View source for Super Scope

{{short description|SNES light gun peripheral}}
{{For|the game included with the peripheral|Super Scope 6}}
{{Infobox information appliance
| name = Super Scope
| logo =
| image = [[File:Nintendo-SNES-Super-Scope-L.jpg|250px]]
| caption = The Nintendo Super Scope (without its sight)
| aka = Nintendo Scope<ref name=NLife/>
| developer = [[Nintendo]]
| manufacturer = Nintendo
| carrier =
| family =
| type = [[Video game accessory|Video game console peripheral]]
| generation = [[History of video game consoles (fourth generation)|Fourth generation]]
| releasedate = 1992
| lifespan =
| price =
| discontinued = 1997
| unitssold =
| unitsshipped =
| media = [[Input device]]
| os = <!-- operating system --> 
| power =
| cpu =
| storage =
| memory =
| display =
| graphics =
| sound =
| input =
| location = <!-- GPS or Wi-Fi based -->
| controllers =
| output =
| camera =
| touchpad =
| connectivity =
| service =
| dimensions =
| weight = 
| topgame =
| compatibility =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| related = 
}}

The {{nihongo foot|'''Super Scope'''|スーパースコープ|Sūpā Sukōpu|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} known as the '''Nintendo Scope''' in [[Europe]] and [[Australia]], is a [[light gun]] peripheral created by [[Nintendo]] for the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]]. It is able to aim and fire at targets on a screen by connecting to a small [[infrared]] receiver module placed on top of the television. The peripheral was released in 1992 and packaged with the video game ''[[Super Scope 6]]''. However, only twelve total games were compatible with the device, all released between 1992 and 1994.

==Overview==
===Design===
[[File:Nintendo scope.jpg|thumb|European model with orange firing button]]
[[File:Nintendo-SNES-Super-Scope-Bisected.jpg|thumb|right|The inside of the Super Scope]]
The Super Scope is a [[bazooka]]-shaped device, just under {{cvt|2|ft|cm}} long.<ref name=NLife>{{cite web | last=McFerran | first=Damien | title=Hardware Classics: Nintendo Super Scope | website=Nintendo Life | date=January 16, 2016 | url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/01/hardware_classics_nintendo_super_scope | access-date=August 1, 2025 | archive-date=January 23, 2025 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250123081130/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/01/hardware_classics_nintendo_super_scope | url-status=live }}</ref> Unlike its predecessor, the [[NES Zapper]], the Super Scope does not use a wired connection to the system and instead requires six [[AA battery|AA batteries]] for power.<ref name=NLife/> Located about midway on top of the barrel are the "Fire" button, the "Pause" button, and the device's power switch, which can also be used to activate turbo fire.<ref name=RG/> In the middle on either side are two clips for attaching the sight.<ref name=RG/> At the far end of the gun, on the bottom, is a {{cvt|6|in|cm}} grip with another button labeled "Cursor"; holding this button and pressing "Fire" twice will reset any game to the title screen.<ref name=manual>{{Cite book |last=[[Nintendo]] |title=Super Scope 6 |date=1999 |publisher=Nintendo |pages=3–5 |type=instruction manual}}</ref>

On the end is the infrared receiver lens, approximately {{convert|1|in|mm|0}} in diameter, which picks up the light from a TV.<ref name="snesdev"/> The sight mount is shaped like a wide, very shallow "U", about five inches long. The end that faces toward the shoulder mount end of the Super Scope has a round open cylinder holder, where the eyepiece goes. The other end has a short, narrow tube, which forms the sight when one looks through the eyepiece that is in-line across from it. The end of the eyepiece is very simple: it is a cylinder with the diameter of a quarter, with a removable rubber piece through which the shooter looks. The sight is designed so that the aim will be correct at a distance of {{convert|3|m|ft|0}}.

