If you were fortunate enough to be around to experience arcades back in their 80s and 90s glory days, you’ll know that light gun games were an essential part of any respectable arcade’s collection. The zapper was part of what Nintendo said elevated the NES beyond that of another video game console and made it an entertainment center.

Duck Hunt, Hogan’s Alley, and Gumshoe are some of my earliest and fondest NES memories. As I got older classics like Mad Dog McCree, Virtua Cop, Point Blank, Time Crisis, and countless more continued to pop up in arcades and at home. This is to say, light gun games used to be huge.

A considerable portion of my gaming childhood was spent aiming down the sights of plastic guns. Sadly, the Columbine tragedy combined with the move away from CRT displays meant that light guns weren’t just a questionable marketing move to make at the time, but one that would actually alienate early adopters of new technology. Simply put, they wouldn’t work anymore on new TVs.

3rd party Wii Motion Plus remotes and pistol cases

Cut to 25 or so years later, and we’ve finally cracked the flat-screen light gun quagmire! The only problem is that a pair of Sinden light guns will set you back around $200.

But what if there were a way to enjoy the shooters of yesteryear (or even some more modern offerings) without having to break the bank on the tech you’re unsure will get used? You’re in luck because, with a few old parts, a few new ones, some know-how, and a bit of fiddling, you can take your emulation PC experience from Typing of the Dead to House of the Dead.

All credit for this tutorial goes to the EmuElec community and user MistPhoenix on GitHub. The original article can be found on the EmuElec Wiki here.

What You’ll Need

This should work on any standard PC setup that’s capable of emulating the desired games on a Batocera/Emuelec build.

• Mayflash W010 Wireless Sensor Dolphinbar
• A Nintendo Wiimote (or 2): No nunchuck attachment is needed.
• A preconfigured way to control EmuElec/Batocera: Xbox Controller or keyboard
  
• Optional: USB-Powered Hub: Recommended, especially if using controllers or multiple Dolphinbars.
• Optional: Keyboard: Specifically for MAME games. A USB keyboard was used, but a Bluetooth one should also work.
• Optional: Gun cases: Cases like those pictured can be found from various sellers on Ebay

Dolphinbar and Wiimote Configuration (Syncing)

• Set DolphinBar to MODE 2:
  • Press the MODE button on the DolphinBar to switch it to MODE 2. The LED indicator on the DolphinBar should show that it is in MODE 2.
• Sync the DolphinBar with the Wiimote:
  • On the DolphinBar, press the SYNC button. The LED light will start flashing, indicating it is ready to sync.
  • On your Wiimote, open the battery compartment and press the red SYNC button. The lights on the Wiimote will start flashing.
  • Wait for the DolphinBar and Wiimote to sync. Once successful, the flashing lights will stop, and one of the LED lights on the Wiimote will remain lit.
• Configure the Wiimote:
  • On your Wiimote, press the HOME button. Ensure the LEDs on the Wiimote show lights 1 and 4 lit up, indicating it is in the correct mode for use as a lightgun.
  • You should see confirmation when using Batocera that it has recognized a Wiimote and applied the needed configurations for you

Connecting the Wiimote in Batocera ES

Configuring a Wiimote in Batocera/ES

1. Enter Controller Settings:
   • On your previously configured game controller, press the START button to open the main menu.
   • Navigate to Controller Settings and select Configure Input.
2. Initiate Wiimote Detection:
   • On your Wiimote, press and hold the HOME button. EmulationStation should detect the Wiimote as a “Keyboard”.
3. Configure D-Pad:
   • When prompted to configure the input, set the D-PAD Up, Down, Left, and Right to the corresponding D-PAD buttons on the Wiimote.
4. Configure START and SELECT Buttons:
   • Set the START button to the +/Plus button on the Wiimote.
   • Set the SELECT button to the -/Minus button on the Wiimote.
5. Configure A Button:
   • Set the A BUTTON to the HOME button on the Wiimote.
6. Skip Unused Buttons:
   • For the remaining button configurations that you do not want to set, hold down the HOME button on the Wiimote to skip them (they will be marked as “Not Defined”).
7. Set HOTKEY ENABLE:
   • Set the HOTKEY ENABLE to the -/Minus button on the Wiimote (this can be the same as the SELECT button).
8. Save Configuration:
   • On your game controller, press the A button on OK to finish configuring your Wiimote. EmulationStation will save the new configuration.

