Difference between revisions of "Light Phaser"

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{{AccessoryBob
 
{{AccessoryBob
 
| accessoryimage=Sega Master System lightphaser.jpg
 
| accessoryimage=Sega Master System lightphaser.jpg
| imgwidth=320
 
| accessoryprogramscreen=
 
| title=
 
 
| maker=[[Sega]]
 
| maker=[[Sega]]
 +
| official=yes
 
| madefor=[[Sega Master System]]
 
| madefor=[[Sega Master System]]
 
| alsoworks=[[Sega Mega Drive]]
 
| alsoworks=[[Sega Mega Drive]]
| romsize=
+
| releases={{releasesSMS
| releases={{releases
+
| sms_date_us=1986-10
| sms_date_us=1986
+
| sms_code_us=3050
| sms_date_eu=1987-08
+
| sms_date_eu=1987
| sms_rrp_uk=44.95
+
| sms_date_eu_Newer=199x
| sms_date_br=198x
+
| sms_code_eu_Newer=MK-3097-50
 +
| sms_date_uk=1987-08{{magref|cvg|73|132}}
 +
| sms_rrp_uk=44.95{{magref|cvg|73|132}}{{magref|cvg|77|10}}{{fileref|Mastertronic UK Catalogue 1988.pdf|page=2}}
 +
| sms_date_br=1989-09-04
 +
| sms_rrp_br=180.00
 
| sms_date_kr=198x
 
| sms_date_kr=198x
 +
| sms_date_pt=19xx
 +
| sms_date_de=198x
 +
| sms_date_ar=19xx
 
}}
 
}}
 
}}
 
}}
The '''Light Phaser''' is a light gun controller created by [[Sega]] for the [[Sega Master System]]. It is the Master System's equivalent to [[Nintendo]]'s Zapper for the Nintendo Entertainment Systme or [[Atari Corporation]]'s XG-1 for the Atari 7800. It was released alongside the Master System in the US in 1986, and also saw a release in Europe, Brazil and South Korea. No Light Phasers of any description were ever released in Japan.
+
The '''Light Phaser''' is a light gun controller created by [[Sega]] for the [[Sega Master System]]. It is the Master System's equivalent to [[Nintendo]]'s Zapper for the Nintendo Entertainment System or [[Atari]]'s XG-1 for the Atari 7800 and XEGS. It was released alongside the Master System in the US in 1986, and also saw a release in Europe, Brazil and South Korea. No equivalent peripheral was produced for the Japanese market.
  
 
==Design==
 
==Design==
 
The Light Phaser is a plastic gun consisting of a light sensor (in the tip) which is focused on a small area of the screen; and a trigger (which corresponds to [[Controller (Master System)|Control Pad]] button 1). When the trigger is pulled, a compatible game flashes the screen in a way that is detectable by the light sensor, and hardware built in to the console allows the game to determine where the gun is pointing. The phaser is heavier than its Nintendo counterpart, but considered by some<!--any source or is this more anecdotal?--> to have a more responsive trigger and more accurate targeting.
 
The Light Phaser is a plastic gun consisting of a light sensor (in the tip) which is focused on a small area of the screen; and a trigger (which corresponds to [[Controller (Master System)|Control Pad]] button 1). When the trigger is pulled, a compatible game flashes the screen in a way that is detectable by the light sensor, and hardware built in to the console allows the game to determine where the gun is pointing. The phaser is heavier than its Nintendo counterpart, but considered by some<!--any source or is this more anecdotal?--> to have a more responsive trigger and more accurate targeting.
  
