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What could be more fun than shooting the bad guys in your favorite action game? How about a gun that lets you actually shoot into your monitor? That's exactly what ACT-LABS has spent the last two years developing, a universal gun system for games that use guns.
Before you get too excited, the future of gaming isn't here quite yet. Only nine games currently support the ACT-LABS GS gun system, although about 30 more companies are rushing to support it. They include a range of 3-D shooters, hunting, action-adventure, and military simulations. Current support includes Deer Hunter 3, Cabela Big Game Hunter 3, Critical Mass, Half-Life, Quake 2, and Die Hard Trilogy 2.
The GS comes with two pistol style guns and a handheld controller. Through a special monitor connector, the guns shoot a light signal that is detected within several pixels of where you aim. Our tests found it to be as accurate as the shooter himself. The trick is taking your time calibrating the guns, and shooting at a consistent distance from the screen.
The handheld unit is a small cylinder with a thumb-controlled joystick on top and two buttons on the front. The stick can also be clicked for use as a third button. The controller can be used instead of a mouse for FPS, plugged in to the second gun port. The joystick can be configured to control character or head movement and the buttons are also easily programmable.
The controller buttons are on the front of the controller, though a more comfortable place might have been on the bottom where the fingers wrap around. While playing Half-Life, we had to switch between keyboard and controller which was tricky while holding a gun in one hand and a controller in the other. The controller could also use more programmable buttons.
The package comes with Remington Top Shot, a series of shooting simulations that can help you get the hang of the guns before venturing into higher pressure games.
ACT-LABS set up a support and news web site called GS Zone: http://www.act-labs.com/gszone/. It's updated regularly with new game support, FAQ's, and other information. Make sure to download the most current drivers and patches, otherwise you might notice some bugs.
Above all, the ACT-LABS GS gun system is fun to use, well made, and -- with the promise of so many supported games in the near term -- a great bet for the future of gaming.-- Greg Schick / GamePro
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