However, the Hand Cannon is only unlocked after at least two playthroughs (one to unlock Hard Core mode, and one on Hard Core to unlock the weapon), and the mode required to beat to unlock it is extremely difficult, it is rare to see this weapon in action. Some complain that the Hand Cannon can deteriorate the atmosphere and immersion considering it is a 'novelty' weapon.It is possible to kill the female Tripod inside the Church of Unitology by shooting it around 20 times in the stomach rather than in the tongue.Although it is now easier to aim thanks to this addition, the area of effect is significantly narrower, now effectively just a dot.In Dead Space (2023), the Hand Cannon now has a laser sight for aiming. It can be difficult to aim at a distance, considering it has no crosshair, but the player can simply spam fire until a distant target is hit. The Hand Cannon is the best weapon in Dead Space 2.It can blow off both the Ubermorph's legs in one shot to the lower torso. The Hand Cannon's shots have an area of effect about the size of a ripper blade.

However, in Dead Space (2023), the Hand Cannon does not dismember all limbs, although it still kills anything in one shot (excluding the Hunter).A hit by the Hand Cannon will not knock back a creature, but pop off all of its limbs immediately, resulting in an instant kill.

Dead space 2 origin infinite ammo mod