The standard Light Phaser is entirely black. As with the Nintendo Zapper, the Light Phaser looked realistic enough to warrant parental pressure to alter the device, so that police would not confuse it with a real gun. Altered Light Phasers are distinguished by a hand-painted neon orange tip, and are much harder to find than their solid color counterparts. [[Tec Toy]] also released a blue Light Phaser in Brazil. In that same country in 2009, an unaltered Light Phaser was used to hold a woman hostage [http://g1.globo.com/Noticias/Brasil/0,,MUL1013075-5598,00-POLICIA+DIVULGA+IMAGENS+DE+RENDICAO+DE+SEQUESTRADOR+NO+DISTRITO+FEDERAL.html].
+
The standard Light Phaser is entirely black. As with the Nintendo Zapper, the Light Phaser looked realistic enough to warrant parental pressure to alter the device, so that police would not confuse it with a real gun. Altered Light Phasers are distinguished by a hand-painted neon orange tip, and are much harder to find than their solid color counterparts. [[Tec Toy]] also released a blue Light Phaser in Brazil. In that same country in 2009, an unaltered Light Phaser was used to hold a woman hostage{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20201108102443/http://g1.globo.com/Noticias/Brasil/0,,MUL1013075-5598,00-POLICIA+DIVULGA+IMAGENS+DE+RENDICAO+DE+SEQUESTRADOR+NO+DISTRITO+FEDERAL.html}}.
  
 
Contrary to popular belief the Light Phaser was not modelled on the Sega-backed anime, ''[[Red Photon Zillion]]'', in which characters use Light Phaser-shaped guns. It is in fact, the other way around - ''Zillion'' debuted in April 1987 several months after the peripheral was released in the United States. It is therefore more likely that the ''Zillion'' design was borrowed from Sega, similar to the [[Opa-Opa]] cameo who had debuted in ''[[Fantasy Zone]]'' in 1986. The [[Zillion Fighter Set]], a light-gun tag toy developed by Sega, borrows the shell of the Light Phaser, but this too was released in 1987.
 
Contrary to popular belief the Light Phaser was not modelled on the Sega-backed anime, ''[[Red Photon Zillion]]'', in which characters use Light Phaser-shaped guns. It is in fact, the other way around - ''Zillion'' debuted in April 1987 several months after the peripheral was released in the United States. It is therefore more likely that the ''Zillion'' design was borrowed from Sega, similar to the [[Opa-Opa]] cameo who had debuted in ''[[Fantasy Zone]]'' in 1986. The [[Zillion Fighter Set]], a light-gun tag toy developed by Sega, borrows the shell of the Light Phaser, but this too was released in 1987.
  
As with all light guns, the Light Phaser was designed solely for CRT television sets, which were the standard for televisions during the 1980s and 1990s. The Light Phaser will struggle with LCD and plasma televisions and monitors, as well as projection screens.
+
As with all light guns, the Light Phaser was designed solely for CRT television sets, which were the standard for televisions during the 1980s and 1990s. The Light Phaser will struggle with LCD and plasma televisions and monitors, as well as projection screens. The Light Phaser is also incompatible with the Mark III as that system lacks the TH signal needed for the Light Phaser's light sensor. It is however compatible with the Japanese Master System, which has the TH signal present on both controller ports.
 +
 
 +
In 1989 [[Virgin Mastertronic]] released the "Magnum Light Phaser" for the three leading 8-bit home computers in Europe; the [[Amstrad CPC]], [[Commodore 64]], and [[ZX Spectrum]]. Each were bundled with either cassettes or floppy disks containing six games, with the company releasing a handful of other titles to make use of the peripheral in the months that followed. Despite the similar name and aesthetics, and Virgin Mastertronic's role as the UK's official distributor of [[Sega]] products, the Magnum Light Phaser is unrelated to Sega's Light Phaser (though could be infringing on Sega's trademark).
 +
 
 +
In the United States, a federal law came into force in November 1988 forcing toy gun manufacturers to add an orange tip to distinguish them from real guns. This means Light Phasers produced after this date which were intended for the US market have an orange tip.
  
