Ukraine is using Steam Deck to operate machine guns on the battlefield-Kenneth Andersen-Entertainment – Metro

The Steam Deck is being used for more than gaming (Valve Corporation)

A video shows how the Ukrainian military is reportedly using Valve’s Steam Deck console to fire remote-controlled machine guns.

It was only a couple of weeks ago that gamers saw the effects of the Russia-Ukraine war, when a missile exploded just outside a Twitch streamer’s house while he was livestreaming Dota 2.

More recently, a video has surfaced showing how Valve’s Steam Deck gaming console is being used to benefit the Ukrainians on the battlefield.

Ukrainian engineers have found a way to connect Steam Decks to unmanned machine gun turrets, thanks to the portable gaming device, which works like a PC.

They call it the ShaBlya system, and the video showcasing it was posted by Ukrainian government-run platform United24 Media on Twitter.

The video claims the system is ‘one of the first robots on the front line’, which can target ‘enemy personnel and ‘lightly armoured targets’.

It also says that the Steam Deck-operated turret can fire bullets at a distance of three miles, has a thermal imager, rangefinder, and wide-field cameras.

Footage from the video also shows the turret in action, shooting at non-human targets in a field. And yes, it does look just like that bit with the auto-turrets, from the Aliens director’s cut.

The Steam Deck is essentially a handheld PC, and comes with operative system Linux, but can be changed to Windows if you’re willing to go through the many hoops that that requires.

In the video, United24 Media explains the unorthodox method, saying: ‘Modern Warfare is a war of robots and drones, since in this way a huge number of lives are saved without losing the effectiveness of destroying the enemy.’

The Steam Deck is like a PC, so it’s very versatile (Valve Corporation)

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