The Super Scope comes packaged with a small infrared receiver module, {{cvt|2.5|x|2.5|x|1|in|cm}} in size, with a standard [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES]] controller cord attached. On the front is an oval-shaped black area, receding back from the two sides to an infrared transmitter about the size of a [[dime (United States coin)|dime]]. The receiver must be placed above the screen and connected to the system's second controller port for play.<ref name=manual/>

===Functionality===
[[File:Nintendo-SNES-Super-Scope-Receiver.jpg|thumb|right|The receiver module that plugs into controller port, meant to sit on top of the TV]]
The Super Scope makes use of the scanning process used in [[cathode-ray-tube monitor]]s, as CRTs were the only widely used TV monitors until the early 2000s. On a CRT, the screen is drawn by a scanning [[electron]] beam that travels horizontally across each line of the screen from top to bottom. A fast [[photodiode]] will see any particular area of the screen illuminated only briefly as that point is scanned, while the [[human eye]] will see a consistent image due to [[persistence of vision]].<ref name=NLife/>

The Super Scope interprets this by outputting a {{code|0}} signal when it sees the television [[raster scan]] and a {{code|1}} signal when it does not. Inside the console, this signal is delivered to the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System#Video|PPU]], which notes which screen [[pixel]] it is outputting at the moment the signal transitions from {{code|1}} to {{code|0}}. At the end of the [[Film frame#Video frame|frame]], the game software can retrieve this stored position to determine where on the screen the gun was aimed.<ref name=NLife/> Most licensed Super Scope games include a calibration mode to account for both electrical delays and maladjustment of the [[Sight (device)|gunsight]].<ref name="snesdev">{{cite book |author=Nintendo |author-link=Nintendo |title=Super Nintendo Entertainment System Development Manual |pages=327–354 |year=1995}}</ref>

The Super Scope ignores red light, as do many guns of this type because red [[phosphor]]s have a much slower rate of decay than green or blue phosphors.<ref name="snesdev"/> Since the Super Scope depends on the short persistence and scan pattern of CRT pixels, it will not function with modern displays (such as [[Plasma display|plasma screens]] or [[Liquid crystal display|LCDs]]) that continuously light each pixel.<ref name=NLife/>

==History==
The Super Scope was released in [[North America]] and the [[PAL region]] in 1992, followed by a limited release in Japan in 1993.<ref name=RG/><ref name=movie>{{cite web | last=Bertoli | first=Ben | title=Remembering the First and Only Mario FPS | website=IGN | date=March 13, 2019 | url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/03/13/mario-fps-yoshis-safari | access-date=August 1, 2025 | archive-date=October 19, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019012443/https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/03/13/mario-fps-yoshis-safari | url-status=live }}</ref> The peripheral came bundled with the video game ''[[Super Scope 6]]'', which was created to demonstrate the device's functionality.<ref name=RG/>

