The Nintendo NES Zapper Gun, alternatively known as the Light Gun was released at launch with the Nintendo NES System on October 1985 in North America.
The Nintendo Zapper Gun’s original color was Grey, then started being manufactured in Orange (Perhaps because of laws in the United States that Toy Guns had to look less realistic, although I don’t think the Zapper gun looked real by any means, maybe from a distance)
Despite how popular and iconic the Nintendo NES Zapper Gun is, there were only 18 games released that were compatible with it. Yes, that’s right, other than Duck Hunt/ClayShooters there were more, but for some reason they never really catched on.
Below is a COMPLETE list of every Nintendo NES Zapper Gun-compatible game released in North America:
The Adventures of Bayou Billy (required both the gun and contoller)
Baby Boomer (this was a unlicensed title)
Barker Bill’s Trick Shooting
Chiller (another unlicensed game) (gun was optional)
Duck Hunt (but of course!)
Freedom Force
Gotcha! The Sport!
Gumshoe
Gun-Nac
Hogan’s Alley (One of our personal favs)
Laser Invasion
The Lone Ranger (gun optional)
Mechanized Attack
Operation Wolf (gun optional)
Shooting Range (requires gun and controller)
To The Earth
Track & Field II (Gun compatible)
Wild Gunman
The Nintendo NES Zapper gun is Only compatible with older/standard Tube Televisions. It will not work with Plasma/LCD/Flatscreen TVs. The reason being is the technology it used to make it work.
When pulling the trigger on the Zapper gun, your TV screen goes black for a split-second except for the actual target you are aiming for, this would light up white. The sensor in the gun would detect the different lighting on the screen and if it was aligned you made the shot – This is why they call it the light gun.
If you lost yours, the best place to find an original Nintendo NES Zapper Gun online would probably be eBay or Amazon. Although your local pawnshop or garage sale may have one laying around but that’d require a little more footwork and luck. Zapper Guns are readily available on eBay and usually end at bid between 5-8 dollars, not including the shipping.