ACT Labs Performance Pedal Reviews

If you're old enough to remember the original NES system, Act-Labs' new PC USB Light Gun will surely strike a chord with you. Attempting to bring to the PC what Nintendo (and others) brought to their console systems years ago, playing classic shooter games with an old-fashioned light gun will surely bring back feelings of nostalgia to young and old.

Pros: Great price; easy to install; cool design; solid functionality; supports M.A.M.E and FCE Ultra NES emulator.

Cons: Limited games; limited usage; white flash when firing tends to get annoying; semi-difficult calibration.

Verdict: For a mere $30 USD, the Act-Labs PC USB Light Gun offers solid functionality and fun albeit having a few limitations.

Quick Overview & Simple Installation:

The general design of the PC USB Light Gun is clean and sleek. The casing is silver and the grip, trigger, buttons and other accents are black. The shape is a cool looking sci-fi-like design, seemingly borrowed from any number of sci-fi movies. The button layout is simple; a trigger where you'd expect the trigger to be, a second button on the left side and the calibration on/off switch on the right. The gun is designed to emulate a two-button mouse, and the second button (right click) is easy to access with the thumb if you're right-handed; lefties may have trouble however.

Installation is typically simple, and Act-Labs also provides step-by-step instructions on the provided CD. All that's required is plugging in the USB connection, turning off & and unplugging the monitor, plugging it into the adaptor box, and then plugging the VGA connector from the adaptor box to the video card. Once the device is installed, it's as simple as pointing and clicking. Note: Only VGA connections & CRT monitors are supported for this device.

Before you can really use the gun, it will require calibration. On the supplied CD is a video file explaining how to calibrate the gun. All that's required is for you to flick the calibration switch and move the gun to the left & right and up & down in front of the white screen on the monitor. Calibration can be tricky if you don't have a steady hand, and sometimes the cursor won't quite click where you aim. One thing that would aid in calibration would be a marker of some sort in the centre of the screen so the eyes aren't distracted as much when moving the gun.

Ho-Hum Bundle & Straight Shootin'

While there are no provided installable games, Act-Labs has provided links to literally tons of Java/Shockwave/Flash online games. While this may be a little disappointing to some, it's unique to say the least. Also, the very cool addition of support for the FCE Ultra NES emulator and M.A.M.E. emulator offset the lack of retail software.

The functionality of the PC USB Light Gun is pretty much dependent on the effectiveness of your calibration. If calibrated properly, you aim; it fires, simple as that. Probably the only real downside to the device's usage is the white flash that fills your screen when you fire; it's very annoying but required for the device to effectively be able to read the pixels aimed at. It's worth noting that this device is made strictly for 'popup' or scroll shooters like Duck Hunt, and does not function in first person shooters as the device doesn't track the screen position, it only responds when fired.

For a mere $30 USD, Act-Labs' PC USB Light Gun is a great buy for an effective but simple device. The only real drawbacks are the somewhat difficult calibration procedure and limitations in both usage and software. While not much attention is focused to the ‘scroller-shooter’ genre on the PC, there's a decent amount of free games online; and hey, there's always Duck Hunt.