No other video game company handles console accessories quite like Nintendo does.
From the Power Pad to the Power Glove (“It’s so bad”) and dozens of others, Nintendo seemed to prefer testing the limits of what gamers want.
The Super Nintendo had some of the greatest accessories that expanded the console’s capabilities such as the Super Game Boy that let users play Game Boy games on their TVs.
The SNES Super Scope however always felt like a forgotten relic.
In today’s guide, we’ll take a look at the peripheral’s history, games, and more.
History
The Super Nintendo Super Scope, called the Nintendo Scope in Europe & Australia, was first released in 1992. Japan released the Super Scope a year later in 1993 due to poor demand.
Largely seen as a followup to the hit Nintendo Zapper for the NES, the Super Scope sold pretty well. Wikiwand states that Super Scope 6 (the game that was included with the Super Scope) sold 1,650,000 units.
This easily places the game in the top 50 best selling SNES games.
The Super Scope Design & What’s Included
Physically, the Super Scope was about 2 feet long and resembled a bazooka. The scope itself was wireless which was an improvement over the Zapper.
The Super Scope had two action buttons (one on the top and the other on the front grip), a pause button, and a power switch. Underneath the body you could find the battery holder which required 6 AA batteries to play.
Aiming was done by the scope itself that sat on the top of the bazooka. Nintendo even though ahead and added grooves on both sides of the gun so both left and right handed players had no problem with aiming.
The box included the Super Scope gun, the scope, a receiver box that was placed on top of the TV, and a game called the Super Scope 6.
How The Super Scope Worked
The technology was almost the same as the Nintendo Zapper. At the end of the Super Scope was an infrared receiver lens. This picked up light from the TV during gameplay.
Hit detection was made possible by utilizing CRT TVs. Essentially, the game’s software compared where on the screen the gun was aimed to the CRT’s data for what was being shown on the screen.
What Games Worked with the Super Scope?
According to wikipedia, there were 13 compatible games including:
- Battle Clash
- Bazooka Blitzkrieg
- Lamborghini American Challenge
- Lemmings 2: The Tibes
- Metal Combat: Falcon’s Revenge
- Operation Thunderbolt
- Sugoroku Ginga Senki
- Super Scope 6 (The game mentioned earlier that included 6 games in one cartridge)
- T2: The Arcade Game
- The Hunt For Red October
- Tin Star
- X-Zone
- Yoshi’s Safari
Of these, only Yoshi’s Safari required the Super Scope to play the game.
Cost
On release, the Super Scope cost around $60.00 (~$123.00 in 2022 dollars). This wasn’t terribly expensive as you received both the Super Scope and Super Scope 6 game.
Nowadays, the cost is around $50 to $100 used (depending on the quality/box/receiver box included/etc.) or over $200 for new.
Is The Super Scope Worth It
Unless you have a CRT TV on hand, I wouldn’t recommend getting a Super Scope as you can’t use it on newer TVs.
The game selection is also fairly light but you could get a copy of them for a decent price.