The Amazon page for the Logitech controller that was used in the missing Titanic submarine has now been inundated with troll reviews. Over the past couple of days, much of the spotlight has been on the OceanGate submersible and its five-member crew after it lost contact while en route to look for the Titanic shipwreck. It was also revealed the Titan submarine was piloted by an old Logitech video game controller which has prompted some to troll its Amazon store page review section.
According to OceanGate, the Titan cost $250,000 to put together in its effort to explore the sunken Titanic. Interestingly, its navigational controls were operated by a repurposed Logitech G F710 Wireless Gamepad. Originally released in 2010, the controller is built primarily for PC gaming and Logitech continues to sell it to this day, typically fetching a price between $50 to $60 in stores. However, amid the current circumstances, some have now resorted to trolling Logitech over the story.
Amazon's store page for the Logitech G F710 controller has already been updated with reviews where each of them makes a reference to OceanGate's submersible. Apart from the snarky reviews, the store page now even has "Will it control a submarine?" as a customer question. Interestingly, Amazon is running a discount of 40% on the $49.99 controller with some users even getting a 90-day free Amazon Music offer.
Of course, video game hardware being repurposed for navigational and other non-gaming uses isn't uncommon. Back in 2017, it was revealed that the US Navy was using Xbox 360 controllers to control its submarines' periscopes with the aim of replacing the existing clunky and heavy controls in some of its submersibles. Further, the US military is reportedly incorporating Xbox-style controllers in at least two of its next-generation weapons systems. More recently, the Ukraine military was seen customizing the Steam Deck to remotely operate turrets in the ongoing war efforts.
It's worth noting that it isn't just Logitech's controller that has garnered public attention. The Titan submarine's disappearance even prompted an uptick in sales for Iron Lung, an indie-horror game that sees the player navigate underwater in a small, rusty submarine. The game's creator shared its sales trend over the past few days when Iron Lung's sales have nearly tripled since June 19.
In any case, not much is known about what's become of OceanGate's submersible yet. At the time of writing, the United States Coast Guard report that it found debris near the Titanic submarine search area and that it will be revealing more details on the efforts via a press briefing.
Source: The Verge, Task and Purpose