Since yesterday, we have been inundated with constant jokes and complaints about the Logitech F710 controller used by the submarine “Titan,” which is currently lost in the middle of the ocean with five millionaires on board. Their mission was to visit the remains of the Titanic…
As you may know, a tiny submarine has gone missing after setting off to visit the wreckage of the Titanic.
The entire internet is captivated by the Titan. What we know so far is that it disappeared off the coast of Newfoundland with five people on board, including billionaire Hamish Harding.
A 30 euro controller… that’s not bad at all
Since the submarine went missing, reports have highlighted a series of reasons suggesting that the mission should not have been carried out… primarily due to safety concerns.
Many are specifically focusing on the fact that the submarine is being piloted using a slightly modified Logitech G F710 wireless gamepad (39 euros).
“We control everything with this controller,” said Stockton Rush, CEO of Oceangate, to David Pogue of CBS Sunday Morning in an interview earlier this year. Pogue laughed and covered his face with his hands.
Since the submarine went missing, people have been mocking OceanGate for using a mid-range gaming controller. However, it is becoming increasingly common to control serious military equipment, such as tanks and submarines, with standard or slightly modified controllers.
The US Navy is installing Xbox controllers in their submarines to replace the bulky joysticks used to control periscopes and photon masts.
In this case, the Xbox controllers don’t control the entire submarine, but only a part of it. However, gamepads are used to control many more military machines.
Controllers are excellent standard solutions because they are affordable, and younger recruits are already familiar with them. And it’s not just about submarines.
The US military has used Xbox controllers to maneuver bomb disposal robots. The British army has developed an unmanned off-road vehicle controlled by an Xbox controller. In Israel, there is a tank that uses an Xbox controller.
When armies around the world don’t use a controller specifically made for gaming, they often mimic its design. The US Army’s M-SHORAD combat vehicle has a beige controller that resembles an N64 controller. The firing control handle of the Challenger 2 tank also resembles a gaming controller.
Armies and vehicle designers use gamepads and gamepad-inspired designs because video game controllers are excellent for, well, controlling anything on an X and Y axis.
And it’s a ubiquitous design that almost everyone is familiar with, even if they’re not a gamer. We may never know what happened to the Titan, but it’s unlikely that the Logitech controller was the problem.
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