ACT Labs GS Gun System

GS Gun System

Manufactured By: ACT Labs

Retail Price: $89.99-99.99

Review Date: 12-27-99

When I made the transition from a console system to a PC over 10 years ago there were a few things I was forced to give up- the ability to know that everything will work with my system and some of the cool controllers they made for my console. Actually the only controller I miss was the light gun. Who can forget the countless hours spent playing Duck Hunt on the Nintendo. If your asking what Nintendo or Duck Hunt is you'll need to ask your father.

Then I received a press release from ACT Labs about 6 months ago. They were releasing a gun system for the PC. As information on the Gun System (GS) trickled out many of the questions I had were answered. The GS connects to your computer through the gameport and by a thick VGA pass-through cable. It offers a total of 5 buttons (2 on the gun and 3 on the hand held controller). Where movement is necessary the hand held controller gets the job done with its mini-joystick controller.

The GS is not fashioned after any particular gun, instead having a futuristic look to it. It is politically incorrect to fashion anything after a real gun these days and ACT Labs made a wise decision not to do this right now. The GS is being marketed as future proof. They have hinted at later releases of collector guns and "other accessories to enhance gameplay". Just what these enhancements many be is still a mystery.

ACT Labs is nestled in Richmond, B.C. Canada and run by a team of players that put making cutting edge, high quality, easy to use, affordable peripherals in their company mission statement. How can a gamer ask for anything else.

Features 90%-

• Two Guns, each with trigger and second button
• Handheld controller with mini-stick and 3 buttons
• Handheld mouse emulation option
• 3D accelerator support
• Game port and video connection
• 3 Pixel accuracy in resolutions up to 1600 x 1200
• Available in US, UK and European power configurations

Appropriate For-

• 1st person shooters (Quake II, Half-Life)
• 3rd Person Shooters (Die Hard Trilogy)
• Hunting Games (Deer Hunter III, Remington Top Shot)
• Arcade and Side Scrolling games

System Requirements-Gameport, Windows 95/98, DirectX 5 or higher

Price-

The worlds first light gun for under $90 is not a bad deal. Game support is on the way and the current selection should keep you more than busy.

Warranty-

1-year warranty.

Performance 95%-

The ACT Labs GS Gun System is nothing but great fun to use. The currently supported games will keep you busy for quite some time (at least until others are released). I tested the GS with the included Top Shot, Glitter Mod Quake II and Deer Hunter 3. Setup of each was simple- just be sure to start with a good calibration of the appropriate screen resolution you'll be playing at.

Remington Top Shot-

The Top Shot game is included on the ACT Labs GS CD. The premise of Top Shot places you in a variety of shooting ranges. For proper operation be sure to download the latest GS and Top Shot patches. At first I thought the idea of the game was fairly simple. Hours later I realized I was hooked. Your permitted to use a wide variety of weapons for target practice. My favorite being the double stand skeet shoot.

The GS played Top Shot very well. There are very few movement requirements in Top Shot so the handheld controller does not come into to much action. I found it useful for reloading and small view changes where necessary. Although Top Shot won't win any awards for creativity it is the perfect selection to show off the ACT Labs Gun System.

Deer Hunter III-

I have never owned, or had the desire to own any of the "Hunter" games. I am not a hunter (nor a gatherer!). I'll also admit I don't have the patience to walk around the wood (real or virtual) for hours drenched in doe urine to find a trophy to mount over the fireplace. What I'm trying to say is I accessed the hacks that make the game much easier so I could bag a buck. I used the handheld controller to move, pull the rifle up and use the scope and to access the other features.

I found and shot at many deer. With most they ran off either being missed all together or hit in an area that didn't drop em' right away. I tried tracking them down to their final resting place but usually saw another tempting deer along the way (thanks to the hacks) and took a shot at him. The gun was a fun controller for Deer Hunter III. The game is not as bad as I thought it would be- just not my thing. However, if you want to impress your hunting buddies, the GS and Deer Hunter is quite a combo to own.

Quake 2 Glitter Mod-

This is my favorite! Quake II still resides on my hard drive. I have all the levels memorized and occasionally still hook up on the net for a quick deathmatch game. Glitterstream has done a great job creating a GS mod for Quake II. The mod is launched through your web browser. The launch window has links to report bugs, visit the ACT Labs driver page, the Glitterstream site or provide feedback on the mod. Game options include the game type (Quake II, Arcade and Stress Relief), difficulty level and button setup.

