To turn the tower on, you simply tap the red button on the top of the unit. Once you do this, the side lights will flash red and blue. You have one minute to select a game mode before the unit turns itself off. The top of the unit features a red bulb which houses 3 infrared hit sensors. This bulb also functions as a button allowing you to power on and off the tower.

Laser x tower instruction manual Laser x tower instruction manual

Working down the tower you'll find a light up "Laser X" logo that pulses from blue to purple to red. Two large illuminated bars can display the same 3 colors and are used as visual indicators during gameplay. Turn off your Laser X gear when not in use. Leaving it in any of the team settings will drain the batteries. You power on the system by flipping a switch on the vest to one of three options. Players can choose to be on one of two teams (red or blue) or go rogue (no team). Red players can only damage blue players, blue players can only damage red. Rogue players can both damage and be damaged by red and blue players. An unlimited number of players can play at once.The front light on the blaster indicates which team setting you're on. Red for red, blue for blue, and flashing between red and blue for rogue. On the reverse side, you'll find two digital number displays which are used to select one of the 10 game modes and keep score during these games. The game modes are the core of what makes the tower what it is. The various game modes are described in the instructions and played in short bursts. We found the games to be very short and pretty cumbersome to choose each time.

Review: Laser X Gaming Tower | Action Park Source Review: Laser X Gaming Tower | Action Park Source

The final game mode (10) has teams blasting the tower with the first to reach 10 points winning. This mode is interesting because while the tower is being hit, the battle still goes on! Conclusion You'll need 3 AA batteries to operate the unit. They are installed into the bottom of the tower - a smart location as they help properly weight the tower to be more stable. At first it seemed like overkill to have the battery compartment require a screw, but after several games we realize why Laser X designed things this way. Unlike a snap-in or clip battery compartment, the screw keeps things together even during an intense match. Batteries are secure even with significant bumps and shakes of the gun mid-game. This decision was well though out and a solid plus for the set. Hit Sensor Vest Where the tower does get it right is as an add-on to an existing match. The two 'special game types' (9 and 10) add an additional element to a fast-paced laser tag match. You can use this to create your own game types or add to an existing team based match.

In testing - we found that setting the tower up about chest level of your players is ideal. The red bulb on the top of the unit will detect hits in a 360 degree angle this way. If the tower is too high, the sensors won't detect hits consistently. Powering On & Selecting a Game Mode On the front of the vest, there is a large illuminated surface and the hit detector. The sensor is configured to register hits from roughly head to waist and shoulder to shoulder on each player. In testing, the hit box felt about the right size. The Laser X system uses a gun separated gun and vest system. This design is different than most other home laser tag sets on the market. Other sets commonly feature the hit sensors on the end and sides of the gun. Having the hit sensor on the vest it makes sense since it encourages you to aim for a player's body rather than trying to hit their blaster. On the top of the vest you'll find the power switch which also doubles as the team selector. Here you can select red, blue, or rogue. Next to the switch is a headphone port. Plugging in headphones pumps all the game sounds and some lo-fi music to the player. While using headphones, the gameplay beep still emits from the speaker on the blaster. There is a small volume adjustment wheel on the side of the unit to adjust headphone (not blaster) volume.