 
==Hardware==
 
==Hardware==
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! Dir
 
! Dir
 
! description
 
! description
 +
! cable color{{ref|http://www.smspower.org/Development/LightPhaser}}
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 1
 
| 1
Line 39: Line 49:
 
|
 
|
 
| n/c
 
| n/c
 +
|
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 2
 
| 2
Line 44: Line 55:
 
|
 
|
 
| n/c
 
| n/c
 +
|
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 3
 
| 3
Line 49: Line 61:
 
|
 
|
 
| n/c
 
| n/c
 +
|
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 4
 
| 4
Line 54: Line 67:
 
|
 
|
 
| n/c
 
| n/c
 +
|
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 5
 
| 5
 
| VCC
 
| VCC
 
|
 
|
|
+
| +5V
 +
| green
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 6
 
| 6
Line 64: Line 79:
 
| IN
 
| IN
 
| trigger
 
| trigger
 +
| blue
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 7
 
| 7
Line 69: Line 85:
 
| IN
 
| IN
 
| light sensor
 
| light sensor
 +
| white
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 8
 
| 8
Line 74: Line 91:
 
|
 
|
 
| ground
 
| ground
 +
| black
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 9
 
| 9
Line 79: Line 97:
 
|
 
|
 
| n/c
 
| n/c
 +
|
 
|}
 
|}
 +
 
===Notes===
 
===Notes===
 
The controller ports are active-low (this is achieved in hardware by leaving lines unconnected when inactive, and connecting them to Gnd when active):
 
The controller ports are active-low (this is achieved in hardware by leaving lines unconnected when inactive, and connecting them to Gnd when active):
Line 85: Line 105:
 
* 0 in the corresponding port register means "pressed" or "light"
 
* 0 in the corresponding port register means "pressed" or "light"
  
==Compatible Game List==
+
==Compatible games==
 
{{multicol|
 
{{multicol|
 
* ''[[Assault City]]'' (also compatible with standard control pad)
 
* ''[[Assault City]]'' (also compatible with standard control pad)
 
* ''[[Gangster Town]]''
 
* ''[[Gangster Town]]''
* ''[[Laser Ghost]]''
+
* ''[[Laser Ghost]]'' (also compatible with standard control pad)
 
* ''[[Marksman Shooting]]''
 
* ''[[Marksman Shooting]]''
 
* ''[[Missile Defense 3-D]]''
 
* ''[[Missile Defense 3-D]]''
Line 101: Line 121:
 
* ''[[Wanted!]]''
 
* ''[[Wanted!]]''
 
}}
 
}}
 +
 +
==History==
 +
In 2009, the accessory was used by a Brazilian criminal while holding a woman hostage for 10 hours{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20200928101143/https://www.engadget.com/2009-03-04-man-holds-woman-hostage-for-10-hours-with-a-sega-light-gun.html}}.
 +
 +
==Promotional material==
 +
{{gallery
 +
|{{gitem|SMS ES promo 3.jpg|ES advert (1990)}}
 +
|{{gitem|MDMS MX advert.png|MX advert (1991)}}
 +
|{{galleryPrintAd
 +
|cvg|90|105
 +
|nce|21|9
 +
|cvg|91|84
 +
|nce|23|7
 +
|ace|20|68
 +
|cvg|92|89
 +
|ace|21|76
 +
}}
 +
|{{gitem
 +
|Enisof a.s offer.png|Print advert in Excalibur (CZ) #12 (1992-09-01)
 +
}}
 +
|{{galleryPrintAd
 +
|gamechamp|1992-12|163
 +
|gamechamp|1993-02|154
 +
|gamechamp|1993-04|148
 +
}}
 +
|{{galleryPrintAd
 +
|gamechamp|1993-03|5-6
 +
}}
 +
}}
 +
 
