Stack Light Rifle
Encyclopedia
The Stack Light Rifle is a light gun
that was manufactured by Stack Computer Services and created for the ZX Spectrum
, Commodore 64
, and the Commodore VIC-20
. It was released in 1983. The rifle is bundled with three games on tape, High Noon, Shooting Gallery and Grouse Shoot for the Spectrum. Different games were offered for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 versions (all the games for these two systems were included on one cassette). It retailed for about $60, which is extraordinarily expensive given the fact that most cartridges were $10–20 each. The Stack Light Rifle is differentiated from future light guns as being very realistic looking; future unrealistic light guns such as the NES Zapper
and the Sega Light Phaser dealt with controversy due to the guns still being misidentified as real firearms.
The main pistol is attached to 12 feet of cable which ends in a dead-ended ZX81-size connector which plugs into the Spectrum's user port. A barrel, stock and telescopic sight
can all be attached to the pistol. The barrel actually facilitated the gun's performance as it filtered out ambient light. These three parts
combined to provide a reasonable - if not perfect - degree of accuracy, and allowed the user to effectively use the light gun from the comfort of an armchair. One can extrapolate that the multi-part design was later mimicked on the Sega
Menacer
.
Variants of the Light Rifle were available for the ZX Spectrum
, Commodore VIC-20
and Commodore 64
and all perform the same function. Like the Atari XG-1
light gun, the Stack Light Rifle was treated by the hardware as a light pen
. Due to lack of availability of software drivers for the Light Rifle, only the three games that came with the device were available. In April 1985, Sinclair User magazine reported that Stack Computer Services company disappeared.
Stack Computer Solutions Limited now trades from Bootle Lancashire and can be found at www.stack.co.uk
computer by a generous length of lead. At the computer end, depending on the version, there is a connector for
the appropriate socket or edge connector. On the ZX Spectrum
version the connector contains two chips and a
couple of simple components to interface the main electronics inside the gun to the computer. To make the pistol more accurate and to turn it into a rifle - it is supplied with a shoulder stock that clips and secures to the rear of the pistol, a barrel and a make-believe telescopic sight.
The electronics inside the pistol consist of a light detector or photo-diode and a small amplifier and buffer. Light
coming down the barrel is focused by a small plastic lens onto the photo-diode, and the device is sensitive
enough to detect the changes in intensity of the picture. Once boosted by the amplifier, the signal is clipped to
provide a digital pulse rather than an analogue waveform and is then fed to the computer via the switch. The
screen position that is being scanned at that moment is the position the rifle is pointing at. As the computer
receives the pulse from the Light Rifle it compares the value of its scan registers with the screen position of the
target and, if a match is found, the played has scored a direct hit.
Light gun
A light gun is a pointing device for computers and a control device for arcade and video games.Modern screen-based light guns work by building a sensor into the gun itself, and the on-screen target emit light rather than the gun...
that was manufactured by Stack Computer Services and created for the ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, and the Commodore VIC-20
Commodore VIC-20
The VIC-20 is an 8-bit home computer which was sold by Commodore Business Machines. The VIC-20 was announced in 1980, roughly three years after Commodore's first personal computer, the PET...
. It was released in 1983. The rifle is bundled with three games on tape, High Noon, Shooting Gallery and Grouse Shoot for the Spectrum. Different games were offered for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 versions (all the games for these two systems were included on one cassette). It retailed for about $60, which is extraordinarily expensive given the fact that most cartridges were $10–20 each. The Stack Light Rifle is differentiated from future light guns as being very realistic looking; future unrealistic light guns such as the NES Zapper
NES Zapper
The NES Zapper, also known as the Beam Gun in Japan, is an electronic light gun accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Japanese Famicom. It was released in Japan for the Famicom on and alongside the launch of the NES in North America in October 1985...
and the Sega Light Phaser dealt with controversy due to the guns still being misidentified as real firearms.
The main pistol is attached to 12 feet of cable which ends in a dead-ended ZX81-size connector which plugs into the Spectrum's user port. A barrel, stock and telescopic sight
Telescopic sight
A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope, is a sighting device that is based on an optical refracting telescope. They are equipped with some form of graphic image pattern mounted in an optically appropriate position in their optical system to give an accurate aiming point...
can all be attached to the pistol. The barrel actually facilitated the gun's performance as it filtered out ambient light. These three parts
combined to provide a reasonable - if not perfect - degree of accuracy, and allowed the user to effectively use the light gun from the comfort of an armchair. One can extrapolate that the multi-part design was later mimicked on the Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
Menacer
Menacer
The Menacer is a lightgun created by Sega for the Mega Drive video game console in 1992, as a response to the Super Scope by Nintendo.The Menacer is made up of three sections which can be disassembled...
.
Variants of the Light Rifle were available for the ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, Commodore VIC-20
Commodore VIC-20
The VIC-20 is an 8-bit home computer which was sold by Commodore Business Machines. The VIC-20 was announced in 1980, roughly three years after Commodore's first personal computer, the PET...
and Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and all perform the same function. Like the Atari XG-1
XG-1
The XG-1 is the light gun that came bundled with the Atari XEGS that was released in 1987. The XEGS, which stands for "XE Game System", was an Atari 65XE computer reworked cosmetically to give the appearance of a game console. The light gun was bundled to compete with the Nintendo Entertainment...
light gun, the Stack Light Rifle was treated by the hardware as a light pen
Light pen
A light pen is a computer input device in the form of a light-sensitive wand used in conjunction with a computer's CRT TV set or monitor. It allows the user to point to displayed objects, or draw on the screen, in a similar way to a touch screen but with greater positional accuracy...
. Due to lack of availability of software drivers for the Light Rifle, only the three games that came with the device were available. In April 1985, Sinclair User magazine reported that Stack Computer Services company disappeared.
Stack Computer Solutions Limited now trades from Bootle Lancashire and can be found at www.stack.co.uk
Technical specifications
The main component of the Stack Light Rifle System is the electronic target pistol that is connected to thecomputer by a generous length of lead. At the computer end, depending on the version, there is a connector for
the appropriate socket or edge connector. On the ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
version the connector contains two chips and a
couple of simple components to interface the main electronics inside the gun to the computer. To make the pistol more accurate and to turn it into a rifle - it is supplied with a shoulder stock that clips and secures to the rear of the pistol, a barrel and a make-believe telescopic sight.
The electronics inside the pistol consist of a light detector or photo-diode and a small amplifier and buffer. Light
coming down the barrel is focused by a small plastic lens onto the photo-diode, and the device is sensitive
enough to detect the changes in intensity of the picture. Once boosted by the amplifier, the signal is clipped to
provide a digital pulse rather than an analogue waveform and is then fed to the computer via the switch. The
screen position that is being scanned at that moment is the position the rifle is pointing at. As the computer
receives the pulse from the Light Rifle it compares the value of its scan registers with the screen position of the
target and, if a match is found, the played has scored a direct hit.
Commodore 64
- Escape From Alcatraz
- High Noon "Stack"
- Glorious 12th "Stack"
- Gallery "Stack"
- Crowshoot
- Rat's & Cats
Vic-20
- High Noon "Stack"
- Glorious 12th "Stack"
- Gallery "Stack"