Light gun guide

If you've ever been in a video game arcade before it's almost guaranteed you've seen a specially large cabinet featuring a fake “light” gun which could be used to aim at a screen displaying the game, one example being Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Thanks to the efforts of various developers and hardware manufacturers, it is now possible to bring that experience to the home using Batocera! This also includes the various home ports of such light gun games such as the infamous Duck Hunt.

Once the light guns are connected, a crosshair will appear on the screen:

The game list will also indicate which games are light gun compatible with a small theme-specific icon next to the name (this can be optionally disabled):

So first and foremost a light gun is needed, possibly multiple if intending on doing multiplayer (be careful of having enough physical space for both collision avoidance and tracking). Various light guns have entered the market and each offer their own advantages and disadvantages. If not specified, the light gun is compatible with all displays. Click the light gun to go to its section.

Light gun	Tracking method	Precision	Connectivity	Estimated price	Notes
Direct Wiimote gun with IR bar	Infrared	★★★★☆	Bluetooth	$10-20 second-hand Wiimote + $3-$10 IR bar	Need to have a powered IR sensor bar, but is far more accurate than using the Dolphinbar. Also, the Wiimote itself is wireless (most other light guns are wired). It is possible to convert the Mayflash Dolphinbar into a regular IR sensor bar with a firmware update, to use it as if though it were just a regular IR bar (this disables the Dolphinbar's Bluetooth connection, the Wiimote must be connected to a different device).
Mayflash Dolphinbar with Wiimote gun	Infrared	★☆☆☆☆	Connect Dolphinbar to machine via USB cable, then Wiimotes to Dolphinbar via Bluetooth	$10-20 second-hand Wiimote + $35 Dolphinbar	Works universally across machines and Wiimotes, but tends to jitter. No calibration possible, crosshair is mandatory. This is the only option on v34 and lower. Also, the Wiimote itself is wireless (most other light guns are wired).
Namco GunCon2/G-Con2	Cathode ray timing	★★★★★	Composite/component cable	$25-$50 second-hand, low availability	Limited to analogue displays which supports composite/component input. This cannot be used on a modern digital display.
GunCon3	Infrared		USB cable		Larger displays require more physical distance (or wide/fish lens). Fully supported since v38.
Ultimarc Aimtrak	Infrared	★★★☆☆	USB cable (370 cm)	$95 (w/o recoil)/$120 (w/ recoil)	Has calibration issues, requiring multiple attempts before it will apply.
AE Lightgun	Infrared	★★★☆☆	USB cable (290 cm)	$125	Requires at least nine feet/three metres of space to use. Has calibration issues, requiring multiple attempts before it will apply.
Sinden Lightgun	White border on display	★★★★☆	USB cable (480 cm)	$100 (w/o recoil)/$160 (w/ recoil)	Recoil can optionally be disabled. Requires shrinking the game screen to display the white borders. Has limitations on how many guns can be used per USB hub.
GUN4IR	Infrared	★★★★★	USB cable	$80 (DIY)/$200 (pre-assembled)	Larger displays require more physical distance (or wide/fish lens). Fully supported since v36.
SAMCO light gun		★★★★☆	USB cable
Fusion Lightgun	Infrared		USB cable

When a light gun is connected, a light gun symbol will appear in place of the controller activity icons (if that is enabled and the theme supports it). In addition, a new menu item will appear in the CONTROLLERS & BLUETOOTH SETTINGS menu specific to the light guns that are currently connected. This can be used to adjust settings specific to that light gun.

Depending on the light gun, global calibration may be required. All global calibration can be performed at any time, even during gameplay, however this sort of calibration will always be for global calibration (it is not saved per-game, it's only needed to be done once). Refer to the section relevant to your light gun below for instructions.

The Wii was revolutionary for its motion-based controls when it released back in 2006. This technology can now be used to emulate a light gun in Batocera, useful if you happen to have an old Wiimote and sensor bar laying around that is unused (though for convenience, buying a USB-powered sensor bar may be necessary). This is recommended over using the Mayflash Dolphinbar as the direct connection has far superior accuracy.

