US Navy to use Xbox controllers to control next generation periscope.

... and every article about has that "Kids these days" subtext to it.

But here's the thing... am I the only one who this makes actually a lot of sense?

A video game controller is just an interface device to control a computer pgoram and dual analog stick gamepads like the Xbox 360 one the Navy chose are ideal for controlling a viewing or aiming point along one axis while aiming along another axis, like a periscope on a moving submarine. There's a reason this control scheme has become the default for "move/aim" games.

So while I just can't wait for all the armchair veterans (which I realize I know am one of) to shake their sticks at the new generation of troops using this device... this is just taking a readily available, off the shelf device that is already proven, robust, and readily available that the sailors already know how to use to replace an expensive (the custom built control interface Lockheed Martin design cost 36,000 dollars), bulky, and hard to use propriety device.

Link: http://ift.tt/2f9s6XL

via International Skeptics Forum http://ift.tt/2hgH4zb