FAQs
Introduction
It started one day when I was going to the movies with a friend, I passed by a Microplay and they had the Onimusha Soul Katana. I figured, I don't really spend my money on anything, it's pointless to have money and not use it. So I bought it. And then had to show the movie people that it wasn't a real sword. So I decided I would collect unique/novelty controllers.
Why do Purolator and UPS suck so much?
Because when you import things into Canada, using ground shipping instead of air (so they try to force you to use more expensive shipping) they decide to tack on a "brokerage fee", of more than 50% of the cost of the item, even though they already quoted you a shipping charge that didn't include it, then hold your item for ransom until you pay. I've had this happen on 4 occasions.
-I imported a $20 copy of Popful Mail (SNES), with shipping and exchange rate that was brought up to $40, then Purolator tried tacking on another $20 So shipping ended up costing MORE than the game.
-Days later my $250 MP3 player (Toshiba MobilPhile) arrived and someone tacked on $20
-A friend gave me a Virtual Boy, I don't recall which shipping company he used, but they tacked on $70! And I had it delivered to a friend's place, and he couldn't pay it, so they took the item back for about a week.
-The IZEK sewing machine I paid $159 for. $30 shipping quoted to me by UPS BEFORE even buying the item. Upon arrival, they decided the IZEK was worth $169 (apparently they disagreed with the shipper) and added $62 on arrival, so I paid $92 shipping on a $159 item, over 57% of the item. When I called to complain, the idiot on the phone had the nerve to call it a valid charge. Worse, their own website quotes it should have cost less than that ($29). I had this shipped to a friend's place too, luckily they could pay. Though that puts them at an inconvenience which is the last thing I want to do when they are doing me a favor.
-UPS LOST a package, claiming they delivered it. Upon telling them they lost it, they had me sign something saying it didn't arrive, then failed to follow up on it
-UPS charged $5 on delivery for a package I already paid the delivery charge for
-Purolator sent me a $13 bill a week after delivering a package
Upon further research, none of that money goes to the Government, and adding on charges after the point of sale is illegal. As such, I have signed up for one of the many class action suits against these criminals. If they have done this to you, don't hesitate to sign up.
Whenever possible, do not use these 2 companies to ship across any border.
When will I remove this part of the FAQ? It will cost Purolator $33 for their name to be removed, and UPS $67. As I can't recall which did the other 2, I can't demand either to pay for them.
Also, this doesn't help them any
What do you recommend against buying?
Sony LiveView - It refuses to stay connected to the device
Anything by CTA Digital - Horribly low quality. They make shovelware
P5 Glove - Simply doesn't work
TiltFX - Simply doesn't work
Third party Wii/PS3 Move controller shells - Shovelware
Can you help me find a specific controller?
I used to keep links to different sites you could buy them from but apparently it's against Google's terms of use.
Email me at my name (if you look at the URL, it's the part between sites.google.com/site/ and /Home/freqask) at gmail dot com for a list of all those URLs I kept
Will you sell me one of yours?
I'm only willing to part with the spare EX Jinsei/Game of Life controllers
Are you a fanatic of any company?
I am a fanatic of whatever company does it's best to entertain me at the time. That means:
I was a Nintendo fanatic for the NES, SNES, N64, Virtual Boy, GBC, GBA and GCN up until XBOX was released where I became a Microsoft fanatic. I loved the unified online infrastructure, the CD ripping+DVD player, the more powerful hardware resulting in more players online and off, better framerates, textures and better HD support (in multiplatform titles) and built in harddrive for downloadable content and no need for memory cards. The XBOX was a great piece of hardware. I didn't even buy a PS2 till the slims came out.
Then PSP and DS came out, and I became a PSP fanatic because of the huge quantum leap over previous handhelds (and partially due to all the undeserved trolling it took from Nintendo fanatics) which carried over to the PS3 which shares many design similarities.
Nintendo lost me by continually lying when they claim processing power doesn't have any affects on gameplay (compare Dead Rising on 360 and Wii and try claiming that. It's not the graphics that ruined the Wii version), and thus the DS and Wii were the result of that. Weak hardware which relied completely on gimmicks resulting in poor game quality/shovelware. You may think it's ironic that a collector of novelty controllers would be annoyed by a company relying completely on novelty. But novelty goes away fast when every game uses it. Imagine a console filled only with light gun games. That's the Wii and DS to me. What makes it worse is how MS and Sony are trying to latch on to that same gimmick. This will only get worse next gen resulting in weaker hardware.
