PAX West 2025: The G’AIM’E Light Gun Is Bringing Arcades Back to the Living Room

There's something so inexplicably charming about light guns. Every arcade is still stocked full of light gun games, even to this day. Something about taking hold of that little plastic weapon, aiming it at the pixelated bad guys on screen, squeezing the cheap plastic trigger, and seeing things explode scratches an itch that not many other experiences can really replicate. VR games almost get there, but something about it being a VR controller instead of a gun and the inherent freedom of movement sets it apart as its own separate thing.

Every year at PAX, there's a lone television set hooked up with none other than Duck Hunt. Every year, that light gun doesn't leave someone's hands. There's an obvious demand for these little plastic blasters, but they've seemingly all but died away, outside of arcades, in the modern era of gaming tech. This is mainly because modern televisions refresh much faster than their CRT counterparts, which introduces light gun delay, making it impossible to play titles that require pinpoint accuracy or quick reflexes.

Thus, I was intrigued when I saw that the G'AIM'E light gun was going to have its own booth at PAX West this year. The G'AIM'E was making some bold claims: to work on practically any television or monitor with zero latency, to be affordable, and easy to set up and use. I was able to give the G'AIM'E a try, as well as have a wonderful conversation with the staff present at the booth, and so far it seems they've achieved the impossible – they're keeping all their promises.

The build of the gun itself is fantastic: a sturdy, lightweight frame with a responsive trigger, and only a single cable running from the base of the gun itself. I was surprised at the balance they were able to strike with the G'AIM'E; it is quite light, which is a godsend after fifteen or twenty minutes frantically waving your handgun around during a close game of Time Crisis. Additionally (and I understand this may seem like a small thing), there's an "insert coin" button on the side of the gun that allows you to continue playing. For me, that's a huge plus, because if you want me to play arcade classics, you'd better give me the entire arcade experience. Even though I'm not physically putting coins in a machine, that twinge of "you bet your ass I'm going to continue" has to be there.

The only potential downside is that there is no active slide action on the gun itself, as it is one single, stationary movement. Heena Lakhani, G'AIM'E's Head of International Business, explained to me that the reason for this is multifaceted. Not only does it keep production costs lower, making it more affordable for consumers, but it also means there's one less thing that could potentially go wrong in the gun itself, improving the overall lifespan of the kit. While mildly disappointed at first, I didn't dwell on it for more than a few minutes, as I was far too invested in the fact that I was playing Time Crisis in HD.

In addition to the gun itself, a pedal is provided that can be used to both reload and take cover during gameplay. The pedal is small, lightweight, and compact, but I (a 200lb man) never felt like I had to baby the pedal or treat it delicately when I was panicking from the bullets flying in my direction. Not only did I stomp it mercilessly, but I was in the middle of a very long line of other convention-goers who used the pedal that day.

Along with the gun and pedal, the G'AIM'E also comes with a mini game console with a design that I simply adore. From a distance, it resembles a sleek, modern device that would look at home under practically any television set up in any living room. Upon inspection, though, it's revealed to be a lovingly crafted recreation of a PlayStation 1 jewel case. It's compact and solid, with a grippy bottom to prevent sliding on your entertainment center.

The whole package is very easy to set up, too. For the box itself, there are only two cords involved. One is a C-class power cable that requires 5v of power, which the staff told me had performed just fine with power banks. The other cord is an HDMI cable that runs from the box to the television. There are two C-class ports on the front of the box for the guns and/or pedal and... that's it. It feels like the modern equivalent of those little plug-and-play consoles that were all the rage in the early 2000s. From there, you do a quick 30-second calibration, and you're good to go; everything is set up.

So how does it all work? How can the G'AIM'E solve a problem that's more than a decade in the making? The power of AI, of course! The AI chip inside the G'AIM'E was trained with over 100,000 images of televisions in every setup imaginable. The G'AIM'E has a high-resolution camera built into it. As you calibrate it, the AI within the gun can detect where the edges of the screen are based on what it was trained on. It then generates a layout over the television screen itself, and spits out an X and Y axis graph, which it uses to position where the gun is pointing (that's my understanding, at least). It truly is seamless, and they were nice enough to show me the setup from step one. We had the guns plugged in and the game going in under 3 minutes. Using an AI trained on such a robust number of images also allows for the G'AIM'E to work on practically any screen you can think of. From a 15-inch computer monitor to a 150-inch projector screen, it all worked when the team tested it out.

One of the best parts of the G'AIM'E is the complete lack of servers, subscription services, and licensing. When you purchase the mini-console, the games loaded on it are just there to stay. You own them, so you never have to worry about a service shutting down or libraries changing. That brings us nicely to the price of the G'AIM'E, and what you get in the package. There are three tiers available for purchase: the first is the cheapest and most basic: for $99 USD, you get the G'AIM'E gun, the mini console with Time Crisis preloaded, and all the cables and quick start guide necessary to get started. For $135 USD, you get the mid-tier option, which adds the pedal and three additional games (Point Blank, Steel Gunner, Steel Gunner 2), to the basic package. For $202 USD, you get two light guns, the pedal, the same four games, and all of the cables, plus a pin badge and a cool Time Crisis resin diorama stand collectible. $100 USD certainly isn't nothing, but they really did try to keep the price down and to make this as accessible as possible.

The G'AIM'E light gun surprised me this year at PAX. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was blown away, not only by the quality of the product but by the passion, devotion, and kindness of the team that put it together. There was a constant influx of people, both young and old, blasting away baddies at the booth, and it was for good reason. It's a cool product made by genuinely nice people, and if you like light guns, it's a must-have.

The team's Kickstarter has been fully funded at over $1 million USD, but you can still support the campaign for any available rewards.