Gaming - News
Valve's Steam Deck Is Being Used As A Remote Control Gun Turret In Ukraine
By NATHAN SIMMONS
In recent weeks, photos and videos have surfaced that depict members of the Ukrainian military using Valve's Steam Deck to remotely control a machine gun turret.
Thanks to a front-mounted camera on the turret, soldiers can view their targets on the Steam Deck screen and take aim without having to manually operate the weaponry.
It's unclear if the interface has been deployed in many combat situations, but a recent field test video makes a compelling argument for the brainy handheld's use in battle.
One of the soldiers demonstrating the Steam Deck-controlled turret said, “This is, in principle, the future of all weapons ... It removes a person from the line of fire.”
The soldier continued, “It makes it possible to provide [fire] support without being a priority target and causing enemy fire on ourselves.”
The turret itself is a type of sentry gun called the Sabre, which was first introduced after a successful crowdfunding campaign about eight years ago.
The original version of the Sabre turret was controlled via joystick, but the newer models have caught up with more modern gaming tech.
PC Gamer reached out to Bellingcat's Aric Toler for his thoughts on why Ukrainian military officials would turn to such an unorthodox method.
Toler explained, “Steam Deck is pretty perfect when you think about it. Totally native OS client, great controller you can use, touch screen, etc. It makes perfect sense.”