Microsoft lost me due to a combination of how well designed the PS3 is, the 360's massive failure rate, all the lies MS put in this article which flies in the face of what every PS3 developer has ever said about the system thus telling me MS feared PS3 so much that the only way they could make it look bad was through lying. Screwing up 3 collector's editions in a row (Halo 3 Legendary Edition had no metal box for the discs, and were made in such high quantity that it dropped in price to less than 1/4 of what I paid. Fable 2's got stripped of all planned bonus material, the downloadables didn't work properly and no metal box. Gears of War 2's bonus material came in french and it took MS 9 months to send me English replacements after I nagged them every 2 weeks and filled out a form on their site, and the downloadables didn't work properly) And finally, not letting Ace Combat 6 use Ace Combat 5's flight stick even though it was USB.
Who I will be a fanatic next gen is entirely up to Microsoft and Sony, given that Nintendo has completely abandoned the market I am in.
EDIT: 3DS has me very impressed. I never thought Nintendo would actually come back to real gaming devices. All they need is a few things to make it awesome
EDIT 2: "This will only get worse next gen resulting in weaker hardware" I was right.
Why don't you collect rhythm controllers? (ie: Dance mats, Guitars, Drum sets)
They are pretty common, not really unique and thus have little novelty to them. That and I don't really like rhythm games
Exceptions: The Guitar Hero Fretster for DS, because it's for a portable.
The Gene Simmons (Guitar Hero/RockBand) Axe, because it's unique compared to other guitars (it looks damned cool)
360 Dance pad, because it was $5
Mini Dance pad, because SharkieGamer and I exchanged some duplicates we had
Why don't you collect sports controllers? (ie: Steering wheels, Arcade/fight sticks)
They are pretty common, not really unique and thus have little novelty to them. That and I hate sports games.
Exceptions: The wheel for Mario Kart, because it was only $10 and Mario Kart isn't much of a sport game
Hyper Stick Pro, because it's rare and has a laptop touchpad
Tatsunoku vs Capcom Fight Stick, because it was cheap and had Teknoman/Tekkaman on it
Why don't you collect cameras? (Eyetoy, 360s camera, Capture Eye, Kinect)
I don't want to see myself in a videogame. I play games to escape reality, not be slapped in the face with it
No controller also equals no novelty
Exceptions: GB Camera, because Nintendo said it would work with Perfect Dark
PSEye, for Move
Why don't you collect third-party knock-off controllers? (ie: Ones that look like cheap ripoffs of first-party controllers)
They have no novelty whatsoever
Exceptions: Dragonplus one, because it's what Nintendo copied the design for Wii's classic controller from
The mini MegamanX and Shadow the Hedgehog controllers, because Nuby went the extra mile with the dome packaging
The PS-890, because they were a ripoff of 360's controller, but for PS2. And Ben Heck sells them for $500
Why don't you collect Wii's controller shells?
There are so damned many of them, and most of them suck. I'm more for collecting input devices, of which the shells are not.
Exceptions: The Nerf blaster, because it's a Nerf blaster and came with a game
The 'Zapper', because it came with a game
The Resident Evil 'Zapper', because people on ebay claimed it was rare, and I found it 'at cost' from Capcom directly
The Wii wheel, as covered above.
Why don't you collect simulation controllers? (ie: Train/pachinko controllers/fishing sonars)
Because that would be like watching paint dry.
Why don't you collect pre-SNES controllers?
Most systems from before then either no longer work, or sucked. I wouldn't mind a PowerGlove or a R.O.B. just for the collection's sake but since neither actually WORKED they aren't actually worth paying more than $5 for
Exceptions: Terminator Grenade controller, because it looks so cool
Atari LeStick, because it's the first motion controller ever
Pair Match, because it's used as a prop in Star Trek
Why don't you collect variants?
Cause I'd go broke! I don't need multiple colors of the same controller.
This is also why I don't collect themed controllers (like the Halo XBOX360 ones)
The Virtual On Twinsticks for 360 I ended up paying over $500 for have a variant. I didn't want to spend as much as I did in the first place
The Street Fighter ones have variants for each character!
In most cases when the controller is available for multiple systems, a simple adapter can let me use one system's controller on another. And that's a much more efficient use of my money (and space)
How do you determine how much you'll spend on a controller?
