New footage shows Ukrainian military personnel piloting a remote-control turret with nothing other than a Steam Deck. As reported by PC Gamer, footage of the Steam Deck being used by the Ukrainian military first emerged via TRO Media on Instagram. Later footage, likely from the same event, appeared showing the turret explicitly being controlled by the portable PC.
The turret shown in the footage is a Shablya model, developed by Ukrainian firm Global Dynamics. A crowdfunding campaign via People’s Project raised 445,000 uah (12,000 USD) to supply 10 of the remote weapon stations to the Ukraine armed forces.
Why use a video game device to control a remote turret? According to Bellingcat research Aric Toler, as quoted by PC Gamer, the device is perfect for this kind of usage. Toler said, “Totally native OS client, great controller you can use, touch screen, etc. It makes perfect sense for Steam Deck to be used, assuming the software is Linux-compatible (unless they went through the godawful process of dual-booting Windows on a Steam Deck).”
The relationship between video games and military technology goes back to the medium’s origins. The first flight simulators were developed for training military pilots. This is not the first time gaming controllers have been used for military purposes. Xbox controller have been used to control submarines, photonics masts, and even giant laser cannons. On the more absurd side of these connections, War Thunder players leaked classified military documents in an effort to correct perceived inaccuracies in the combat-vehicle-themed game.
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