides of the screen. An image sensor in the muzzle tracks the markers as reference points for determining where the gun is pointing on the screen. As opposed to the Guncon and Guncon 2, which are only compatible with CRT-based displays, the Guncon 3 supports a wide variety of display types, including LCD and Plasma.[8]

The Guncon 3 features a "sub-grip", mounted underneath the barrel and extending to the left side for use with the left hand. On the sub-grip is an analog stick and two shoulder buttons, like in a modern gamepad. At the back end of the gun barrel is another analog stick and two buttons, B1 and B2, underneath. Another two buttons, C1 and C2, are placed along the left side of the barrel. The analog sticks allow the player to play first-person shooting games with manual aiming/firing of the light gun.

In regards to appearance, all Japanese Guncon 3 controllers feature a black coloring, though due to US toy gun laws, the US/PAL release of the Guncon 3 controllers are molded of bright orange plastic. This controller has been criticised for being uncomfortable for left-handed gamers.

Compatibility

A free Guncon app for iOS was released on July 21, 2011, which allows players to use an iPhone or iPod Touch as a lightgun while playing certain iPad games.[9]

Games supporting the Guncon

This section talks about various PlayStation games compatible with one or more versions of Namco's Guncon controller. See the complete list of light gun games on the PlayStation 2 for a complete list of light gun games.

Guncon compatible games

PSOne games

PS2 games

Guncon 2 compatible games

Some Guncon 2 (PS2) games are compatible with the original Guncon, unless the game utilizes the extra buttons on the Guncon 2.

Guncon 3 compatible games

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to GunCon.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to GunCon 2.

References

  1. ↑ "BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America – More fun for everyone!". namcobandaigames.com.
  2. ↑ Brown, Christopher (2007-11-20). "Time Crisis 4 + GunCon". Allgame.com. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
  3. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (2007-03-26). "Time Crisis 4 Coming To PS3? Yeah.". Kotaku.com. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
  4. ↑ "Namco's latest update to the much-loved shooting series exposed in this set of shakycam gameplay videos - plus PS3 conversion plans leaked?". Games.kikizo.com. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
  5. ↑ "Lightgun shooter heading to Sony's console, claim US retailers". Computerandvideogames.com. 2007-03-26. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
  6. ↑ TIME CRISIS 4 PRESS RELEASE 12 Jul. "TIME CRISIS 4 PRESS RELEASE". Three Speech. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
  7. ↑ Gerstmann, Jeff (1997-09-30). "Playing Maximum Force is a one-time deal". Gamespot.com. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
  8. ↑ Kohler, Chris (June 13, 2007). "How The GunCon 3 Will Work: It's a Wiimote". Game|Life. Wired. Retrieved 2007-06-16.
  9. ↑ Ashcraft, Brian. "Iconic Gun Controller Now...a Free App". kotaku.com.
  10. ↑ “The Wrong Kind of Scary: Worst Horror Games Ever,” Game Informer 186 (October 2008): 120.
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