By comparing the controller to the Steel Battalion Behemoth. It's huge, has tons of light up buttons, 3 sticks one with a smaller one on it, an eject-button cover, a dial, switches, and 3 foot pedals. It cost me something like $180. For a controller to cost near or more than that it better actually be superior to The Behemoth. The Tiny Bee cost almost twice as much, and was only worth it due to it's extreme rarity.
This is the reason I did not buy the Hyper Stick Pro when it was available. It is no where near as good as The Behemoth and cost more than the Tiny Bee!
Novelty Factors:
-1 Those really old controllers that don't actually work (UForce/Activator/R.O.B./Ultimate Kick Boxing/Power Glove)
0 Wii controller shells, and other plastic cases that just change the shape of existing controllers
1 Standard first party controllers, and third party knockoffs
2 Ubiquitous novelty controllers, that lose novelty cause there are so many of them and all alike (Light guns, mice, keyboards, rhythm controllers, steering wheels, arcade sticks, etc)
3 HOTAS Flight Sticks, controllers for portables
4 "One-off" controllers made for one game but generally work for many, shaped nothing like the standard controllers (Tiny Bee, ResEvil Chainsaw, Onimusha Soul Katana, DQ Slime)
5 Extremely unique (Steel Battalion, WonderBorg, ZXE-D Legend of the Plasmalite, Mek-Fu, Artemis)
6 One made or designed by myself
I typically buy anything I consider an NVF of 4 or 5, the odds of me buying something decreases proportionally with the NVF
I also take rarity into account, the more rare something is, the higher the odds of me buying it
Are you obsessive compulsive?
Oh yeah. You should see the site's revision history. I usually make a dozen updates a day. It also causes massive trophy whoring, and I put up with a lot of crap in games that most people wouldn't (ie: Searching for Feebas in Pokemon Ruby, a Pokemon only available on a single randomly-selected tile. Took 6 hours to find. Miyamoto/Nintendo games have lots of these elements in particular that never should have been made. I sold Killzone2 because it's trophy system was so bad, only game I ever sold)
I'm also narcoleptic (fall asleep while gaming)
And have essential tremors (makes it difficult for precision targeting with lightguns/wii/ds).
So why a "museum"?
I hate when people collect rare things, and keep them hidden from the world. Some of these controllers most people haven't even heard of. I know it's not the same as a real museum, but it's better than nothing.
How many novelty controllers do you have?
Rather than update this page every time I get a new one, just visit this page for stats
Do you hold the world record on the amount of novelty controllers owned?
I believe so. I've only encountered two other collectors who even come close to me.
How do you play imported games?
Gameboy/Gameboy Color/Gameboy Advanced/Virtual Boy/DS, PSP/PS3/PS4/Vita - Those systems thankfully do not have territorial lockout
Nintendo 64 or buy a GameShark
Gamecube - Buy Action Replay or Freeloader
DSi/Wii/PS2/XBOX/360/3DS - Involve hacking and/or modding which can lead to piracy, so I can not link to it
Where do you get these wonderful toys?
Ebay is a great source, you can find most of what I've got on there.
Tips: Make sure they have a high seller rating, the higher the better. Anything over a couple hundred should be fine
Save searches with daily emails and be patient. I've had a bunch of them fall into my lap because of that.
Bidding in the last minute, while may seem like a jerky move, does end up saving you from a bidding war. Though it is risky as slow connections make it easy for this to mess up.
When they say they only ship to certain countries, and it doesn't include yours. Ask the seller if he'll ship to you (POLITELY), they usually like money/say yes.
And do try ebay sites for other countries. Google searching usually includes these. Ask in their native language if they'll ship to you, include a google translation if you must, but also include an english copy of your request. Some times they will know how to speak it.
If you sign up for this, please use me (NeoTechni) as your referrer as it gets me free snipes.
This attaches to your ebay account, and automatically bids in the last 5 seconds for you.
You can even set up bid groups, where you bid on multiple items until you win one of them.
It watches items and emails you when you're outbid, just like ebay would if you actually bid on the item
Know friends with ebay accounts? Get them to sign up for auctionsniper and refer you. They don't even have to use it, you get free snipes anyway.
Search for the name of the controller, or any of it's alternate names, and the word "buy". And don't give up after the first page.
Sign up for message boards if you find posts of people saying they have it, private message them and ask if they'd be willing to part with it.
Local game stores/flea markets
Sometimes you can find them in the used accessory section. Preorder whenever possible.
I've gotten a few from these guys, and they do preorders. Though yesasia doesn't let you cancel them... Playasia tends to give you a coupon for your next order too.
PlayAsia also lets you set up automatic notifications for when an item becomes available or the price drops.
When you're buying online, you NEED a paypal account. It's accepted on most sites, and protects you from fraud. I've been using them for years, they are trustworthy
Japamart.com, Japan Auction Agency, Japanese Yahoo auctions and other Japan-only sites
A lot of the stuff I've got is import only. And you increase your chances of finding them by going closer to the source. For some odd stupid reason, some people feel they'd rather avoid ebay, english, and over seas shipping. Luckily there are services like japamart that will bid in your place and then ship it to you (for a fee of course). You must place a deposit before you can bid though, and you can bid up to double your deposit. Problem is, what if you bid $100 and someone bids $101? You have to deposit more money, and wait up to 36 hours for it to get processed before you can use it.
Unlike ebay, bidding in the last minute does not help you. If you bid in the last 5 minutes, it extends the bidding time for another 5 minutes. Though it does bid incrementally like ebay (example: if you bid $100, and the item is at $5, you have only bid $5 really. If someone else bids $6, your bid is automatically increased to $7, up to that $100)
And they even let you order from other websites that only ship to japan via this form!
About the prices you say they can be found for...
They are approximates (hence the tilde) they also fluctuate, are in US funds, and do not cover shipping (as that would be variable depending on your location, patience and trust in your postal service) If you buy PSN cards from the link on the sidebar I do not get paid, I put that there because they worked so well for me and it's handy for importers. Yes I know that wasn't in the form of a question.
Are these questions really frequently asked?
No. I've really only been asked 2 things, how much have I spent on them, and do I hold the record.
These are just my thoughts about the collection really, my reasoning behind it.
How do you store all these things? Some look pretty big
Yeah, they take up a lot of space. Steel Battalion specifically. It's box is huge. I refuse to dismantle the controller so it sits atop the cabinet I'll get to. The Novint Falcon's box is pretty big, I keep it in the attic actually since it's nothing special (the box, not the controller) I have a glass-door cabinet from my grand mother that I keep most of them in or on, the medium sized ones (twinsticks, space invaders table) in boxes are stacked next to it. I'd like to keep the Ace Combat sticks in their box but some idiot designed them not to fit back in once you put the wrist pad on them. So they (I recently cut the internal cardboard to make room for the wrist pads) and a few others are just on shelves.
Running out of ideas for controllers to buy?
Yes actually, feel free to suggest any via the Google Plus\My Buzz link
Has anyone actually bought a controller cause of this site?
Yes, Crux has bought the Novint Falcon and the Analog Flight Stick SCPH-1110 because of me.
And I have bought the Power Shovel controller, SpaceOrb360, and the ZXE-D Legend of Plasmalite because of him
He's also a nice person, so I have collected a friend from this. And that makes it all worth it.
I also met SharkieGamer through my collection.
Why do you use a date in the future once in a while for when a controller is received?
My Mom doesn't like that I spend so much money on these devices (or any money at all on videogames really). So I send everything to a friend's address so she won't find out about it. Then I go pick it up on my next day off.
I will use future dates only when they have arrived at my friends, and I just put my next day off from work just to get it down while I'm updating instead of making myself update it later.
Why do some games have (No metal box? WTF?) but not others that don't have a metal box?
I only count games released after Halo 2, as that was my first metal box and real collector's edition, and should have made the feature standard
I also don't require it of handheld games
Why don't you own the games for some collector's editions?
For a period of time, a friend of mine had a PS3 (sold it when Sony removed Linux. So thanks for screwing me twice on that one Sony) and whenever he would get a game with a collector's edition I would pay the difference between the regular and CE. He'd get the game, I'd get the collector's material. As for the Final Fantasy 12 box, I asked for it and the EB guys like me so they gave it to me.
1) Cause the same people claiming it are the same ones claiming Sony is evil for copying
2) Cause for almost anything you can think of, Nintendo didn't actually invent X (Rumble, dpads, shoulder buttons, motion sensing, etc)
3) Sometimes, they even copied it from Sony and people are still repeating point #1 (Analog Sticks, Remote Play)
4) Just look at the rest of my site. It's clear I have extensive knowledge on the subject. I would be THE person you go to for controller information. How'd you like it if someone wandered into your field of knowledge and starting lying about everything? To me, it's like claiming Aliens built the pyramids.
5) I simply hate hypocrisy in general. Nintendo themselves even contribute to it.
What makes a good novelty controller?
Wireless is better than wired.
Do not use a damned dongle on PS3, it uses bluetooth, so should you.
Use an internal/removable rechargeable battery. If you must, use a 360 controller battery pack, or even a PSP/DS battery.
But DO NOT USE AA/AAAs. (And if you break this rule, at least include some batteries)
And for pete's sakes. Don't use screws on the compartment. They wear out too easily. Just clip in like normal remotes.
Make it standards-compliant
And for god's sakes, charge it via a standard mini USB cable like Dualshock3/Sixaxis.
Also make it act as a wired controller when plugged into USB, like Dualshock3/Sixaxis.
Letting us use it on a PC is important
Storage is important
If the controller is wired, and is big enough, include a way to wrap the cable around the controller or retract it inside.
If it's for a portable, storage is even more important. If it has any small parts, have them stored inside a larger part. Make it fold up to reduce it's surface area.
DO NOT USE CLAMSHELL PACKAGING! EVER! I should not have to destroy the packaging to open it or risk personal injury.
Make the cost, fair
Ask yourself, how much better or how unique is it compared to Steel Battalion's controller?
Is your controller a standard arcade stick? Then it's not worth more than SB.
No controller should cost more than SB really. SB even included a game.
Is it a rip off of the standard console's controller? Then it's not worth more than the standard controller.
It is only going to be used for one game? Then be nice, don't charge more than the Onimusha Soul Katana.
Make it worth displaying
A removable wire is good for displayable controllers (wireless is better). But make sure it's easily replaceable (ie: standard USB) as I have people coming to this site searching for replacement wires for the Dragon Quest/Warrior Slime controller.
Put some effort into the packaging, like Nuby did with the ResEvil chainsaw, Shadow minicon, ChunLi Collector's Ed., Megaman X minicon.
DO NOT USE A FLIMSY CARDBOARD SLIP COVER!!! Especially on large boxes, they are very fragile (and thus wear down quickly/almost immediately) and a pain to get on or off. (see: Halo Reach/3 Legendary Editions, Cabella's Dangerous Hunt 2011, UbiSoft's BattleTag)
Hire me to do it if you must. I'll do it for a free controller.
A transparent part to show the controller while it's inside is key.
Put some artwork on the controller itself. A plain color isn't very unique, and isn't worth showing off.
Individual numbers + certificate of authenticity is good too.
Obviously, controls are important
Those 'arcade' buttons with no click to them, suck.
Press any standard controller's buttons, they have a nice click to them.
The keyboards people prefer on PC, are the old IBM ones with a big click.
This is why touchscreens suck, well one reason among many.
The DS-style flat/thin buttons, suck a lot. The taller the buttons, the better.
The buttons must be big. PSP size, good. Dualshock size, better. Arcade size, best (as long as the controller isn't handheld). DSlite size, worse.
The more buttons the better. It's better to have too many and not use them very often, than to have too few and need more.
If you can do what SNES did and have some buttons convex, and some concave, so much the better. You can never have too much feedback.
If you can optimize the controls for your specific game, do so. If you can make the game easier to play (like the Ace Combat Flight Sticks) you've made it better than a novelty.
But label the buttons! I shouldn't have to tape a legend to the side of the controller.
If you can, make the buttons backlit like the RetroCon.
Feel free to correct Nintendo's/Microsoft's/Playstation's mistakes
Analog sticks must not be like the Gamecube c-sticks. They suck. Base them off Dualshock or 360's controller.
Do not use 360's crappy disc-style D-pad. Nintendo's + style is the best, followed by Playstation's split +
Do not use tiny D-pad's like Wii/GCN. SNES/N64 sized is best.
Do not make your triggers as thin as 360/XBOX/DC, they hurt with extended use (I call it Crazy Taxi finger, and Gears of Sore). Make them as wide as PS3s/GCNs
Most people prefer the outward curve of 360's triggers, compared to PS3's inward curve that makes it easier to slip off.
Most of all, the novelty
This is what you're trying to sell the controller on. It has to do something, be something that other controllers aren't.
Making yet another Saturn/NeoGeo/fighter/Guitar/steering wheel controller for PS3/360 is boring. It's been done to death.
Slapping artwork (or a texture in the case of those Modern Warfare controllers) on an existing controller is not novelty at all.
