USS John Warner’s assistant weapons officer Lt. j.g. Kyle Leonard told Military.com that “The Navy got together and they asked a bunch of [junior officers] and junior guys, ‘What can we do to make your life better?’… “And one of the things that came out is the controls for the scope. It’s kind of clunky in your hand; it’s real heavy.”
The advantage of using Xbox 360 controllers lies not just in accessibility, but also in price. On average, a new Xbox 360 controller in somewhere between $30 to $40 online, while the typical cost for the specially designed photonic mast handgrip and imaging control panel made for modern submarines is around $38,000.
This isn’t the first time that the U.S. Military has used video game paraphernalia in order to cut costs and simplify technology. Another instance of such technology crossover was when the U.S. Air Force created a supercomputer out of a large cluster of modified PS3s.
Image credit: didyouknowgaming.com
The integration of Xbox 360 controllers into Virginia-class Naval submarines will begin with the USS Colorado, which is commissioned for November.
Stay tuned to GameSkinny for more video game and video game related news as it develops.
