Re: Just how realistic ARE those video games!?

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> looked up from reading the
entrails of the porn spammer to utter  "The Augury is good, the signs
say:

On Mon, 9 Sep 2024 18:52:24 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
>

Ukraine is fielding machine-gun turrets remotely controlled by the Steam
Deck video game system made for playing Halo
Business Insider
>
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/ukraine-is-fielding-machine-gun-turrets-remotely-controlled-by-the-steam-deck-video-game-system-made-for-playing-halo/ar-AA1qgIrv?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=6f8d8289dd614154a5cd711960320a3f&ei=91
>
Ukraine is using Steam Decks to control remote turret guns on the
battlefield.
Steam Deck is a popular platform used for playing video games.
A video shared online shows the device in action.
>
Ukraine appears to be using a very popular video game system for an
unusual purpose: remotely controlling gun turrets.

>
>
It seems a good use of the hardware. The SteamDeck comes with built-in
controllers, a good screen, a reasonably powerful processor, and
internet connectivity. You can install Linux on it, it is more
portable (and easier to pull out and start using) than a laptop, and
is fairly robust. Oh, and it's easily available and reasonably
inexpensive, as opposed to something purpose built for the task.
>
But it's actually not that uncommon for militaries to use gaming
hardware. Gamepads are increasingly used as the interface for their
various bits of kit, from bomb-disposal robots to drone aircraft to
submarines. Sometimes they are legitimate off-the-shelf game console
controllers! And why not? There's been a lot of research and
development into making the devices comfortable to use in a variety of
situations, from racing games to flight sims to shooters. Plus, thanks
to five decades of video-gaming, pretty much everybody of age in the
military knows how to use one.
>
The surprise isn't that Ukraine is using a SteamDeck. The surprise is
that more militaries aren't. I suspect as handheld gaming PCs become
more common (e.g., the ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion) we'll see them
integrated into all sorts of industries, just because they are such a
convenient form factor.
>
>
That said, the first thing that came to mind when reading the article
was: didn't they have something similar in the movie "Aliens"? I
recall they controlled the things with some sort of chunky hand-held
device with a screen showing what the robot was shooting at. Or maybe
it was some other sci-fi movie. But the _concept_ isn't really that
unique, even if the hardware itself is only now getting down to
commodity levels.

They didn't have robots in Aliens.

They did have auto-firing guns that fired at movement, but as I recall
all they had was a remote camera from them and a counter for ammo
remaining, no actual control whatsoever remotely. 
It was a fire and forget type gun to guard an approach after all.
They fired on motion, any motion.

Xocyll