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Comment by boppo1 | Hacker News Reader

>sealed from the outside >no location beacon

Wtf is anyone thinking getting in this thing?

The set of people that would enter an experimental sub to visit the titanic, and the ones that would do it with a craft that is bolted shut from the outside, is probably close to even.

Add to that the $250000 price tag qualifier

And literally steered with a cheap game controller. There's a YouTube video from CBS of their reporter taking a trip on this thing. It's almost comical how cheap it seems.

What’s wrong with game controllers? They are built to be ergonomic and in use for extended periods of time. Also a lot of people are already familiar with how to use them.

Not saying we should replace every bespoke interface with a game controller, but using a game controller isn’t necessarily bad either.

Good point. Might be nice to have some redundancy if a game controller is used for a mission critical component, but apparently, the US military approves.

https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/19/16333376/us-navy-military...

The key here to me is they use it for periscopes. An important function, to be sure, but no one is dying if the periscope controller fails. That isn't the same for the controller on the submarine where it controls lateral movement, which is critically important when going near a shipwreck or other hazards.

>What’s wrong with game controllers?

I saw a video where he said they used the controllers' built-in bluetooth. Bluetooth is anything but mission-critical. Imagine a disconnect when you're trying to decelerate.

> What’s wrong with game controllers?

They are made for living rooms and not salt water marine environments.

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