The binoculars, or scope, are long-range, lightweight scouting devices.
Use by Big Boss[]
Operation Snake Eater[]
- See also: Virtuous Mission and Operation Snake Eater
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 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).
San Hieronymo Incident[]
- Main article: San Hieronymo Incident
| Warning: The following information is from outside Hideo Kojima's core "Metal Gear Saga." Its canonicity within the continuity is disputed, therefore reader discretion is advised.[?] |
During the San Hieronymo Incident 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.
| Non-"Metal Gear Saga" information ends here. |
Peace Walker Incident[]
- Main article: Peace Walker Incident
During the Peace Walker Incident in 1974, the Militaires Sans Frontières used binoculars to scout ahead and survey the area during missions.
Ground Zeroes Incident[]
- Main article: Ground Zeroes Incident
During his missions into Cuba in December 1974-March 1975, Big Boss used binoculars for scouting enemies. They were also equipped with a directional microphone, thus ensuring that he would be able to listen in on the enemy from far away.[1]
Use by Venom Snake[]
Phantom Pain Incident[]
- See also: Hospital Escape and Phantom Pain Incident
In 1984, Venom Snake used an Intel Scope ("Int. Scope") which allowed him to observe and mark enemy soldiers. Additionally, the binoculars could be used in conjunction with Quiet, to give orders to her for targeting specific soldiers.
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.
Outer Heaven Uprising[]
- Main article: Outer Heaven Uprising
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.
Zanzibar Land Disturbance[]
- Main article: Zanzibar Land Disturbance
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.
Shadow Moses Incident[]
- Main article: Shadow Moses Incident
Solid Snake used binoculars during his mission on Shadow Moses Island. They were the only equipment that Snake was authorized to carry into the mission, explicitly due to the doctrine of On-Site Procurement (OSP), which dictates that in order to maintain plausible deniability weapons and equipment must be obtained from the operational environment itself. Despite this, he managed to smuggle in a pack of cigarettes via his stomach, taking advantage of a pre-mission medical injection provided by Naomi Hunter which suppressed his stomach acids.
The Manhattan Incident[]
- See also: Tanker Incident and the Big Shell Incident
Raiden used binoculars during his mission on the Big Shell. These binoculars were a high-end military model with auto-focus and zoom features.
Use by U.S. organizations[]
During the Big Shell Incident, a member of the New York Police Department used binoculars to observe the the off-shore platform from the Verrazano Bridge.
A U.S. soldier from a joint Army-Marines team used binoculars to monitor the situation on the Volta River, during the attempted capture of Liquid Ocelot in the Guns of the Patriots Incident.
Behind the scenes[]
Binoculars are often among the player's starting inventory throughout much of the Metal Gear series.
2D games[]
In both Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, the Binoculars allow Solid Snake to see one screen ahead in any direction adjacent to his current location. They prove useful in avoiding enemy soldiers when progressing to the next screen, to which the player is initially blind. For obvious reasons, the Binoculars cannot be used in enclosed rooms that occupy one game screen.
| Game | Item description for Binoculars | Icon |
|---|---|---|
| Metal Gear | Allow you to see the one screen up, down, left, or right of your present location. Cannot be used indoors. | 
|
| Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake | Allow you to see one screen up, down, left, or right of your present location. | 
|
3D games[]
The Scope in Metal Gear Solid allows for first person viewing and control. Pressing the Punch button zooms in, and the Weapon button zooms out electronically.
The Scope returns in the Plant Chapter of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, for use by Raiden. It could also be used by Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid 2's Trial Edition, but this was removed from the final version's Tanker Chapter, and its functions assigned to the Camera instead. The Codec conversation relating to it during the Tanker Chapter was nonetheless included in dummied data in the final version.
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.
| Game | Item description for Scope/Binoculars | Icon |
|---|---|---|
| Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty | 
| |
| Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes | Military binoculars allowing long distance reconnaissance. Zoom in with B Button, zoom out with X Button. | |
| Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops | High-magnification military binoculars. Useful for observing distant targets. Cannot be used when a weapon is equipped. |
|
| 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. |
Instead of using binoculars in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Solid Snake uses the Solid Eye.
The zoom function of the cameras and sniper rifles can be used as substitutes for binoculars.
In Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Big Boss uses binoculars equipped with a directional microphone.[1]
- "INT-SCOPE
Variable-magnification binoculars for long-range recon and intel support. Equipped with a directional microphone feature, allowing for the user to listen to distant noises and conversations. The added analyzer feature can determine soldiers' and prisoners abilities and the category of any skills they possess." - ―Int-scope menu description in the Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Gamescom 2015 PlayStation Live demo.
The binoculars, called the Int-scope, returns in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
Appearances[]
- Metal Gear
- Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
- Metal Gear Solid
- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
- Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
- Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
- Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
- Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
- Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.