Technology
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
Duck Hunt is a game that can be played using the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The game can only be played using the Zapper (gun-shaped controller) that is included in the NES. To play the duck hunt, the player must plug the game cartridge into the NES. The NES should also be connected to a CRT TV to work. A CRT television is required for the game to be played since the Zapper relies on the display lag of CRT TVs to register whether the player hit the target or not. The game is not playable on non-CRT televisions.
Game Cartridge
A game cartridge is needed to play the game. The cartridge houses the chip that contains the game. It needs to be plugged in on the Nintendo Entertainment System when playing. The North American version of the game cartridge is significantly bigger than its Japanese counterpart.
Zapper and CRT Television
Zapper is a light sensor dressed in plastic that is shaped like a gun. It works by detecting the patterns of light on the screen where it is pointed. When a player pulls the trigger of the Zapper, the tv screen will blackout in a split second, and white boxes will hover around the target. The Zapper detects the color intensity of where it is pointed. If the Zapper detects white, it means that the player hit the target, but if the Zapper detects black, it means the player hit the background, failing to shoot the target. It happens really fast that players do not notice the screen blinking.
Zapper only works on CRT televisions and not on LCD and other modern flat screen television and monitor. This is because the input lag of CRT television is consistent, while more modern televisions have higher input lag. The input lag of LCD television also varies from screen to screen. The game developers were able to use the consistent input lag of CRT TVs for games like Duck Hunt.
As technology advanced, television screens transitioned from the bulky CRT ones into flatter screens with LCD and OLED displays. The transition of technologies made it hard for games that rely on obsolete technologies to survive. A big part of the Duck Hunt experience is based on the use of Zapper, which is why even if the game is emulated and be made available on PC and other devices, the experience will never be the same without it (Carta,2017).