Classic NES Gun Accessory Is Now Worth Thousands

As the United States continues to struggle with Second Amendment rights, one sector of the population continues to benefit from the hysteria: retro game gun dealers.

Peter J. from Leadville Colorado runs a retro game gun shop where he sells a variety of electronic firearms, from the Namco Guncon, to the SEGA Genesis Menacer. But as he explains, demand for the original Nintendo Zapper has skyrocketed, along with it’s price.

“Zappers go from anywhere from $500 – $1000 depending on its condition and if its a grey or orange edition. We typically get about 30 calls a day to see if we have any in stock, and sell anywhere between ten to fifteen a day. At this rate we won’t have any more by June or July.”

Retro gaming has been booming in recent years due in part to companies like Nintendo making a concerted effort to put those retro games into the hands of fans with their Classic Edition consoles.

“The problem with these novelty consoles is that you won’t find light gun games on them,” says Peter, “light guns don’t work with modern TVs.”

So in order to play a game like Duck Hunt, you need original Nintendo Entertainment System hardware, a CRT TV, and most importantly a Nintendo Zapper.

“The Zapper is by far the most popular light gun accessory. Anyone who had a Nintendo in the 1980’s had a Zapper.”

Nostalgia isn’t the only driving factor in the recent light gun boom. Several politicians and pundits have floated the idea that video games are to blame for a rash of recent mass shootings, while others are advocating for more gun control. As Peter explained to us: “Put both of them together and its only a matter of time before the sale or even the ownership of video game light guns become illegal.”