The US Navy is going to be using Xbox 360 controllers to operate periscopes on submarines, and the first one will be aboard the USS Colorado. Thereafter Xbox 360 controllers will be added to other Virginia-class submarines.
The old-gen Xbox controller replaces an intricately designed, heavy and expensive control stick that was previously used to operate the periscope. The outgoing equipment cost about $38,000 dollars, while an Xbox 360 controller obviously costs much, much less. Training time is also being reduced from hours to just a few minutes. A broken 360 controller is much easier to replace too.
Senior Chief Mark Eichenlaub told The Virginian-Pilot that he "can go to any video game store and procure an Xbox controller anywhere in the world, so it makes a very easy replacement." According to Eichenlaub, other examples of familiar tech, such as touchscreens, will be coming to the Navy in the future.