Dreamcast Guns No Longer Work

[VideoGameCritic]

The House of the Dead 2 was always a Dreamcast favorite of mine, and I loved the two-player co-op with light guns.

In recent years however I noticed that these guns no longer function. I have both the Mad Catz and Interact guns, and have tried them on multiple TVs. With the interact gun, I can shoot the first calibration target in the top left, but can't hit the lower right target. The only way it seems to register is if I shoot the middle of the screen, resulting in REALLY BAD (read: unplayable) calibration.

With the Mad Catz controller I can't even select the calibration menu! The menu selection is jumping all over the place, even when the gun is pointed away from the screen.

I've read a few threads on other forums in reference to this, and a lot of people assume it's just their TVs. I'm pretty sure it's the light guns. Apparently whatever mechanism they use seems to degrade over time. That's a shame, but at least normal controllers still work. Also, you can get House of the Dead 2 and 3 for the Wii.

[ActRaiser]

Really dumb question but are you playing these on a CRT?

[VideoGameCritic]

Yes

[Matchstick]

I've had a similar problem with my Saturn light guns over the years. Granted, I never used Sega's official "Stunner" gun, but a set of third-party ones from Interact, one in red, one in blue. Really helps replicate the arcade look, having a different colors for each player.

With both of my guns, the issue was dust and crud that had built-up over the lens and sensor inside the gun over the years. If you're comfortable with taking them apart, then open them up, remove the plastic lens at the barrel of the gun, and give it a good cleaning with Windex and a soft cloth. For the sensor behind it, lightly moisten a Q-Tip with windex and gently swab the sensor with the wet end, then buff it dry with the dry end.

In my experience, this has done the trick! But it does involve opening up your light gun controllers. Not as scary as it sounds, trust me - they're mostly hollow inside. You're most likely to strip the threads on the screws where they go into the plastic. Just go slow, and take your time.

Besides, you don't really have to worry about breaking them if they're already non-working to begin with

[VideoGameCritic]

I took matchstick up on his suggestion but no luck.

I wasn't able to open the Mad Catz controller because I couldn't remove some of those tiny screws.

I was however able to open the Interact gun, and the sensor is so tiny I was like "where IS it"? Wiped it and the lens with a Q-tip, but after putting it back together I didn't notice any difference.

I'm kind of looking forward to going back and re-reviewing House of the Dead 2 with normal controllers.

[Matchstick]

I took matchstick up on his suggestion but no luck

Oh, bummer!! I'm sorry to hear that, Critic, but I appreciate you giving it a try. At least this way, you know for sure that the controllers are probably done for. You're right, too - those sensors are pretty tiny. I do remember that much from the Saturn ones I cleaned up a while back.

Then again, my Saturn light guns were bought used from a flea market, and came covered in dust and gunk from the get-go. And reeking of cigarettes. It's entirely possible that we're dealing with a different set of problems here. I wonder if the light sensors just wear out over time, after years of exposure to bright light? I can see them getting less and less sensitive as time goes on, due to over-exposure.

Speaking of which...

I'm kind of looking forward to going back and re-reviewing House of the Dead 2 with normal controllers.

it's really not as bad as you might think. My Dreamcast light guns (which I no longer have, and I believe were the MadCatz ones) were never really accurate from the get-go. If I wanted to get anywhere in House of the Dead 2, I had to use the controller. It's honestly the only way I ever managed to beat the game.

My thing is, as time's gone on, I've gotten more and more sensitive to bright lights and flashes, especially the kind that happen when you pull the trigger in a light gun game. I can only really play these games anymore if I wear sunglasses while I play, and even then, that doesn't always keep me from getting a headache afterward.

But a lot of times, playing a light gun game with a normal controller *does not* cause the screen to flash when you fire. It's about the only way I comfortably play HOTD and other games, and for me, the tradeoff is worth it. I think some games still make the screen flash when played with a normal controller (Virtua Cop comes to mind, as does HOTD on the Saturn) but I believe the Dreamcast version of HOTD 2 does not.

Maybe I'll give it a go tonight and see for myself

[snakeboy]

It's a shame House of the Dead doesn't work with the Dreamcast mouse. Or at least I don't think it does. I did a little Google searching a few years back since I have a mouse and no light gun, and I think I ended up finding out it isn't mouse-compatible. Anyone know for sure if that's the case?

[matmico399]

Sorry to hear the problem. I bought an original Dreamcast controller/gun 20 years ago and it still works great. I also bought one about 6 years ago, I think it was a madcatz and it is definitely my favorite light gun. It's still works great today. I don't think there is any assistance I can give you on this.

[VideoGameCritic]

Could it be that electronic signals can affect these guns? I got a lot of stuff in my game room.

[ActRaiser]

I've heard LED lights can interfere. No idea if it's true or not. Goodluck buying incandescents but maybe try playing with the lights off.