A turbo button is not a novelty. I couldn't care less about one.
Wii controller shells are no longer a novelty. The market has been flooded with crap.
If you can map a different input device (motion sensor, touchpad, lightgun, etc) to a button/analog stick/D-pad then go ahead.
Just make it so we can use the regular input if we want to.
For god's sakes, make a Silent Scope rifle with a built in LCD. Use PSP via RemotePlay and power via the USB port, just get it done!
What makes a good collector's edition?
In order of importance:
Not making it exclusive:
To specific countries (see Killzone 1 and 2, and so many Zelda games it makes me cry)
To the press (see so much stuff it's insulting, they even get money...)
To contest winners or people who already own the game and are awesome at multiplayer (see Uncharted 2)
To a specific console (when it's a multiplatform title) or in extremely low quantities/high cost (see Dead Space)
To anyone who wanted it, to the point where it cost 1/4 the amount shortly after launch (see Halo 3: Legendary Edition)
Metal box to hold the discs
Shapes must be pressed into it to give it some depth/texture (see any metal box)
Low number of colors is fine, and actually looks better (See Halo 2 or Doom 2 versus Resident Evil 4)
No metal box = not really a collectors edition (see Halo 3 and Reach: Legendary Editions or Fable 2)
And for God's sakes, don't put tape on the cardboard! (see Halo Reach: Legendary Edition, God of War 3: Ultimate Edition, COD Black Ops: Prestige Edition)
A cardboard slipcover for a normal case is just pathetic (see Fable 2)
And it has to be an actual opening disc case, not a box with a lid like Prey or Gears of War
And it has to be about the same height as regular disc cases, width on the other hand is not an issue
Cardboard box or a clear plastic slipcover
The box is to hold the metal box and anything else small that comes with the game (see Gears of War 2)
The slipcover is for the metal box and adds the console's logo, back details and maybe some more color to the front (see Halo 2 or Doom 3)
DO NOT USE A FLIMSY CARDBOARD SLIP COVER!!! Especially on large boxes, they are very fragile (and thus wear down quickly/almost immediately) and a pain to get on or off. (see: Halo Reach/3 Legendary Editions, Cabella's Dangerous Hunt 2011, UbiSoft's BattleTag)
Hardcover manual or art book
A ribbon for the bookmark is a nice touch (see Lunar 1/2)
Color is a must (as it should be for EVERY game)
Soundtrack and/or Making of disc
In an actual disc case (or inside the metal box), not a damned paper sleeve
A soundtrack typically requires no real extra effort since you already have music for the game, so there is no real reason not to throw one in
Extra content
This includes extra levels, classic versions of games
ON DISC! see Perfect Dark Zero and Doom 3.
DO NOT MAKE IT A DOWNLOAD CODE/VOUCHER, those have no collector's value and in many cases don't work properly (See Fable 2, Gears of War 2, Halo Reach: Legendary Edition)
The perfect examples of why collector's editions should not include downloadable/digital content:
Splinter Cell: Conviction CE cheapened by defective USB drives, Fable 2 CE missing DLC codes to be emailed by Microsoft
Weapon skins are not an acceptable collectible. That makes you a walking target online and makes it seem like you're bragging.
Typing in 30 digit codes is not fun (See XBOX360)
Mutliplayer content is only ok if the content is available for purchase for those who didn't get the collector's edition. Multiplayer stuff is no good if only a few people can use it.
Something medium
Like Lunar 2's pendant, Growlanswer Generations watch, ring and keychain, Robotech's t-shirt, etc
Something small
Little paper things like the photo in Gears of War 2, holograms in Growlanswer Heritage of War, standees from Lunar, posters, cels, etc
These things I don't really care about at all
Something big
While this is not needed, it typically makes it an instant buy for me, sometimes even if it's a game I don't want (see Night Vision goggles for Modern Warfare 2)
Hell, there is an NBA game with a big metal locker that I want. But it's just too crappy of a game to buy.
Halo 3: Legendary Editions Master Chief Helmet and GTA4's metal lockbox are the perfect examples of something big.
A novelty controller is the best, just don't make it a knockoff of the standard one. Be unique. Keyword is novelty, not a skin/color
And for pete's sakes, if it uses batteries, either use a commonly available rechargeable (ie: 360 controller battery pack, PSP/DS battery) or include some. Nothing is a bigger killjoy than batteries not included.