America’s newest commissioned submarine, the USS Colorado, weights 7,800 tons and stretches 377 feet long. The Navy calls it the most “modern and sophisticated attack submarine in the world,” describing it as “a flexible, multi-mission platform” that can engage in both anti-sub and anti-surface warfare, transport Special Ops forces, gather intelligence, and do surveillance and reconnaissance.
And it’s the first submarine that also uses Xbox controllers. Seriously.
The newest addition to the Navy‘s fleet replaces traditional periscopes with “two photonics masts that host visible and infrared digital cameras atop telescoping arms,” and the ones on the Colorado are controlled by Xbox game controllers. According to USA Today, the submarine’s commanding officer, Cmdr. Reed Koepp, said the sub is the first to use the controllers instead of joysticks, and that by replacing them with an existing commercial product it both saves money and makes it so incoming sailors are already comfortable with the hardware. Other subs will also be outfitted with Xbox controllers in the near future too.
Which means all of those countless hours you spent playing Overwatch and Call of Duty weren’t a waste of time, MOM! Because what you were actually doing was preparing yourself to keep America safe.
Of course, considering the protection of the free world is now at least partially in the hands of someone holding an Xbox controller, we better all be glad they aren’t using original U.S. ones. We could hardly play Halo with that thing, let alone run the world’s most advanced modern submarine.
What controller do you think would be the best to use on a real submarine? Dive into our comments section to let us know.
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