Missing Titanic submarine was using a $30 video game controller
A Logitech Gamepad F710, available at Amazon for $30, was being used to control the missing Titanic submersible.
An outdated video game controller was used to pilot the doomed submersible that vanished over two hours into a dive for the Titanic on its 2,100 fathoms trip, reports Forbes.
Some craft, such as military drone pilots, use video game controllers for navigation, but in this case it was just a $30 Logitech PC controller.
The Logitech G F710, shown in promotional trailers for the submarine prior to its launch and now selling for $30 on Amazon in a "renewed" (refurbished) version, with slightly-modified "thumbsticks". There is a 4.2/5 rating for the original.
Even though it looks very similar to a PlayStation controller, this is not one. Instead, it only works with Windows-based devices, all the way back to Windows Vista and Windows 7.
Since "submarine control" was not promised when the controller was designed, there is no way to tell if the controller had anything to do with the sub difficulties, and no one should hold Logitech liable.
When asked about the importance of the gaming controller in the submersible's operation, CEO Stockton Rush said, "We run the whole thing with this game controller."
The controller was first released in 2010, adds the Forbes report.