Steam Deck’s Unexpected Role in Ukraine’s Military – Handheld Gaming Device Repurposed for Warfare
As a gamer and tech enthusiast, I never thought I’d see the day when a gaming device would play a role in real-life military operations. But the Ukrainian army has found a new use for the Steam Deck that doesn’t involve leisure gaming. Instead, this handheld PC is being utilized to remotely control machine gun turrets on the frontline.
According to PC Gamer and a video from TRO Media, Ukrainian soldiers are operating the “Shablya” turret (meaning “saber” in Ukrainian) using a Steam Deck. If you’ve played Tom Clancy or Call of Duty games, you know how valuable remote-controlled turrets can be in warfare, allowing gunfire without directly exposing the operator to enemy fire. The video reveals how the Steam Deck’s screen displays a feed from the weapon for target identification.
PC Gamer reached out to Aric Toler, a Bellingcat researcher who uncovered a leak of classified military documents on Discord last month. He explained why the Steam Deck is an ideal choice for military applications:
“The Steam Deck is pretty perfect when you think about it,” Toler said. “Totally native OS client, great controller you can use, touch screen, etc. It makes perfect sense for the Steam Deck to be used, assuming the software is Linux-compatible (unless they went through the godawful process of dual-booting Windows on a Steam Deck).”
At a base price of $399, the Steam Deck is also significantly more affordable than the “insanely expensive” bespoke control modules typically used. It’s fascinating to see how technology transcends boundaries and finds new applications in unexpected places.
