6 ms·
1) I don't really understand this criticism - why would a bespoke milspec controller be any more likely to be around than a widely documented consumer controlle
by vacri 9y ago
1) I don't really understand this criticism - why would a bespoke milspec controller be any more likely to be around than a widely documented consumer controller?
Which do you think is easier to replace today, or get a manufacturer to remake: a model M from 1984, or a custom machine keyboard from 1984.
Hell, wind the back another 10 years - I worked in a hospital with a really old bit of kit. It was a Siemens EEG machine, and the keyboard was capacitive metal tabs. No travel at all - they simply registered when pressed by a finger but not other things (like a modern smartphone screen). I'd much rather dig up a common keyboard than one of those curios.
- cube00 9y agoIs Microsoft going to be willing to share their original specs so you can build an identical controller years down the track? Given we're talking military here reverse engineering to remake wouldn't be acceptable.
- sfifs 9y agoGiven it's military, they're very likely already sharing NOW.
- zentiggr 9y agoThere have been third-party Xbox controllers almost since the console came out. No doubt ONE of them will gobble up a DoD contract to continue production if it's offered. (Former Submarine FT)
- moftz 9y agoThe military has been buying 360 controllers to do a bunch of different things and I'm sure MS has been providing them on contract and will continue to provide them because it's easy money.
- chuckdries 9y agoYes Xinput is a pervasive standard at this point, to where there is a large market of third party controllers and software support in various linux distros as well as a JS api to access it in Chrome and Firefox.
- cptskippy 9y agoYou wouldn't need an identical controller, just one that has an identical line protocol. In this case it's a USB HID Device that prescribes to the XInput Hardware API. Logitech, Razer, and others already make compatible devices.
- rhino369 9y agoAs long as the military doesn't buy them on Amazon.com, yea they probably would. Escrow of technical and IP documents is pretty common in industry procurement, I'd imagine that it's even more common in procurement for defense.
- path411 9y agoDude, it's Microsoft. Most of their business is to the government.