===Compatible games===
Only '''12''' games were released that feature Super Scope compatibility, half of which require the accessory for play.<ref name=RG>{{cite magazine|last=Szczepaniak|first=John|date=March 2022|title=30 Years of the Super Scope|magazine=[[Retro Gamer]]|publisher=[[Future plc]]|issue=231|pages=44–49}}</ref> Certain games released after the Super Scope—such as ''[[Yoshi's Island]]'' and ''[[Kirby Super Star]]''—display a warning message indicating that the game is incompatible if it detects the receiver is plugged in.<ref>{{cite web | last=Olney | first=Alex | title=Video: Switch 2's Mouse Controls Are Nothing New For Nintendo | website=Nintendo Life | date=May 12, 2025 | url=https://www.nintendolife.com/features/video-switch-2s-mouse-controls-are-nothing-new-for-nintendo | access-date=July 29, 2025 | archive-date=June 14, 2025 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250614051322/https://www.nintendolife.com/features/video-switch-2s-mouse-controls-are-nothing-new-for-nintendo | url-status=live }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+Super Scope compatible games
|-
!scope=col| Title
!scope=col| Year
!scope=col| Publisher
!scope=col| Required
!scope=col class="unsortable"| Note
|-
!scope=row| ''[[Battle Clash]]''
| 1992 || Nintendo || {{Yes}} ||
|-
!scope=row| ''Bazooka Blitzkrieg''
| 1992 || [[Bandai]] || {{Yes}} ||
|-
!scope=row| {{sort|Hunt for Red October|''[[The Hunt for Red October (console game)|The Hunt for Red October]]''}}
| 1993 || Hi-Tech Expressions, Inc. || {{No}} || Only used for bonus games<ref name=RG/>
|-
!scope=row| ''[[Lamborghini American Challenge]]''
| 1993 || [[Titus France]] || {{No}} || Features an optional Super Scope-exclusive mode<ref name=RG/>
|-
!scope=row| ''[[Lemmings 2: The Tribes]]''
| 1994 || [[Psygnosis]] || {{No}} || A secret [[easter egg (media)|easter egg]] allows the Super Scope to destroy lemmings<ref name=RG/>
|-
!scope=row| ''[[Metal Combat: Falcon's Revenge]]''
| 1993 || Nintendo || {{Yes}} ||
|-
!scope=row| ''[[Operation Thunderbolt (video game)|Operation Thunderbolt]]''
| 1994 || [[Taito]] || {{No}} || Also compatible with a standard controller or the [[Super NES Mouse]]<ref name=RG/>
|-
!scope=row| ''[[Super Scope 6]]''
| 1992 || Nintendo || {{Yes}} ||Packaged with the Super Scope<ref name=RG/>
|-
!scope=row| ''[[Terminator 2: Judgment Day (arcade game)|T2: The Arcade Game]]''
| 1993 || [[Acclaim Entertainment]] || {{No}} || Also compatible with a standard controller or the Super NES Mouse<ref name=RG/>
|-
!scope=row| ''[[Tin Star (video game)|Tin Star]]''
| 1994 || Nintendo || {{No}} || Also compatible with a standard controller or the Super NES Mouse<ref name=RG/>
|-
!scope=row| ''[[X-Zone]]''
| 1993 || [[Kemco]] || {{Yes}} ||
|-
!scope=row| ''[[Yoshi's Safari]]''
| 1993 || Nintendo || {{Yes}} ||
|}

''[[Mario & Wario]]'' was also planned to support the accessory, but this was dropped before release.<ref>{{cite magazine | author=Hilliard, Kyle | date=August 9, 2017 | title=Game Freak's Origins And Its Pre-''Pokémon'' Games | url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2017/08/09/game-freaks-origins-and-non-pokemon-games.aspx | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204142400/https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2017/08/09/game-freaks-origins-and-non-pokemon-games.aspx | archive-date=December 4, 2019 | access-date=March 26, 2020 | publisher=[[GameStop]] | url-status=live | magazine=[[Game Informer]]}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
In response to the Super Scope, Sega would release their own light gun peripheral for the [[Sega Genesis]], the [[Menacer]], later the same year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/levelup/a466096/menacer-retrospective-the-mega-drives-light-gun-flop.html |access-date=January 8, 2014 |title=Menacer retrospective: The Mega Drive's light-gun flop |last1=Reynolds |first1=Matthew |date=March 16, 2013 |work=[[Digital Spy]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228124831/http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/levelup/a466096/menacer-retrospective-the-mega-drives-light-gun-flop.html |archive-date=December 28, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

A Super Scope was used as a [[theatrical property|prop]] in the [[Super Mario Bros. (film)|live-action ''Super Mario Bros.'' film]] (1993), representing King Koopa's "Devo gun". Images from the film were used to promote the Super Scope's 1993 release in Japan.<ref name=movie/><ref>{{cite web | last=McFerran | first=Damien | title=How we got to the Switch: a brief history of Nintendo controllers | website=TechRadar | date=October 29, 2016 | url=https://www.techradar.com/news/how-we-got-to-the-switch-a-brief-history-of-nintendo-controllers/2 | access-date=August 1, 2025}}</ref>

