Earlier in the week news broke out the missing OceanGate submarine used a game controller to operate the entire submarine.
The new details were revealed after a resurfaced video from 2022 showed the CEO of OceanGate Stockton Rush showing a CBS News correspondent a Logitech gaming controller and saying “We run the whole thing with this game controller.”
WATCH:
The submarine that went missing while taking people on tours to see the Titanic used a cheap Logitech controller and other off the shelf parts.
— Benonwine (@benonwine) June 20, 2023
The news of the submarine using a Logitech controller sent social media users into a frenzy.
It even caused Logitech’s stock to drop.
LOOK:
The Titanic tourist submarine that went missing was controlled by a $29.99 gaming controller. Wow 😮 pic.twitter.com/GjtmhRHtvI
— Sam 🇺🇸 | 🦅 | 📡 (@Rudio1John) June 21, 2023
Oh come on, this isn’t fair to Logitech. They didn’t design this controller with the idea it would be used to control a sub for a bunch of tech/boss bros. pic.twitter.com/MYdBF5bXD4
— QENNY #FREEJEFFREY #FREEYOUNGTHUG (@AKBrews) June 21, 2023
Many users on social media couldn’t fathom the fact that tourists were paying $250,000 to get inside of a submarine controlled by a gaming controller but the truth is the US Navy has even started to use Xbox controllers to operate some components of its submarines.
In 2018, the US Navy started to use Xbox controllers to operate some submarine’s periscopes because it saved money and made it easier for younger sailors to operate.
Using a game controller in a submarine is not inherently insane. The Navy uses Xbox controllers. But… wired. And… not control the sub’s movement. https://t.co/jiUUTXkobX
— Mark Jaquith (@markjaquith) June 20, 2023
The Washington Post reported exclusively on the US Navy’s use of Xbox controllers back in 2017.
Per The Washington Post:
The U.S. Navy plans to equip its Virginia-class submarines with Xbox 360 controllers, which will control the ship’s periscopes.
The joystick now being used, along with its corresponding control panel developed by Lockheed Martin, cost about $38,000, according to engadget. An Xbox 360 controller, meanwhile, goes for about $30 and can be purchased just about anywhere that carries toys.
“That joystick is by no means cheap, and it is only designed to fit on a Virginia-class submarine,” Senior Chief Mark Eichenlaub, the John Warner’s assistant navigator, told the Virginian-Pilot. “I can go to any video game store and procure an Xbox controller anywhere in the world, so it makes a very easy replacement.” It doesn’t hurt that many young sailors grew up using the controllers to play videos games such as “Halo.”
Granted, operating an entire submarine with a gaming controller is a lot different than just using the controller to operate a periscope.
For the latest update on the search and rescue mission for the five people onboard make sure to read the Gateway Pundit’s latest update:
