While gaming hardware is primarily used across the world for entertainment, some systems and peripherals have become commonplace within the military. For example, the Ukrainian army used Valve’s Steam Deck to control turrets, and the U.S. military has used a gamepad-style controller to maneuver its cutting-edge missile systems.
An example outside the military is the ill-fated Titan Submersible, which was controlled by a Logitech F710 gamepad. From HOTAS flight sticks to gamepads themselves, if it can process an input it’s probably being used somewhere for something other than making Mario jump.
Now, the EU is proposing a ban on video game hardware sales from the bloc to Russia to stop it from using kit as weapons of warfare. As reported by the Financial Times, EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas said: “We are really looking into all the types of things that help Russia to wage this war to put them on the sanctions list,” and further commented that the EU was set to issue a blanket sales ban for “the consoles for video games, because apparently these are the ones that they operate drones with.”
Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony officially halted sales of their video game consoles to Russia in 2022 following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The EU’s proposed ban, three years later, is aimed at traders in the bloc who send gaming equipment to Russia, including second-hand sellers.
Crucially, the ban would cover peripherals, not just consoles: “A ban would cover consoles and gaming controllers, flight simulator controllers and other input units capable of operating drones,” the Financial Times reported.
However, Olena Bulousova, military dual-use expert from the Kyiv School of Economics, said the ban may not “have a significant impact, as most operators rely on Chinese-made controllers available on online marketplaces in Russia.”
For now, the announcement is merely a proposal and must be approved by all of the EU’s member states to officially be passed.
Photo by MARTIN BERTRAND/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images.
Sayem is a freelancer based in the UK, covering tech & hardware. You can get in touch with him at @sayem.zone on Bluesky.
