The Zapper is an electronic light gun accessory launched within the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in North America on October 18, 1985.

It is a cosmetic redesign by Nintendo of America's head designer Lance Barr, based on Gunpei Yokoi's Video Shooting Series light gun (光線銃シリーズガン), which had been released in Japan for the Famicom on February 18, 1984.

The Zapper requires compatible NES games, such as Duck Hunt, Wild Gunman, and Hogan's Alley.

Its internal optical sensor allows the player to aim at a television set and accurately shoot at in-game targets.

The Video Shooting Series light gun was designed for Famicom by Gunpei Yokoi and Satoru Okada of Nintendo R&D1,[citation needed] modeled realistically after a revolver.

[17] In January 1988, at the Winter CES, the orange Zapper revision was announced (as had been required by the Federal Toy Gun Law of 1987[2][3]) within the new Action Set bundle of the NES.

[18] In June, at the Summer CES, the Power Set was announced for release that year, bundling the orange Zapper.

[5] In North America, Bondwell released the Deluxe Sighting Scope, an accessory for the NES Zapper, under the brand name QuickShot.

In 1989, Nexoft released The Dominator ProBeam in the United States, a wireless version of the NES Zapper.

The ProBeam uses the same infrared NES receiver as Nexoft's The Dominator MasterControl, a wireless controller including a joystick.

[24][25] In 1990, Konami released the LaserScope, a headset accessory for use with the NES Zapper, in the United States and Japan.

[27][28] The headset also includes stereo headphones for use with the NES[29] and an eyepiece with a crosshair that sits in front of the wearer's right eye.

In North America, Laser Invasion came with a coupon for a discount for the LaserScope headset,[26][40] although it can also be played with the regular Zapper.

[28] The Japan-only Space Shadow was bundled with, and can uniquely use the speakers and haptic feedback of, the Hyper Shot light gun.

And they've made the best use yet of the Zapper light gun by building a game around a theme that's as topical as the evening news: the taking of hostages by terrorists".

[46] Regarding Nintendo's Trojan Horse strategy to convince retailers to stock the NES by marketing it as a toy for its launch, historian Chris Kohler said "The gambit worked like a charm, and nobody missed R.O.B.

In the 2001 book The Ultimate History of Video Games, Steven L. Kent argues that "most of the 500 retailers who sold the NES that Christmas might not have taken the merchandise if it were not for a risky offer made by [Nintendo of America President Minoru] Arakawa himself—a money-back guarantee.