Binoculars



The binoculars, or scope, are long-range, lightweight scouting devices.

Use by Big Boss
Naked Snake used binoculars during the Virtuous Mission as well as Operation Snake Eater, primarily to scout ahead for enemies and possible things to exploit on the enemy. These binoculars were designed by Sigint for use in the U.S. military, being strong, waterproof, and filled with nitrogen gas to prevent the lens from fogging. The eyepiece, objective lenses, and prism were coated to reduce glare and could work fairly well in dark places. The binoculars weighed 1.0kg (2.2 lbs).

During the San Hieronymo Takeover in November 1970, Big Boss procured some binoculars from the prison. Several of the Soviet officers also used binoculars, presumably to scan for intruders or survey the area.

During the Peace Walker Incident in 1974, the Militaires Sans Frontieres utilized binoculars for presumably scouting ahead and surveying the area during missions.

Use by Solid Snake and Raiden
During FOXHOUND's history as a U.S. Army infiltration unit, the FOXHOUND unit utilized specially developed binoculars that were derived from NASA technology that was originally intended for planetary exploration, although their heavy mass meant that they rarely ever used them during missions.



Solid Snake, during his mission into Outer Heaven during the Outer Heaven Uprising, made use of binoculars. The Outer Heaven personnel presumably used these for scouting purposes.

Solid Snake managed to procure the NIKOS F500 brand of binoculars and use them during his mission into Zanzibar Land during the Zanzibar Land Disturbance. The Zanzibar Land soldiers presumably used them for similar purposes.

Solid Snake utilized binoculars during his mission on Shadow Moses Island.

Raiden utilized binoculars during his mission on the Big Shell. These binoculars were a high-end military model with auto-focus and zoom features.

Behind the scenes
The binoculars are used constantly throughout much of the Metal Gear series.

"Allow you to see the one screen up, down, left, or right of your present location. Cannot be used indoors."

- Binoculars description from Metal Gear

In Metal Gear, these will allow Solid Snake to see one screen in any direction from his current location. Same goes for the binoculars in Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, under the brand name NIKOS F500.

"Allow you to see one screen up, down, left, or right of your present location."

- Binoculars description from Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake

Metal Gear Solid/The Twin Snakes allows for first person viewing and control. Pressing the Punch button zooms in, and the Weapon button zooms out electronically. Raiden uses the same type of scope in Metal Gear Solid 2.

"High-magnification military binoculars. Useful for observing distant targets. Cannot be used when a weapon is equipped."

- Binoculars description from Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops

A pair of binoculars are used by Naked Snake in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. The same type is also available in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.

"Military binoculars for long-distance surveillance and scouting. Equip to use. Zoom can be adjusted. Cannot be used with weapons."

- Binoculars description from Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

Instead of using binoculars in Metal Gear Solid 4, Old Snake uses the Solid Eye.

The zoom function of the cameras and sniper rifles can be used as substitutes for binoculars.