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Why Won't the Gun Fire In-Game? Follow

Why Won't the Gun Fire In-Game?

Troubleshooting a Wrist Tracker or Hand Tracker controller where the gun appears connected but the trigger or pump produces no effect.

Use this article when: a player's gun is visible in the experience and the controller LED appears normal, but pressing the trigger or pumping the slide does not register a shot in-game. Applies to both Wrist Tracker and Hand Tracker controllers. For controllers that won't power on, LED flashing yellow, or a "Gun not connected" error on the Launcher, see the related articles below.

On this page:

Quick triage

What you see Likely cause Go to
Gun visible, trigger does nothing Controller not correctly bound to headset Step 2
Gun visible, trigger intermittently fires Wrist Tracker or Hand Tracker connection drop Step 1
Trigger does nothing, Debug mode shows no LED change Trigger loom disconnected internally Step 3
Pump slide moves freely but shot doesn't register Ball bearing or spring unseated in pump mechanism Step 4
No improvement after all steps Hardware fault Step 5

Step 1 — Power cycle the controller

This is the first thing to try — a power cycle fixes most firing issues. It re-initiates the tracker connection (Wrist Tracker or Hand Tracker) and clears the majority of intermittent trigger problems.

  1. Pause the session from the GM PC.
  2. Turn the controller off. Wait 5 seconds. Turn it back on.
  3. Wait for the LED to return to a normal colour (not flashing yellow or white).
  4. Resume the session and ask the player to test firing.
Wrist Tracker — LED flashing yellow after power cycle? This indicates a Wrist Tracker disconnection. Reseat the USB-C cable at the rear of the Wrist Tracker, then power cycle again. See How do I troubleshoot Controller & Wrist Tracker Connection issues? (Controller LED Flashing Yellow).
Hand Tracker — tracker not reconnecting? Have the player look directly at the Hand Tracker while wearing the headset to allow the headset cameras to re-acquire it. If not resolved, restart the tracker and the controller. See What to do if a Hand Tracker loses its connection to its headset.

✅ This resolved the issue — return to operations.

❌ Still not resolved — continue to Step 2.

Step 2 — Check the controller is bound correctly

If a power cycle didn't help, check the controller is correctly bound to the player's headset in the Launcher. The gun may appear visible in the experience but produce no output if the binding relationship is broken.

  1. On the GM PC, open the Launcher and check that the correct controller number is assigned to the affected player's headset slot.
  2. If it is unassigned or shows the wrong number, reassign the controller to the correct headset slot.
  3. Ask the player to test firing.

✅ This resolved the issue — return to operations.

❌ Still not resolved — continue to Step 3.

Step 3 — Test the trigger in Debug mode

Debug mode lets you confirm whether the trigger is physically registering without needing to be in an active session. The procedure differs between controller types.

Wrist Tracker controllers

  1. Turn the controller off.
  2. Hold the blue side button (Mode Select) and the green reload button simultaneously.
  3. While holding both buttons, turn the controller on.
  4. Press the trigger. The LED ball should change colour each time the trigger registers a press.
  5. Test the pump slide and reload button in the same way.

Hand Tracker controllers

  1. Turn the controller off.
  2. Hold the Reload button and the Mode Select button simultaneously.
  3. While holding both buttons, power the controller on. The LED will glow red — release both buttons.
  4. Press each button and the pump in turn. The LED cycles through colours in sequence (Red → Green → Blue → Cyan → Yellow → Magenta → Bright White → Dim White → Off) with each successful input.
  5. When testing is complete, power off the controller.
Info: If the LED does not respond when pressing the trigger, this confirms a fault with the trigger loom or its connection to the PCB. Proceed to Step 4 to inspect the internal components, or swap the controller if a service technician is not available.

✅ Trigger registers in Debug mode — the issue is likely a binding or software problem. Return to Step 2 and re-check the Launcher binding, or restart the headset and re-test.

❌ Trigger does not register in Debug mode — continue to Step 4.

Step 4 — Inspect the pump mechanism

Warning: Service technician required. This step involves opening the controller chassis. Only proceed if a qualified service technician is available. If not, proceed to Step 5 and swap the controller now.

A gun that is visible and connected but fires nothing — particularly in pump-action experiences — is often caused by the ball bearing or spring in the pump mechanism not being seated correctly. This prevents the pump sensor from triggering.

Wrist Tracker controllers

  1. Remove the Wrist Tracker and mount, controller sling, LED ball clamp, and pump assembly.
  2. Remove the screws on the chassis to open the controller.
  3. Locate the two ball bearings that sit on top of the two pump screws. Confirm both are seated correctly in position.
  4. Check that the slide grip with the magnet is installed on the right-hand side of the controller. If installed on the wrong side, the pump sensor will not activate.
  5. Check the trigger loom connection on the Controller PCB. Looms run along the top-left of the board, left to right: Mode (Blue/Black), Trigger (Red/Blue/Black), Reload (Green/Black). Confirm the trigger loom is firmly seated.
  6. Reassemble and retest in Debug mode before returning to operations.

Hand Tracker controllers

  1. Remove the Hand Tracker, disconnect the USB-C cable, and remove the tracker mount screw.
  2. Remove the bottom screws, LED tracking ball clamp screws and nuts, and separate the LED tracking ball clamp. Remove the tracking ball from the LED seat.
  3. Remove the three screws from the slide grips and separate the grips. Note: there are two ball bearings and two springs on each side — take care not to lose them.
  4. Remove the top screws and separate the two halves of the controller.
  5. Inspect the Master PCB and confirm all cables are firmly connected, particularly the trigger loom (WL Trigger), Pump A, and Pump B connections.
  6. Reseat any loose connections, reassemble, and retest in Debug mode before returning to operations.
Info: Do not overtighten the pump screws — they control the resistance of the pump-action movement. The torque driver will click once the correct torque is reached for other fasteners.

✅ This resolved the issue — test the full controller before returning it to operations.

❌ Still not resolved — continue to Step 5.

Step 5 — Swap the controller

If the trigger or pump still does not register after completing the steps above, remove the controller from operations and replace it with a spare.

  1. Pause the session from the GM PC.
  2. Swap the faulty controller for a spare from the charging rack.
  3. Bind the new controller to the affected headset slot in the Launcher.
  4. Confirm the player can fire before resuming the session.
  5. Set the faulty controller aside for inspection and log a ticket to Client Services with the details.

✅ Session resumed successfully — log a support ticket with the controller details for follow-up.

❌ Spare also not firing — continue to Step 6.

Step 6 — Log a ticket to Client Services

If the issue persists across multiple controllers, or the fault cannot be resolved through the steps above, log a ticket to clientservices@zerolatencyvr.com.

Have ready when logging:

Controller number(s) affected
Experience name and session time
LED colour observed at time of fault
Whether the issue occurs across multiple controllers or a single unit
Steps already attempted

Keywords: gun not firing · trigger not working · can't shoot · gun visible but won't fire · pump not registering · controller firing issue · ball bearing pump · trigger loom · debug mode · Wrist Tracker · Hand Tracker · controller troubleshoot

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