==Gallery==
 
==Gallery==
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
File:LightPhaser SMS RedTip.jpg|Red Tip model
+
File:LightPhaser SMS RedTip.jpg|US orange tip model
File:LightPhaser Brazil.jpg|BR model
+
File:LightPhaser SMS KR.jpg|KR model
 +
File:LightPhaser_BR_Black.jpg|BR first model
 +
File:LightPhaser_BR_Black_Info.jpg|BR first model Zoom
 +
File:LightPhaser Brazil.jpg|BR blue model (Master System III Compact bundle)
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
==Physical Scans==
+
==Magazine articles==
<gallery>
+
{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Magazine articles}}
File:TheSegaLightPhaser SMS EU Box Front.jpg|EU box (front)
+
 
File:TheSegaLightPhaser SMS EU Box Front Alt.jpg|EU box (alt) (front)
+
==Physical scans==
File:LightPhaser SMS EU Box Front Black.jpg|EU box (black) (front)
+
{{Scanbox
File:LightPhaser SMS DE Box Front.jpg|DE box (front)
+
| console=Master System
File:LightPhaser SMS BR Box Front.jpg|BR box (front)
+
| region=US
File:LightPhaser SMS AR Box Front.jpg|AR box (front)
+
| front=TheSegaLightPhaser SMS US Box Front.jpg
</gallery>
+
| back=TheSegaLightPhaser SMS US Box Back.jpg
 +
| spine=TheSegaLightPhaser SMS US Box Spine.jpg
 +
| spine2=TheSegaLightPhaser SMS US Box Spine2.jpg
 +
| top=TheSegaLightPhaser SMS US Box Top.jpg
 +
| bottom=TheSegaLightPhaser SMS US Box Bottom.jpg
 +
| topmarginleft=-195
 +
| bottommarginleft=137
 +
| topbottomwidth=137
 +
| square=yes
 +
| manual=SegaLightPhaserInstructionSMSU.pdf
 +
}}
 +
{{Scanbox
 +
| console=Master System
 +
| region=EU
 +
| front=LightPhaser SMS EU Box Front.jpg
 +
| back=LightPhaser SMS EU Box Back.jpg
 +
| spinemissing=yes
 +
| square=yes
 +
}}
 +
{{Scanbox
 +
| console=Master System
 +
| region=EU (with ''[[Marksman Shooting / Trap Shooting / Safari Hunt]]'')
 +
| front=LightPhaser SMS EU Box Front Combo.jpg
 +
| back=LightPhaser SMS EU Box Back Combo.jpg
 +
| spinemissing=yes
 +
| square=yes
 +
}}
 +
{{Scanbox
 +
| console=Master System
 +
| region=EU (newer)
 +
| front=TheSegaLightPhaser SMS EU Box Front Alt.jpg
 +
| back=LightPhaser SMS EU Box Back Alt.jpg
 +
| spinemissing=yes
 +
| square=yes
 +
}}{{Scanbox
 +
| console=Master System
 +
| region=EU (black)
 +
| front=LightPhaser SMS EU Box Front Black.jpg
 +
| back=
 +
| spinemissing=
 +
| square=yes
 +
}}{{Scanbox
 +
| console=Master System
 +
| region=DE
 +
| front=LightPhaser SMS DE Box Front.jpg
 +
| back=
 +
| spinemissing=
 +
| square=yes
 +
}}{{Scanbox
 +
| console=Master System
 +
| region=BR
 +
| front=LightPhaser SMS BR Box Front.jpg
 +
| back=LightPhaser SMS BR Box Back.jpg
 +
| spinemissing=yes
 +
| square=yes
 +
}}{{Scanbox
 +
| console=Master System
 +
| region=BR (Alt)
 +
| front=LightPhaser_SMS_BR_Box_Front_Alt.jpg
 +
| back=LightPhaser_SMS_BR_Box_Back_Alt.jpg
 +
| spinemissing=yes
 +
| square=yes
 +
}}{{Scanbox
 +
| console=Master System
 +
| region=AR
 +
| front=LightPhaser SMS AR Box Front.jpg
 +
| back=LightPhaser SMS AR Box Back.jpg
 +
| spinemissing=yes
 +
| square=yes
 +
}}
  