During the [[1993–94 United States Senate hearings on video games]], Senator [[Joe Lieberman]] used the Super Scope as evidence of video games promoting violence among children, citing the peripheral's resemblance to a real assault weapon.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/1993/12/15/15video.h13.html | title = Coalition To Develop Rating System for Video Games | first = Mark | last = Walsh | date = December 15, 1993 | accessdate = October 31, 2018 | work = [[Education Week]] | archive-date = November 8, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201108111115/https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/1993/12/15/15video.h13.html | url-status = live }}</ref>

The Super Scope has made cameo appearances in other Nintendo games, including as a recurring item in the ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' series beginning with ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' (2001),<ref>{{cite web | last=Trammell | first=David | title=Super Smash Bros. Melee Hands-on Preview | website=Nintendo World Report | date=May 21, 2001 | url=https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/hands-on-preview/2596/super-smash-bros-melee-gamecube | access-date=August 1, 2025 | archive-date=September 6, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906230355/https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/hands-on-preview/2596/super-smash-bros-melee-gamecube | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Pattison | first=Narayan | title=Smash Bros. Brawl AU Review | website=IGN | date=June 24, 2008 | url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/06/24/smash-bros-brawl-au-review | access-date=August 1, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Super Smash Bros. Melee | website=IGN | date=November 28, 2001 | url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/11/28/super-smash-bros-melee-2 | access-date=August 1, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=LaBella | first=Anthony | title=Super Smash Bros. (3DS) Item List | website=GameRevolution | date=October 16, 2014 | url=https://www.gamerevolution.com/guides/65728-super-smash-bros-3ds-item-list | access-date=August 1, 2025 | archive-date=April 11, 2025 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250411152713/https://www.gamerevolution.com/guides/65728-super-smash-bros-3ds-item-list | url-status=live }}</ref> as a microgame element in the ''[[WarioWare]]'' series,<ref name=movie/> and as the visual inspiration for the S-BLAST weapons in ''[[Splatoon 3]]'' (2022).<ref>{{cite web | last=Price | first=Leigh | title=See the SNES Super Scope Inspired Splatoon 3 Weapon | website=Siliconera | date=May 17, 2023 | url=https://www.siliconera.com/see-the-snes-super-scope-inspired-splatoon-3-weapon/ | access-date=August 1, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Norman | first=Jim | title=Splatoon 3: Chill Season 2023 - Every New Weapon, Stage, Feature | website=Nintendo Life | date=December 1, 2023 | url=https://www.nintendolife.com/guides/splatoon-3-chill-season-2023-every-new-weapon-stage-feature | access-date=August 1, 2025 | archive-date=May 31, 2025 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250531053437/https://www.nintendolife.com/guides/splatoon-3-chill-season-2023-every-new-weapon-stage-feature | url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2020, a hobbyist developer created a hardware mod to allow the Super Scope to be used with modern televisions.<ref>{{cite web | last=Lawler | first=Richard | title=Modder's DIY project makes the SNES Super Scope work on your flat TV | website=Engadget | date=October 28, 2020 | url=https://www.engadget.com/element14-snes-super-scope-raspberry-pi-mod-013115973.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101030829/https://www.engadget.com/element14-snes-super-scope-raspberry-pi-mod-013115973.html | archive-date=November 1, 2020 | url-status=live | access-date=August 12, 2025}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[NES Zapper|Zapper]] - A light gun peripheral for the original [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]]
*[[Menacer]] – A similar light gun peripheral by [[Sega]] for their [[Sega Genesis|Genesis]] platform
*[[Konami Justifier|The Justifier]] – A light gun peripheral by [[Konami]] for the Super NES and Genesis for use with ''[[Lethal Enforcers]]''

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Super Nintendo Entertainment System}}
{{Nintendo hardware|SNES}}
{{Portal bar|Video games|border=no}}

[[Category:Super Nintendo Entertainment System accessories]]
[[Category:Light guns]]
[[Category:Nintendo controllers]]