Ukraine army is using the Steam Deck to control machine gun turrets

[midian182]

WTF?! The Steam Deck has a surprising number of uses, including doubling as a remote controller for a machine gun turret. Valve's handheld is being used this way by the Ukrainian army in its war against invading Russian forces.

Ukrainian News company TPO (via Tom's Hardware) posted a number of images on Facebook showing the country's soldiers testing a machine gun turret in a field. The weapon, Sablya, Is described as a "Ukrainian automated remote-controlled fire complex designed for stationary installation on real estate objects or special transport."

What's interesting about the photos is that one shows a soldier holding a Steam Deck, and he's not having a sneaky game of Vampire Survivors. The Linux-powered device is being used to control the machine gun remotely.

This automatic turret is the best use of Steam Deck I've seen so far �*�ï¸Â pic.twitter.com/J727aDbBPn

– Sergey Mohov �" (@krides) April 24, 2023

The screen is blank so we can't see what the interface is like, but as the gun has a camera, it's probable that the feed can be viewed on the Steam Deck; it could be used to monitor the battlefield, aim at targets, and fire the weapon. Tom's speculates that because the turret is automated, the Steam Deck might be able to mark targets and let the gun do the rest.

The turret can be operated up to 500 meters away (almost a third of a mile). It can be equipped with any light anti-personnel or anti-tank weapons, including a Kalashnikov machine gun. The Facebook post states that the turret will be fitted at checkpoints and other key locations to help the Ukrainian military in its ongoing war efforts against Russia.

This isn't the first time gaming hardware has been used for military purposes. In 2018, the US Navy launched the USS Colorado, a Virginia-class submarine that uses an Xbox 360 controller to control its periscope-like photonics masts. Controllers have also been used to control drones and UAVs.

Valve is unlikely to be pleased to learn its Steam Deck is being semi-weaponized. But unlike SpaceX, which stopped Ukraine from using its Starlink service to control drones, there's little Gabe Newell's company could do to stop the practice.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/98490-ukraine-army-using-steam-deck-control-machine-gun.html

 

[Lozzy]

Team Fortress 2 for real, I hope Valve would be f*cking delighted!

 

[DSirius]

This can turn quickly into an ugly mess.
Imagine after the war, one of those soldiers, affected by the war atrocities and suffering from PTSD, start to shoot civilians using a gun controlled by steam deck controller, having a hard time to make the difference between the enemies from the COD game which he plays and peoples in the real world.
Good article to warn us about future implications of these kind of mixed bags.
Real wars+games controllers - too dangerous ideea.

 

[kiwigraeme]

This can turn quickly into an ugly mess.
Imagine after the war, one of those soldiers, affected by the war atrocities and suffering from PTSD, start to shoot civilians using a gun controlled by steam deck controller, having a hard time to make the difference between the enemies from the COD game which he plays and peoples in the real world.
Good article to warn us about future implications of these kind of mixed bags.
Real wars+games controllers - too dangerous ideea.

There is going to be lots of messed up people - but don't need this to run Amok - just any gun or truck
What diff is this than firing a missile over the horizon - or those "pilots" in some Texas control unit flying some missile in Iraq.
It's a hell of a thing, killin' a man. Take away all he's got, and all he's ever gonna have. as Bill will say

 

[m4a4]

Honestly, it's their property now (and not a subscription like Starlink).

Valve shouldn't bother commenting on this. And we shouldn't want them to.

 

[Tetr1s]

Next they're going to control F-18s with the steamdeck lol

 

[Thatsdisgusting]

This can turn quickly into an ugly mess.
Imagine after the war, one of those soldiers, affected by the war atrocities and suffering from PTSD, start to shoot civilians using a gun controlled by steam deck controller, having a hard time to make the difference between the enemies from the COD game which he plays and peoples in the real world.
Good article to warn us about future implications of these kind of mixed bags.
Real wars+games controllers - too dangerous ideea.

Try finding story in english about ruski inmate who took his chance and managed to survive wagner, came home and killed an old woman with an axe.

Guy has been locked for 30 years, meant to spend 20 more, dont think he knows what videogame is at all.
You dont need steam decks, joysticks or Arma to make mentally broken monsters.

 

[DSirius]

Try finding story in english about ruski inmate who took his chance and managed to survive wagner, came home and killed an old woman with an axe.

Guy has been locked for 30 years, meant to spend 20 more, dont think he knows what videogame is at all.
You dont need steam decks, joysticks or Arma to make mentally broken monsters.

This is tragic.
The point is that is a bad idea to transform gamers into real soldiers in real wars or vice-versa by giving them to use the same game controllers.

 

[mcnabney]

This is tragic.
The point is that is a bad idea to transform gamers into real soldiers in real wars or vice-versa by giving them to use the same game controllers.

What sense does that make?
Kids have been playing with toy guns since guns were invented.

 

[Puiu]

They're just playing Portal 2.

 

[Underdog]

What sense does that make?
Kids have been playing with toy guns since guns were invented.

And how has that worked out? Now they have access to real guns and real people are getting killed.

 

[mcnabney]

And how has that worked out? Now they have access to real guns and real people are getting killed.

They have ALWAYS had access to real guns. Society has been shaping 'play' and 'childhood' to prepare young people for the real world since forever. Of course that applies to war.

 

[ddferrari]

This can turn quickly into an ugly mess.
Imagine after the war, one of those soldiers, affected by the war atrocities and suffering from PTSD, start to shoot civilians using a gun controlled by steam deck controller, having a hard time to make the difference between the enemies from the COD game which he plays and peoples in the real world.
Good article to warn us about future implications of these kind of mixed bags.
Real wars+games controllers - too dangerous ideea.

Oh brother...

 

[qking]

This is tragic.
The point is that is a bad idea to transform gamers into real soldiers in real wars or vice-versa by giving them to use the same game controllers.

Gamers into real soliders? What are you smoking bro, share it around!

 

[DSirius]

Gamers into real soliders? What are you smoking bro, share it around!

Perhaps you did not went into any war or experiencing the tragedy of it.
Either way, being respectful will help you to enjoy living in a better world.

P.S. I know you joked, just that I do not smoke at all, not good for health

 

[Hodor]

I hope they don't expect to respawn after they get hit by a mortar shell.