 +
==References==
 +
<references />
 
{{MasterSystem}}
 
{{MasterSystem}}
[[Category:Master System Accessories]]
 

Latest revision as of 19:28, 20 February 2024

Sega Master System lightphaser.jpg
Light Phaser
Made for: Sega Master System
Manufacturer: Sega
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Master System
US
3050
Sega Master System
EU
Sega Master System
EU
(Newer)
MK-3097-50
Sega Master System
DE
Sega Master System
PT
Sega Master System
UK
£44.9544.95[1][2][3]
Sega Master System
AR
Sega Master System
BR
R$180.00180.00
Sega Master System
KR

The Light Phaser is a light gun controller created by Sega for the Sega Master System. It is the Master System's equivalent to Nintendo's Zapper for the Nintendo Entertainment System or Atari's XG-1 for the Atari 7800 and XEGS. It was released alongside the Master System in the US in 1986, and also saw a release in Europe, Brazil and South Korea. No equivalent peripheral was produced for the Japanese market.

Design

The Light Phaser is a plastic gun consisting of a light sensor (in the tip) which is focused on a small area of the screen; and a trigger (which corresponds to Control Pad button 1). When the trigger is pulled, a compatible game flashes the screen in a way that is detectable by the light sensor, and hardware built in to the console allows the game to determine where the gun is pointing. The phaser is heavier than its Nintendo counterpart, but considered by some to have a more responsive trigger and more accurate targeting.

The standard Light Phaser is entirely black. As with the Nintendo Zapper, the Light Phaser looked realistic enough to warrant parental pressure to alter the device, so that police would not confuse it with a real gun. Altered Light Phasers are distinguished by a hand-painted neon orange tip, and are much harder to find than their solid color counterparts. Tec Toy also released a blue Light Phaser in Brazil. In that same country in 2009, an unaltered Light Phaser was used to hold a woman hostage[4].

Contrary to popular belief the Light Phaser was not modelled on the Sega-backed anime, Red Photon Zillion, in which characters use Light Phaser-shaped guns. It is in fact, the other way around - Zillion debuted in April 1987 several months after the peripheral was released in the United States. It is therefore more likely that the Zillion design was borrowed from Sega, similar to the Opa-Opa cameo who had debuted in Fantasy Zone in 1986. The Zillion Fighter Set, a light-gun tag toy developed by Sega, borrows the shell of the Light Phaser, but this too was released in 1987.

As with all light guns, the Light Phaser was designed solely for CRT television sets, which were the standard for televisions during the 1980s and 1990s. The Light Phaser will struggle with LCD and plasma televisions and monitors, as well as projection screens. The Light Phaser is also incompatible with the Mark III as that system lacks the TH signal needed for the Light Phaser's light sensor. It is however compatible with the Japanese Master System, which has the TH signal present on both controller ports.

In 1989 Virgin Mastertronic released the "Magnum Light Phaser" for the three leading 8-bit home computers in Europe; the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum. Each were bundled with either cassettes or floppy disks containing six games, with the company releasing a handful of other titles to make use of the peripheral in the months that followed. Despite the similar name and aesthetics, and Virgin Mastertronic's role as the UK's official distributor of Sega products, the Magnum Light Phaser is unrelated to Sega's Light Phaser (though could be infringing on Sega's trademark).

In the United States, a federal law came into force in November 1988 forcing toy gun manufacturers to add an orange tip to distinguish them from real guns. This means Light Phasers produced after this date which were intended for the US market have an orange tip.

