The $30 gaming controller used to pilot the lost Titanic submarine received HUNDREDS of complaints
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The lost submarine exploring the wreckage of the Titanic is controlled by a $29.99 game controller that has received hundreds of bad reviews from customers online.
OceanGate, the company conducting the excursion, revealed that the Titan submarine is navigated by a modified Logitech G F710 Wireless Gamepad first released in 2010.
The controller – which runs on two AA batteries – has an overall rating of 4.2 out of five on Amazon, but hundreds of one-star reviews dating back more than a decade claim the device suffers from annoying and regular connectivity issues.
Other themes in the negative reviews include issues with the controller’s analog sticks and the fact that pressing certain buttons distorted the entire pad.
And the Logitech G F710 Wireless Gamepad is only compatible with ten-year-old Windows and Chrome systems.
CEO Stockton Rush of OceanGate, the company that led the excursion, revealed to CBS that the Titan submarine is navigated by a modified Logitech G F710 Wireless Gamepad first released in 2010
The controller is designed to work with a PC, is wireless and runs on AA batteries
An Amazon reviewer, Steve, bought two controllers in WHAT YEARS, but said they “ended up in the trash after four months.”
Shares of Logitech fell three percent Wednesday morning as news of the missing submarine using its controller spread, but it has seen a four percent dip over the past five days.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Logitech for comment.
The OceanGate expedition took five people, reportedly paying $250,000 each, to the depths of the North Atlantic for an underwater tour on Sunday, and contact was broken an hour and 45 minutes after launch.
While the world anxiously waits for the crew to be found, the public is shocked by the outdated PC game controller that controls OceanGate’s 22-foot craft.
The silver device has a traditional gaming system layout with two analog sticks on the front, a black D-pad in the top left corner and colorful buttons on the right.
It features a 2.4 GHz wireless connection, which users on Amazon say will drop periodically. However, the product overview states that there are “virtually no delays, outages or failures.”
The Logitech G F710 can operate wirelessly with two AA batteries or can be plugged into a power source.
It is not known how the controller in the submarine is powered, but AA batteries can last up to 10 years.
The description of the device states that it works with Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, 8, 10 and 11 and Chrome OS.
Logitech G F710 launched on September 2, 2010, specifically for PC gaming
Amazon customer reviews gave the controller a 4.2 out of five
Many of the reviews shared how the controller is durable and affordable
Amazon reviews aren’t all negative, as some customers found the small design comfortable and appreciated its affordability.
A reviewer named Chad said, “Pretty good controller, fits comfortably in the hand and is compatible with everything.”
Joseph Cowlishaw wrote: ‘It works great, on my PC and all my other gaming systems!! Feels good and durable and fits my hand perfectly, slightly heavier than my other controller but I think it feels better with a little more weight…all in all it’s exactly what I was looking for, Logitech never disappoints!! Just always great!!’
However, the negative reviews are impossible to ignore as this controller powers an underwater vehicle.
One reviewer called their post ‘Absolute garage! Don’t get it! You have been warned.’
The review reads, “The controller constantly loses connection to the dongle, so you die a lot in your game. Logitech used to make really good controllers, but now they’re just total crap.
However, there are hundreds of one-star reviews claiming that the controller lost connection within minutes
Some people bought more than one and both would have problems
The OceanGate expedition took five people, reportedly paying $250,000 each, to the depths of the North Atlantic for an underwater tour on Sunday, and contact was broken an hour and 45 minutes after launch
“Don’t believe the reviews from the ‘people’ who ‘love’ this controller, they are probably fake because anyone who has actually used this controller would hate it.”
Rush, CEO of Oceangate, explained CBS Sunday morning‘s David Pogue in a segment this year: ‘We’re running the whole thing with this game controller.
Pogue laughed, put his face in his hands and said, “Come on,” Pogue said. “It looks like this sub has some elements of MacGyvery jerry riggedness. You lay construction pipes as ballast.’
There’s still no indication of what could have gone wrong with the Titan in such a short time, but rescue missions are working to find the ship before the oxygen runs out.
British billionaire Hamish Harding has been confirmed as one of five aboard the ship, along with OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, UK-based Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his 19-year-old son Sulaiman Dawood.
Rescue crews from the US and Canada are still trying to find the ship, which is believed to have been last ‘pinged’ while directly above the Titanic wreck before running out of air on board.
The submarine is believed to have enough oxygen to remain submerged until 7 a.m. EST on Thursday.