This is a special mode for the Wiimote when connected to Batocera. This will be referred to as the Wiimote gun from now on. Requires Batocera v35 or higher.

Set up the powered IR bar by taping over one side with solid tape and positioning the remaining LED at the bottom/top center of the display. Counter-intuitively, this setup works best when only one IR LED is visible (otherwise the cursor on-screen may “jump” when aiming at the edges).

Connect the Wiimote directly as a regular Bluetooth device. A notification will appear indicating that the Wiimote has connected in its gun mode, with a little light gun icon appearing (if the theme supports it). Once connected, press and hold the [Home] button for three seconds. A target will appear in the center of the screen, aim the Wiimote at it from your neutral shooting position and press [B]. Then a target will appear at the top-left; aim at that and press [B] again.

If the second target cannot be shot at, move further away from the display and repeat the process from the start. It may also help to put the IR bar above the monitor instead of below.

The Mayflash Dolphinbar is a third-party accessory that was initially designed to allow Wiimotes to be used as a cursor for PCs, or to allow for direct passthrough of the Wiimote to the Dolphin emulator (hence the colloquial name). Batocera can use it to emulate a light gun.

Unlike the direct Wiimote connection method, modes 1 and 2 do not utilize any special Wiimote gun mode in EmulationStation to function, instead the Dolphinbar itself emulates being a mouse and keyboard to the machine. When in these modes, it does not allow for global calibration, meaning that it will not likely match your display one-to-one (just like the original Wii did). It is also the only available option for light gun play on v34 and lower.

Certain third-party remotes that don't work over native Bluetooth may work with the Dolphinbar, as it uses its own Bluetooth stack separate from the host machine.

The Mayflash Dolphinbar requires manual action, compared to other solutions which automate most of the process. Because of this, it has its own page.

The Namco GunCon (known as G-Con in Europe) is a PlayStation peripheral first released in 1994, with the GunCon 2 for the PlayStation 2 following it up in 2001. If you have a GunCon 2 and a compatible analogue TV, you may be able to utilise it with Batocera. This cannot be used on a modern digital display. Requires Batocera v36 or higher.

Create a sh file inside the ports folder

/userdata/roms/ports/GunCon2_Calibration.sh

chmod +x /userdata/roms/ports/GunCon2_Calibration.sh

GunCon2_Calibration.sh

#!/bin/bash
xrandr --output $(xrandr | grep -o '.* connected' | sed 's/ connected//') --gamma 1:1:1 --brightness 2.0
guncon2_calibrate.sh
xrandr --output $(xrandr | grep -o '.* connected' | sed 's/ connected//') --gamma 1:1:1 --brightness 1.0

• The first line will increase the brightness via xrand
• The second line will launch the calibration script via switchres
• The third line will set the brightness back to default once the script exits.

You only need to do a first calibration once.

• Start the calibration by pressing the gun trigger.
• Follow the onscreen instructions and aim at all the 4 circles with the cross in the middle.
• Try to be as exact as possible.
• The result will not be perfect even if you aimed exactly in the middle using the GunCon2's crosshair.
• This is normal..
• Exit the script and save the settings by pressing A or B

• Button C + D-pad left/right → decrease x-min → apply if your gun is out on left of the screen
• Button C + D-pad up/down → increase x-max → apply if your gun is out on right of the screen

The Ultimarc Aimtrak comes with its own IR bar which can be mounted on the top of or at the bottom of the display, much like the Wiimote. Requires Batocera v35 or higher.

Connect both the light gun and the IR bar via USB. Then, hold main trigger for five seconds to launch the global calibration process. Shoot the top-left, top-right and bottom-center targets as they appear.

To quote AimTrak's documentation:

“The recoil power is routed via the connecting cable and the power supply needs to have a connector with outer diameter of 5.5mm and inner of 2.1mm. The required voltage is 24-36 Volts. The power supply needs to have the following maximum specs:

24 volts 4 Amps, or 36V 3 Amps.

DO NOT use a supply with a current capability of greater than 4 amps as the mechanism relies on the current-limiting feature on the supply to prevent overload. If using two or more guns you will need one supply per gun. The center pin of the connector is positive. Outer barrel negative.

