OpenFIRE Light Gun Guide: Open-Source DIY Hardware

About this guide

OpenFIRE firmware, app, RP2040/RP2350 hardware, IR emitters, USB output, force feedback and build requirements.

3. OpenFIRE

Last verified: 2026-08-26

Availability: active free/open-source firmware and configuration-app releases; builders source hardware or buy a third-party build.

Official URL: · App:

OS support: configuration app binaries/source target Windows 10+ and Linux, including x86_64/aarch64 Raspberry Pi systems. Firmware has dedicated MiSTer mappings. The gun outputs absolute mouse, keyboard and gamepad data; that does not automatically validate every host/game.
Tracking and sensors: RP2040/RP2350 plus DFRobot SEN0158 camera tracks four emitters. Double-lightbar and diamond layouts are supported; SFH 4547 LEDs are recommended over ordinary Wii bars.
Recoil: optional 12/24 V solenoid and driver, 5 V rumble, temperature sensing, RGB/OLED and MameHooker/Hook Of The Reaper/QMamehook integrations.
Calibration: fullscreen profiles through the Qt app, with emitter alignment, camera/input/FFB testing and settings stored onboard.
Multi-gun: configurable player mappings and unique USB identifiers; no hard project maximum found. Batocera supports it from v42.
Displays: not tied to panel timing, but emitter layout, camera field of view, lens and distance set the usable geometry. No exhaustive first-party panel list was found.
Documented emulators/tools: Batocera v42+, MiSTer and MAME feedback handlers; otherwise generic input support is host-dependent.

Advantages: genuinely open source; cross-platform app; highly configurable electronics; onboard settings; excellent fit for custom cabinet controls and legacy-shell conversions.

Limitations: assembly and firmware work; no first-party finished gun; emitter mounting; careful solenoid power/wiring and EMI control; known firmware/app issues; emulator multi-pointer behavior remains external.

Official vs independent: the feature set above comes from the two Team OpenFIRE repositories. Batocera independently confirms full integration beginning with v42 but does not yet publish a precision score for OpenFIRE. Source: Batocera.