The mod is a blast. Using the default button setting the handheld joystick is used for view movement, the 1st button for forward movement and the second button for backward movement and pressing down the mini-joystick crouches. The second button on the gun activates the jump and the trigger fires. I replayed the entire game with the GS! The weapons are found in different locations and the fiends are animated differently. Those that take more than one shot to kill are pushed away by the first shot. The gun also goes through a reload when drained of ammo.

There is also a mod for Half-Life offered by Glitterstream. However, upon trying to reload the game I discovered my CD was damaged. I wasn't able to test the Half-Life mod. The Half-Life mod offers the same features as the Quake II mod plus the addition of on-line play. The on-line mod allows the server to setup as a gun frenzy only server so everyone playing is using the GS.

You won't want to disadvantage yourself by using the GS against non-GS players. Although the control offered by the handheld is sufficient it just doesn't offer the quick response needed to effectively compete against players using other control methods. Still, the GS is a highly addictive and fun to use controller. The accuracy of it is incredible. Overall performance is much greater than expected. I'd go as far to say that performance is great!

Setup 85% -

The GS has a few cables that need to be connected before the GS can be used. The holster base bas plugs for the two guns and the handheld unit. The plugs for each are located just to the back of the holding area for the appropriate controller. The GS requires external power. A power brick is provided and connects to the holster base. The gameport connector comes out of the base and connects to any 15 pin gameport. The final connection is the VGA pass through. A "Y" cable has both a male and female 15 pin VGA connector. Unplug the monitor from your video card and plug in the "Y" cable. The monitor then plugs into the other end of the "Y" cable.

Once connection is complete start up your system and install the drivers. The CD enclosed with the system has some great video files telling you about the GS. However to complete installation you should use the latest drivers from the ACT Labs website. Once complete calibrate the guns using the calibration interface (do this at any resolution you'll be playing at). Also calibrate the hand held controller and setup is complete.

Software 85%-

As mentioned above, the CD shipped with the GS holds drivers but they are not the latest available. Its best to download the latest driver set from the ACT Labs website and install them. However, be sure to run the enclosed CD for the installation of Top Shot game and the videos and other interactive files that detail the GS features and function. Right now, for the GS to operate well and for any game support you'll need to do a patch download. The downloads range from under 1MB to over 17MB. With a 56k modem that could take a substantial amount of time.

For most games that support the GS you'll be required to download a patch file. Two sites not to miss are the GS Zone (ACT Labs GS dedicated site) and the Glitter Stream Site. Both have patches for games to allow you to use the GS. Glitter Stream has patches for Quake II and Half-Life mods supporting the GS.

Visit Glitter Stream

Documentation 100 %-

ACT Labs always does a great job with their manuals. The GS manual is no exception. The User's Guide is 43 pages long and printed in 5 languages. The user's manual has sections on the components, controller features, epilepsy warning, installation, calibration, usage, troubleshooting, Faq and warranty information.

The ACT Labs website has a great bit of information on the GS. In addition to the information on the mail ACT Labs site they have a webpage dedicated to the GS System. This page features downloads, a discussion board, a developers area, support information and a FAQ. One complaint you'll never have is not enough information on this innovative controller.

Overall Rating 90.7%-

The ACT Labs GS is a highly innovative PC controller. As innovative as it is, the limiting factor is versatility. First, the game must support the GS. The support list is short right now but ACT Labs has a long list of future titles that will support the GS when released. The second limiting factor is how its used in the game. The GS will never be the killer combo for a first person shooter. However, side scrolling games, arcade shooters and single player FPS experiences will be enhanced with the GS use.

The software, support and innovation of the GS alone make it a recommended product. Add to that its cool looks, great construction, fair price and future expansion possibilities and you have a winner. The GS is not only fun to use but is highly functional for the right type of game. As the support list grows and more games take advantage of the GS capabilities we'll surely see more GS users. The Control Center recommends the ACT Labs GS.

Pros-

• Innovative, unique controller
• Heavy, no degradation pass-through VGA cable
• Great information and product support

Cons-

• Limited support (currently)