We have tested this 3A supply from an Ebay vendor and it gives stronger recoil than some 4A supplies: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/-/262181938884 Here is an Ebay USA link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/224253662140 The pictures below show the cable connection and an example supply. This type of power supply is often available on Ebay.”

The AE Lightgun comes with its own IR bar which can be mounted on the top of or at the bottom of the display, much like the Wiimote and Ultimarc AimTrak. Requires Batocera v35 or higher.

Connect both the light gun and the IR bar via USB. Then, press the button in front of the main trigger to launch the global calibration process. Shoot the middle, top-right and bottom-left targets as they appear.

The Sinden Lightgun is a light gun which uses a regular camera looking at a white border to perform its tracking. Batocera will automatically enable a white border when the Sinden Lightgun is connected, as well as shrinking the content of the games to accomodate for this. Requires Batocera v35 or higher.

Connect the USB cable to the machine. Then hold left on its D-pad for five seconds. Shoot the center of the screen. Calibration is complete.

Sinden Lightguns offer the following options in CONTROLLER & BLUETOOTH SETTINGS → SINDEN GUN SETTINGS

• BORDER SIZE: Thin, medium or big. By default, the medium one is enabled (the size may differ depending on the emulator).
• BORDER MODE: Select when to display the border.
  • NORMAL: Always shown in EmulationStation and in game (default)
  • IN GAME ONLY: Only shown when playing a light gun game.
  • HIDDEN: Disable, useful if using your own bezels with their drawn border.
• BORDER COLOR: Change the color of the border either in white (default), red, green or blue.
• CAMERA CONTRAST: Adapt the camera contrast to your setup (daytime/bright, default, dim display/evening)
• CAMERA BRIGHTNESS: Adapt the camera brightness to your setup (daytime/bright, default, dim display/evening)
• CAMERA EXPOSURE: Adjust the camera exposure to your setup (useful for projector/crt)
• RECOIL: Adjust the behaviour and strength of the force-feedback when holding down the trigger.
  • No recoil: No force-feedback at all.
  • Gun: Recoil, delay, then rapid recoil until trigger is released.
  • Quiet gun: Same as “Gun”, but less intensity.
  • Machine gun: Rapid recoil until the trigger is released.
  • Quiet machine gun: Same as “Gun machine”, but less intensity.

For the time being, any custom and manual settings must be done inside Windows with GUN4IR tool and burned into the light gun.

If you have the calibration button, press it and shoot all targets in turn.

A table showing which emulators and cores support light guns (must be switched manually for systems using a default core not compatible with light guns).

System	Emulator	Gun support	Crosshair ?	Multi-guns ?	Notes
3do	retroarch/opera	v35+	✔	✘	Multiplayer unsupported for now
amstradcpc	retroarch/cap32	v37+	✔		Supported but not out of the box
arcade	mame	v35+	✔	✔
	retroarch/mame	✘
	retroarch/mame2003	v35+	✔	✔
	retroarch/mame2010	✘
	retroarch/fbneo	v35+	✔	✔
atari800	mame	✘
atari2600	retroarch/stella	v35+	✘	✔
atari7800	mame	✘
atomiswave	retroarch/flycast	v35+	✔	✔
	flycast	v35+	✔	✘	Not out of the box, multiplayer unsupported for now
c64	libretro/vice_x64	v35+	✔
	vice/x64	v35+		✔
daphne	hypseus	v35+	✔	✘
dreamcast	retroarch/flycast	v35+	✔	✔
	redream	v35+	✔	✘
	flycast	v35+	✔	✘	Multiplayer unsupported for now
gx4000	retroarch/cap32	v37+	✔		Supported but not out of the box
master system	retroarch/genesisplusgx	v35+	✔		~1)
megadrive	retroarch/genesisplusgx	v35+	✔	✘
model2	model2emu	v35+	✔	✘	Multiplayer unsupported for now
model3	supermodel	v35+	✔	v37+
naomi	flycast	v35+	✔	✘	Multiplayer unsupported for now
	retroarch/flycast	v35+	✔	✔
namco2x6	Play!	v38+	✘	✘	Namco 2×6 emulation is very early (v38+)
nes	retroarch/nestopia	v35+	✔
	retroarch/fceumm	v35+	✔
	retroarch/mesen	v35+	✘
psx	duckstation	v35+	✔	✘	Multiplayer unsupported for now
	retroarch/mednafenpsx	v35+	✘	✘	Only works with software renderer
	retroarch/PCSXrearmed	v35+	✘	✔
	retroarch/swanstation	v35+	v38+	✘
ps2	PCSX2	v37+	v38+	v37+
	retroarch/PCSX2	✘
ps3	RPCS3	v36+	✘	✔	PS Move emulation is very early
saturn	retroarch/beetle-saturn	v35+	✔	✔
	retroarch/kronos	✘
segacd	retroarch/picodrive	✘
	retroarch/genesisplusgx	v35+	✔
snes	retroarch/snes9x_next	✘
	retroarch/snes9x	v35+	✔		~2)
	retroarch/mesen-s	v35+	✘
	retroarch/bsnes	v35+	✘
steam	steam	v35+		✘
wii	dolphin	v36+	✔	✔
windows(wine)	wine/lutris	Untested		✘
	wine/proton	v35+		✘
xbox	xemu	✘
zxspectrum	retroarch/fuse	✘

