Like many other game consoles in the ninetees the Philips CD-i had a sort of lightgun, just as we know the famous Zapper on the NES by Nintendo. The 'lightgun' on the Philips CD-i was not really a true lightgun: The principle behind it was different and actually really innovative. While most other lightguns work with a diode and a black/white frame when shooting on screen, the Philips CD-i gun has a seperate IR transmitter that works exactly like a Wii Remote: It works as a normal pointing device, while moving the gun, you see the cursor moving in the same direction. This technique was licensed by AirMouse. Thanks to the use of this technology, the Philips CD-i gun is still working on modern LCD TV's. Original lightguns that work with a black/white frame every time you shoot, can't cope with the refresh rate and backlight of a modern tv.
It springs to mind why Philips never used this technology in a seperate pointing device: I actually enjoy controlling all kinds of CD-i titles with the gun, including encyclopedias and other reference titles about art, culture and even courses. Professional areas would benefit from the use of a more professional AirMouse on CD-i. Philips had the license, but apparently kept it exclusively for the Peacekeeper gun.
[Thanks, Alan Davenport, retro2futuregaming, Videogame Obsession (Matthew Henzel)]