Hardware

Pinout

Pin Signal Dir description cable color[5]
1 Up n/c
2 Down n/c
3 Left n/c
4 Right n/c
5 VCC +5V green
6 TL IN trigger blue
7 TH IN light sensor white
8 Gnd ground black
9 TR n/c

Notes

The controller ports are active-low (this is achieved in hardware by leaving lines unconnected when inactive, and connecting them to Gnd when active):

  • 1 in the corresponding port register means "not pressed" or "dark"
  • 0 in the corresponding port register means "pressed" or "light"

Compatible games

History

In 2009, the accessory was used by a Brazilian criminal while holding a woman hostage for 10 hours[6].

Promotional material

SMS ES promo 3.jpg
ES advert (1990)
SMS ES promo 3.jpg
MDMS MX advert.png
MX advert (1991)
MDMS MX advert.png
Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in Computer & Video Games (UK) #90: "April 1989" (1989-03-16)
also published in:
Logo-pdf.svg
Enisof a.s offer.png
Print advert in Excalibur (CZ) #12 (1992-09-01)
Enisof a.s offer.png
Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in Game Champ (KR) #1992-12: "92/12" ()
also published in:
Logo-pdf.svg
Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in Game Champ (KR) #1993-03: "xxxx" (199x-xx-xx)
Logo-pdf.svg

Gallery

Magazine articles

Main article: Light Phaser/Magazine articles.

Physical scans

Master System, US
TheSegaLightPhaser SMS US Box Top.jpg
TheSegaLightPhaser SMS US Box Back.jpgTheSegaLightPhaser SMS US Box Spine.jpgTheSegaLightPhaser SMS US Box Front.jpgTheSegaLightPhaser SMS US Box Spine2.jpg
TheSegaLightPhaser SMS US Box Bottom.jpg
Cover
SegaLightPhaserInstructionSMSU.pdf
Manual
Master System, EU
LightPhaser SMS EU Box Back.jpgNospine-small.pngLightPhaser SMS EU Box Front.jpg
Cover
Master System, EU (with Marksman Shooting / Trap Shooting / Safari Hunt)
LightPhaser SMS EU Box Back Combo.jpgNospine-small.pngLightPhaser SMS EU Box Front Combo.jpg
Cover
Master System, EU (newer)
LightPhaser SMS EU Box Back Alt.jpgNospine-small.pngTheSegaLightPhaser SMS EU Box Front Alt.jpg
Cover
Master System, EU (black)
LightPhaser SMS EU Box Front Black.jpg
Cover
Master System, DE
LightPhaser SMS DE Box Front.jpg
Cover
Master System, BR
LightPhaser SMS BR Box Back.jpgNospine-small.pngLightPhaser SMS BR Box Front.jpg
Cover
Master System, BR (Alt)
LightPhaser SMS BR Box Back Alt.jpgNospine-small.pngLightPhaser SMS BR Box Front Alt.jpg
Cover
Master System, AR
LightPhaser SMS AR Box Back.jpgNospine-small.pngLightPhaser SMS AR Box Front.jpg
Cover

References

Sega Master System
Topics Sega Master System | Technical Specifications (Hardware Comparison) | History | Boot ROM | Magazine articles | Promotional material | Merchandise
Hardware Asia | North America | Western Europe | Eastern Europe | South America | Australasia | Africa

Sega Mark III | Sega Game Box 9 | Master System Girl | Master System Super Compact | Kiosk | Sega System E

Add-ons Demo Unit II | Telecon Pack | FM Sound Unit | 3-D Glasses
Controllers SJ-152 | Control Pad | 3-D Glasses | Control Stick | Handle Controller | Light Phaser | Paddle Control | Rapid Fire Unit | Sports Pad | SG Commander
Misc. Hardware Action Replay | Card Catcher | Action Case | Freedom Connection | Playkit
Unreleased Floppy Disk Drive
Consoles-on-a-chip Arcade Gamer Portable | TF-DVD560 | DVD Karaoke Game DVT-G100 | Fun Play 20-in-1 | Handheld Electronic Games | Master System 3 Collection | Master System 3 | Master System Evolution | Master System Handy | PlayPal Plug & Play | Poga