The State of Laser Tag: Real-Life FPS is Now a Thing

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I haven't seen any vest on their site. Can the rifle record hits that are not headshots?
It looks amazing, if you have a large area to play in, but the price point sure is dissuasive.

There is no vest in this system. The head sensor can register hits 360 degrees and then there is one additional sensor in the blaster itself, right above the muzzle. So most of the time you will be aiming for headshots. The blaster is very precise, it uses a Class 1 Infrared Laser, unlike toy grade laser tag blasters that use IR LEDs with a lens in front. You need to be precise with your aiming otherwise you will not score a hit. This increased precision and range add to the cost of the product of course. In one of their videos, the creators provide their rationale for going with head sensors instead of vests. Vests are a lot more easy to cheat with. This coincides with my experience with the original laser tag system from Worlds of Wonder during the 80’s. The head sensor prevents peeking behind cover without exposing oneself to being tagged; which is what crippled the fun and suspense of my Nerf LTX games.

The sensor on the blaster dissuades blind-firing from cover and exposes yourself even when firing through a narrow slit in your cover. I have also used it to successfully tag players whom I have an angle on, but aren’t aware of my presence. When they raise the rifle to shoot at a teammate, I can see a side view of their rifle from my vantage point and tag it.

A vest would be interesting but then there are sizing and body-shape considerations, even if it is just straps like original Worlds of Wonder version. I think the added complexity and cost is not worth it for now because like you stated, the price point is dissuasive already. If the product takes off, I would not be surprised to see future hardware expansions like torso sensors. They seem to have hand grenades and swords in development but not for sale yet.

This is another tag system on the market.

iCombat

I remember seeing the Recoil stuff at the store and being tempted, but then the price dropped so fast that it sent warning sirens off.

The audience isn't big enough for a Microsoft or a Google to go after, and frankly they shy away from manufactured products. If they can't make software do the job they aren't going to wade in. Microsoft wouldn't even go after a smart phone with billions of customers in the target market, opting to purchase a prior manufacturer instead.

I played years back (and wrote a article here on it) with professional gear that a guy had set up in the trunk of his car. You played in your own back yard and his gear was far superior to the stuff you find in the indoor venues. He could load ammunition counts, semi or full auto, plus time for the gun to restart after you were hit up to and including permanently shut down. This was maybe 2009.

But, you certainly couldn't turn the weapon into a shotgun or a sniper rifle. So the state of the art continues to progress. Given that the state of the art in 2000 was reasonably entertaining for 9-year-olds it makes sense that these more high-tech versions would be pricey, as they're marketed to adult males looking for an alternative to golf. A fine choice, and cheaper.

I remember when LazerTag came out, with their guns that looked like KITT from Knight Rider. My cousin got a set and we used to run around playing that all summer long.

Now they have Simunition, which is actual pistol,shotgun,and rifle cartridges for real firearms. Shoots paintballs, is non lethal. It's for training, but some clever lads have brought it to shooting ranges and have set up "haunted house" type games. Shooting zombies and whatnot.

the_jake_1973 wrote: This is another tag system on the market.

iCombat

Trying to insert this Real Genius MEME here but I've not been able to make it work:

SuperflyTNT wrote: Now they have Simunition, which is actual pistol,shotgun,and rifle cartridges for real firearms. Shoots paintballs, is non lethal. It's for training, but some clever lads have brought it to shooting ranges and have set up "haunted house" type games. Shooting zombies and whatnot.

The very thought of the safety concerns of using real firearms shooting simulated ammunition at other people is mind boggling. I certainly see the appeal, but man you'd need some crazy tight controls...

But back in topic, had a set of the classic Lazer Tag, we put the hat on my friend's little sister and chased her around. The stuff worked like crap outdoors, though.

All that's missing now is the Google Glass / "augmented reality" component.