this post was submitted on 10 Aug 2024
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[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 month ago (2 children)

"Rush, who saw himself as an innovator like "Steve Jobs or Elon Musk," the complaint says, once told Pogue, "At some point, safety just is pure waste." Rush thought he had found a lighter way to build subs."

This really summarizes the mindset of most second+ generation rich people. Because this guy lived with a lot of inherited money and power all his life, he assumed that everything that comes out of his brain must be the ultimate truth. So much so that without even a single reservation he happily took his son with him to that journey knowing full well that the submarine was probably violating several critical safety requirements that he deemed unnecessary. We are basically being ruled by such people folks.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 month ago

I've worked with plenty poor people who thought the exact same thing.

The only difference is that he actually had the resources to realize his stupid ideas

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Super accurate comment.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

This controller kept me in rocket league gold for months. I put it on eBay and some shmuck said they need it in a submarine but are on a budget so max can do is three fiddy. I just wanted to get rid of the thing

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

Goddamn Loch Ness monster!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago (19 children)

Since the story came out people fixated on "lol he used a shitty gaming controller" but really that is one of the least sketchy design choices in the entire rig. Why reinvent the wheel and make a custom set of controls that are realistically another huge expense and potential failure point, when off the shelf solutions exist for that component?

The corners that were cut are the ones involving the viewport/nose adhesion to the ships frame, and the structural integrity of the carbon fiber hull itself. They had test data suggesting it was a bad idea to engage in repeated dives with their design, and an even worse idea to operate at the depths they chose. They decided to ignore that.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

That doesn't explain why they used the wireless version of that Logitech instead of wired to control the thing they were literally inside.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

To be fair, they're under water and sharks have been known to chew through electrical cables

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I suspect the wired cabling would be to control components inside the sub, not outside. And I say that only because it's unlikely that wireless signals would penetrate the sub walls.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

Yes but with this sub the water was on the inside too

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Too dense to pick up on the obvious sarcasm, I see.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (3 children)

From what I can tell the lawsuit (which is against Ocean Gate, not Logitech) is really just calling out the controller as another example of willfully negligent behaviour.

You're certainly correct that the actual cause of the failure was the carbon fibre hull. Just a terrible idea on so many levels. Carbon fibre, by its nature, is good under tension, not compression. It was never going to function well as a pressure vessel underwater.

There were a litany of terrible decisions made by Ocean Gate, such as not tethering the sub, because it was cheaper to launch it from a towed raft, but none of those bad decisions ultimately mattered once that pressure vessel failed. Those people were dead so fast that, to quote Scott Manley, "You go from being biology to being physics."

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (2 children)

using a wireless controller to manage life critical functions is the acme of stupidity.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

I've got two F710s and they're reliable enough. I wouldn't trust them in pro gaming though.

If I got in the sub and saw one of these used to steer it, I'd be very concerned. I know they're not really blaming Logitech; just taking one of these out of the plastic packaging and saying 'OK, now we've got steering and propulsion!' is not really a safety culture to get behind.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Oh yeah, the controller is clearly the one a fault here......

I mean, they clearly made this for an submersible, one made of carbon fibre specifically.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

Just taking a guess here but the controller was probably brought up as evidence for how much they were cutting corners and disregarding safety and good sense, not as the cause of the failure

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

That controller is known for just forgetting it's tethered to anything or suddenly veering off for no reason. I know because I have had one for years.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I think Logitech should take responsibility and give them a $30 voucher

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

“best we can offer is a replacement. but you will need to return the original”

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (5 children)

Pretty sure the fly by wire system isn't why the beer can imploded.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

At this point filing a multi-million dollar lawsuit against OceanGate will be like trying to extract blood from a stone.

What tangible assets do OceanGate really have left to pay Nargeolet's estate? Their CEO (the maverick aerospace engineer who thought he was 'revolutionizing' the submarine industry by cutting corners) is dead, their only active submersible imploded, their reputation has been tainted by the fact that they've been selling billionaires what is effectively a carbon fiber coffin waiting to implode, and any angel investors have probably pulled out harder than a porn star on the verge of climax.

Even then, they may not even have a case. IANAL but in an age where every single tech and gaming company has been pushing through class action waivers and forced arbitration clauses in their Terms of Service, I get the feeling that any attempts at suing OceanGate will be thrown out of court by the waivers each passenger had to sign.

There is a sense of irony in people celebrating this disaster on social media because it means "five less billionaires in the world." No, this is potentially a massive L for us commoners, because it shows just how much corporate greed can destroy lives. If the rich can be screwed this badly by an unregulated corporation, imagine what corporate giants can do to people who can't afford lawyers.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Everyone's joking here but I've owned and used an F710 since 2009 and they are ABSOLUTE CRAP.

I'm not even joking but their range is like 3 feet in the BEST conditions and their USB controller is proprietary and doesn't even work with OTHER F710s.

Anyone who's used one for more than a few hours knows this.

Why do I still use mine? Well the hand feel is amazing and the weight is perfect, but everything else is terrible and shouldn't even be used for gaming.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

To be fair it wasn’t used for gaming lol

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Just get the F310, like me, and you can enjoy that three foot range without batteries.

Also, WHY DID THE SUB USE THE WIRELESS VERSION WHEN THE WIRED IS CHEAPER AND WIRED?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I think mainly the wireless choice was for aesthetics, they were building experiences for billionaires and those assholes put way to much score in appearance.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Then at least use something fancy like a flight stick! The F710 makes... anything newer than the Gravis Gamepad look like luxury!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

willfully get in a sub built by an idiot known to have said very weird things about safety

die

your „estate” sues the sub company for $50 million

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

They couldn't have splurged for an Xbox controller at least?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

🤦‍♂️

If anything that controller was the most solidly built thing on that entire sub.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

Question. Who are they actually suing? Didn't the bozo die along with everyone else? So who would hold responsibility?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (5 children)

It appears they are suing OceanGate, the company that made the submarine. The use of cheap, consumer grade hardware for critical functions (literally controlling the sub) is one of their criticisms.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

The company itself (oceangate) still exists. The estate of Stockton Rush is also named in the suit.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Logitech has great lawyers. It's almost guaranteed that there a "this controller's intended use is only for ____" in their purchase agreement paperwork.

No way is this lawsuit going anywhere

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

They are not suing Logitech. They're suing OceanGate and using the controller as an example of poor design and decision making.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Could be worse. Could have used a left Joy-con.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

The classic little brother defence flipped as prosecution. It was the controller all along.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I own 3 of those. They are not for PS or XBox but for mostly for PC gaming. They are not Bluetooth, they come with their dedicated USB nano receiver. I don't even trust them to win a championship in "F1 race stars", the arcade F1 game. The wireless is not reliable enough. They eat AA batteries like candy.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Absolutely agreed and I've had to replace the shoulder bumpers on mine twice now. ALSO the trigger traverse is RIDICULOUSLY LONG! Like I can fire an actual semi pistol faster and those have a five lb draw.

But man do they feel nice in the hand. No controller since the ps2 has felt like this to me.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I wouldn't use a wireless controller playing subnautica. This is on the company for using sub par tech. Next time use first party wired!

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