Games which are light gun compatible will belong to the light gun genre in EmulationStation. Some themes support showing this tag to make it easier to quickly identify which games are light gun games. It is also possible to enable the light gun category as a selectable system.

Each light gun has its own button code when pressed. This code is translated to a global code in Batocera. When triggered, the global code will be translated into the emulator to a specific command. In the future, it will be possible to customize the mapping.

For example: when pressing the physical MINUS button on the Wiimote, it triggers the button event KEY_PREVIOUS, which is translated to the global code event BTN_1 in Batocera, which activates the Coins value in Naomi and MAME arcade games.

A list of tested light gun games (and any notes that pertain to them specifically) can be found on its own spreadsheet.

Beta testing, bug-finding and workarounds are welcomed on the Discord channel #lightguns or on the mega-issue report.

Although most light gun games will be plug and play, certain titles/emulators require extra actions (typically calibration in the emulated game itself). These are limitations of the software, but will be automated in the future for games that require it.

In-game recalibration is required, located in the game menu options. This is different per-game. This only needs to be done once.

Arcade gun games don't need recalibration. If you want to nonetheless, this is done in the service menus of the game once launched. This only needs to be done once, even if switching light guns later.

For most games, press either [F1] or [F2] on the keyboard to access the service menu specific to the game. Some games may require additional keys to be held while pressing the service keys (eg. Point Blank requires pressing [9] while holding [F2]). Navigate the menus by repeatedly pressing [F1] or [F2]. The calibration process is different per-game.

Flycast arcade games are already calibrated out of the box. However, it is still possible to recalibrate them, if you wish to do so.

Launch the game and complete its calibration process by opening the service menu ( which button?). This is done on a per-game basis, and the exact process is different per-game.

Flycast arcade games are already calibrated out of the box. However, it is still possible to recalibrate them. To do so, you need to enable the service menu.

1. Open the Quick Menu with [HOTKEY] + .
2. Go to Options → ( finish this sequence) and enable Allow Naomi service Buttons.
3. Exit the emulator.

This only needs to be done once ( confirm)

Then, for each game:

1. Launch the game.
2. Press in [L3] or [R3] on the controller (or [F1] or [F2] key) to open the service menu.
3. Navigate ( how?) to light gun calibration.

Configure the emulator first (controller to Lightgun, map missing buttons) ( how? step-by-step)

Commodore 64 games were released in various mediums. It was very common for all tape ROMs (TAP files) light gun games to also feature a joystick version on the other side of the tape. In order to use light guns, the light gun version of the game is needed. Disk images usually support both.

By default, the crosshair is on in Batocera from v35 to v37. This crosshair does not follow where the light gun is actually pointing.

To disable it, open /SHARE/saves/model2/model2emu/EMULATOR.ini and search for the line DrawCross = 1. Change the value to 0 and save the file.

