Limited edition controllers shouldn’t be that hard to buy

Is this the most pressing issue in the world? No. Is this even the most pressing issue in the world? Video games? Absolutely not. So when I say this, please know that I know it doesn’t matter. I’ve pretty much reached my sadness limit for this week, so I’m going to focus on something that doesn’t matter. But for goodness sake, video game companies, I really have to admit that you need to stop making fun special edition controllers so hard to buy.

I’ll be honest: I’m getting on my high horse after spending hours trying to secure an Astro Bot controller. That’s not a fact I should be proud of. Buying a video game controller with a funny cartoon face on it shouldn’t be the primary focus or task of any self-respecting adult. But I don’t have self-respect, and I definitely don’t have enough controllers lying around in random boxes in every corner of my apartment. I need more! And oddly enough, it was very hard to secure one, even though this is – supposedly – a very charming product promoting one of Sony’s biggest games this year. Buying a controller like this should be easy, not a matter of eight browser windows open or hoping someone drops off supplies.

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And this is a product that allegedly be available for purchase. Xbox just made some awesome special edition Deadpool and Wolverine controllers with big, round buttons on the back. Maybe there’s something weird about holding them. Maybe not. But we’ll probably never know because they’re only available through sweepstakes. And that’s great! It’s cool and a fun way to get people in the mood for the movie and get them to sign up for promotional mailing lists. But why can’t we just buy the button? People would pay for that button. I understand that producing Deadpool and Wolverine controllers on a large scale isn’t a long-term business solution, but let’s at least some. I mean, if people really want a PS5 controller with robot eyes, knowledge People would die to get their hands on Wolverine’s cheeks.

Limited edition controllers are annoying, but nothing new

Of course, I know that special edition controllers made in limited quantities are nothing new. Remember when they made a chainsaw-shaped controller for Resident Evil 4? It was absolutely useless! Plus, remember, it was hard to buy. But back then, it made a little more sense. The fanbase was smaller, and I feel like fewer people were willing to spend a lot of money on something that basically worked the same—if not worse—than a product they already owned. I’m sure Capcom thought at the time, “This is a fun part. We’re going to sell it for top dollar to weirdos who will later resell it to even bigger weirdos for a lot more money.” And I’m not even getting started on the Wu-Tang Clan controller for the PlayStation 1. The police would come later and ask questions about how your hands were murdered.

The thing is, these controllers were more or less a gimmick. Like I said, they’re useless. They may have been special editions, but they were merely intended as promotional items that looked cool in video game magazines. There was no big introductory hour for the Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw; you didn’t have to wait five hours in a virtual queue to get one. To be fair, these controllers were still extremely rare – but they were collectibles meant to be looked at rather than touched. The only reason you’d play a game with a Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw controller is to say you played a game with a Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw controller.

But now, special edition controllers are mostly functional and, theoretically thanks to the internet, easier to buy. Even Deadpool and Wolverine’s controllers are functional despite their design by Sir Mix-A-Lot. So… why can’t we buy them from an official source? I mean, there are people who already Selling Astro Bot controllers for double the price on eBay. That really sucks when a new console comes out, let alone a controller with a fancy official paint job. Let people pay money for these cool things! We really couldn’t keep producing the Starfield controller for a while longer? That was one of the coolest things about Starfield!

Microsoft had a special edition Tune Squad controller for Space Jam. Now, I don’t know if you like the Space Jam series, and I don’t care. But it would have been nice to be able to buy a Tune Squad controller without paying $60 extra on eBay! It’s a cool logo on a cool controller – a controller that I can’t imagine The expensive to make. Oh, there’s also a Goon Squad controller, but it sells much cheaper online and its logo looks like… Er… well… It looks like it belongs to another group called the Goon Squad. That explains the whole “sells much cheaper” part.

In the early days of the internet, it made a lot more sense to make fun things in extremely limited quantities. But we’ve all been here for a while now. The world has changed. Nerd culture has won and now covers every inch of this dying planet. Every single IP has a bunch of merchandise and clothing and, you know, cookware. People want to buy those things. Funny designer controllers shouldn’t be a cakewalk to get people to notice a new game; they should be a product that fans can actually buy without going to Amazon Marketplace and forgoing grocery shopping for a week.

Again, this doesn’t matter on a human level. There are more important things to do. See the story above and below for more information. But come on guys, let’s have the fun stuff you show us! I respect that it’s cheaper to make a few custom controllers for advertising than to produce thousands. And in the case of things like Astro Bot, I respect that it’s cheaper to prepare a smaller amount than to produce endlessly without knowing the demand. I just don’t care. I want to buy the fun controllers. Give me my money. Please. It’s all I have left.

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