Adjust Configuration in Retroarch

If you want to further customize the Wiimote for specific games or emulators, you can adjust the configuration in Retroarch:

1. Launch Retroarch:
   • From EmulationStation, press SELECT > Start Retroarch or START > Quit > Start Retroarch.
2. Navigate to Input Settings:
   • In Retroarch, go to Settings > Input.
3. Configure Port Controls:
   • Select the port you want to configure (e.g., Port 1 Controls).
   • Set Device Type to Retropad.
   • Set Device Index to your Wiimote (it may show as “Keyboard” or similar).
4. Configure Gun Settings:
   • Scroll down to the Gun section and map the Wiimote buttons to the corresponding gun functions:
     • Gun Trigger = Wiimote B button (Mouse 1)
     • Gun Aux A = Wiimote A button (Mouse 2)
     • Gun Start = Wiimote + button (Key: enter)
     • Gun Select = Wiimote – button (Key: escape)
     • Gun Up, Down, Left, Right = Wiimote D-PAD buttons (Key: up, down, left, right)
5. Save Configuration:
   • Scroll up and select Save Controller Profile to save the configuration.
6. Reboot EmulationStation:
   • Return to the Retroarch main menu and select Quit Retroarch to reboot EmulationStation.

Console-Specific Configurations

There are some one-time settings that must be made for console emulation. After that, you should be good to go for playing the light gun games on each system.

PlayStation – PCSX ReARMed

1. Open RetroArch Menu in-game:
   • While in a PlayStation game, press L3 and R3 simultaneously to open the RetroArch menu.
2. Show Other Input Settings:
   • Go to Quick Menu > Options > Show other input settings = ON.
   • Close and reopen the menu to display the new settings.
3. Set GunCon Settings:
   • Set Emulated Mouse Sensitivity to either 0.50 or 1.00.
   • Set Pad 1 Type to Guncon.
   • Adjust Guncon Adjust X and Adjust Y to 25 (adjust further if needed).
   • Adjust Guncon Adjust Ratio X and Ratio Y to 1.25 (adjust further if needed).
4. Save Game Options:
   • Scroll up and select Save Game Options File.
5. Restart Game:
   • Close out of the Quick Menu and restart the game to apply the new settings.

Dreamcast – Flycast

1. Open RetroArch Menu in-game:
   • While in a Dreamcast game, press L3 and R3 simultaneously to open the RetroArch menu.
2. Show Light Gun Settings:
   • Go to Quick Menu > Options > Show Light Gun Settings = ON.
   • Close and reopen the menu to display the new settings.
3. Set Gun Crosshair Display:
   • Set Gun Crosshair 1 Display to your preferred color (White/Red/Green/Blue).
4. Save Game Options:
   • Scroll up and select Save Game Options File.
5. Set Device Type:
   • Go to Quick Menu > Controls > select Port 1 or Port 2 Controls > set Device Type to Lightgun.
6. Save Game Remap File:
   • Back out and select Save Game Remap File.
7. Restart Game:
   • Close out of the Quick Menu and restart the game to apply the new settings.

NES – FCEUmm

1. Open RetroArch Menu in-game:
   • While in an NES game, press L3 and R3 simultaneously to open the RetroArch menu.
2. Set Zapper Mode:
   • Go to Quick Menu > Options > Zapper Mode = Touchscreen (or Mouse for compatibility).
3. Save Game Options:
   • Scroll up and select Save Game Options File.
4. Set Device Type:
   • Go to Quick Menu > Controls > Port 2 Controls > set Device Type to Zapper.
5. Save Game Remap File:
   • Back out and select Save Game Remap File.
6. Restart Game:
   • Close out of the Quick Menu and restart the game to apply the new settings.

SNES – Snes9x

1. Open RetroArch Menu in-game:
   • While in an SNES game, press L3 and R3 simultaneously to open the RetroArch menu.
2. Show Light Gun Settings:
   • Go to Quick Menu > Options > Show Light Gun Settings = ON.
   • Close and reopen the menu to display the new settings.
3. Set Light Gun Mode:
   • Set Light Gun Mode to Touchscreen (some games may need Light Gun mode).
4. Optional Adjustments:
   • Adjust Super Scope Crosshair and Super Scope Color settings if needed.
5. Set Device Type:
   • Go to Quick Menu > Controls > Port 2 Controls > set Device Type to Super Scope.
6. Save Game Remap File:
   • Back out and select Save Game Remap File.
7. Restart Game:
   • Close out of the Quick Menu and restart the game to apply the new settings.

Taking aim in Virtua Cop

Get Shootin’ Tex

So there you have it. A budget-conscious light gun solution that will work on any modern television or monitor. This is a great way to try out a whole world of arcade light gun games. Getting the full experience as it was in the arcade back in the day.

You may have skimmed through the above steps and felt like this could be overwhelming, but I promise that it’s very straightforward and the great community of devs have made it as painless as possible. So what are you waiting for? Grab a friend and take aim.

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