If the game's video resolution is changed (such as changing display or by using the “video mode” setting), per-game recalibration is necessary for this system. This can be done by opening the service menu with the [F2] key. Navigate to () with [F1], and then press [F2] again to enter. Perform the calibration and then ().

Supermodel comes precalibrated, but can be recalibrated. Press either [5] or [7] on the keyboard to access the service menu specific to the game. Navigate the menus by repeatedly pressing [6] or [8]. The calibration process is different per-game.

All PSX emulators are only compatible with GunCon ROMs (with exception to libretro: mednafen, which should be compatible with all ROMs but a bug prevents the use of any light guns), so any non-GunCon ROMs require the Nuvee patch in order to function with light guns in the emulators: https://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-Nuvee-PS1-PS2-input-plugin-supporting-lightguns-by-Shalma. Instructions are in the .7z file, respectively for each patchable ROM.

Otherwise, light gun games with justifiers are playable with libretro: mednafen psx core, but need to have the following settings adjusted:

1. Open RetroArch quick menu with [HOTKEY] +
2. Select Core Options
3. Change Renderer (Restart Required) to “Software”
4. Go back and select Controls option
5. In Port # controls change the Device Type to “Justifier”
6. Restart the game in the RetroArch quick menu

In-game recalibration is required, located in the game menu options. This is different per-game. This only needs to be done once.

The Justifier controller type does not work in libretro: mesen-s and libretro: bsnes, rendering Lethal Enforcers unplayable with these cores.

Veteran users may recall the controller type option in the advanced system settings for each system needing to be set to a particular light gun (specific to that system) in order to play light gun games. As of v35, this is no longer necessary, as Batocera will automatically use the appropriate controller type if a light gun is connected. The crosshair option will also be automatically disabled for the light guns - except if you play with the Mayflash Dolphinbar, which will be automatically enabled.

Two new options have been added to the global game options:

• USE GUNS: The magic that enables all of this to be configured automatically.
• SHOW LIGHTGUN CROSSHAIRS: Opt to manually show the crosshairs (perhaps to assist with aiming in general), manually remove the crosshairs or let Batocera decide for you.

The Wiimote works by sending a video feed of its IR camera to the machine. This sensor is very poor, and can fail to see the IR LED if too far away. So, there's a “sweet spot” for each display where you are both far enough away to see the IR bar when aiming at the extreme corner opposite the IR bar, while still being close enough for the IR camera of the Wiimote to pick it up.

To debug this to get an accurate reading, connect via SSH and run the following:

xwiishow 1

This will show a video feed of the IR camera in the upper-right of the SSH session:

To visualize what this information represents, imagine this being a flipped version of the position being aimed at on the display:

Make sure there are no reflective surfaces or other obstructions that can interfere with the visual. If placing the LED on a flat surface like the top of the entertainment unit, ensure it is as close to the edge as possible to make sure it's not obscured by its edge when aiming from a lower position (you may want to prop up the IR bar on some rubber stoppers).

First, ensure you are running Batocera v35 or higher.

Otherwise, ensure that CONTROLLER & BLUETOOTH SETTINGS → WIIMOTE GUN SETTINGS → MODE and set it to “GUN”.

Replug the light gun or change recoil settings.

Avoid using a USB hub when connecting both guns. Use different USB speed port for each (ex.: USB 2.0/USB 3.0) or different pair (ex.: one in front of the PC, one in the back). If using a Raspberry Pi, make sure you have enough power voltage.

A reboot might be necessary if hot plugged in.

RPi4: Plug your first sinden in USB3 port. Wait 10s. Plug your second sinden in USB2 port. Wait 10s.

Steam Deck dock: Most issues are fixed with a good quality SDCard and the official Steam Deck dock with good amount of power voltage.

Some games offer a recalibration menu in-game. Use that to work around such issues. This will be different per-game of course.

Arcade games typically require the use of the service menu, refer to the exceptions section above.

Check out the mega-issue report, it's probably already been reported.

If having issues with ROM loading itself, check out the generic troubleshooting page.