For evidence that experience matters more than the controller, consider the odd case of Katamari Damacy. A quirky colorful "puzzle" game (where it's usually lumped somewhat inappropriately, for truly it defies any traditional genre definition), it seemed like it would be quickly forgotten like most games of its type are. But the developer had asked the question of how he could surprise the player, and made a unique control setup for rolling around a giant ball using only the two analog sticks on the PS2 controller. Combined with a unique visual style and hilarious dialogue, it was unleashed upon an unsuspecting public and subsequently panned as being gimmicky. Initial sales were less than impressive.
But then something odd happened. Katamari didn't stop selling. In fact, its sales actually began to pick up after its launch and it was dubbed a "sleeper hit". Katamari Damacy defied expectations placed upon it by a jaded gaming press, and ultimately sold at least a half-million units when it was expected to never pass even 100,000.
Experiences, by and large, are what sell games and systems; not graphics, or controllers, or any other of the usual attributed points of success. Those are merely individual components of the overall experience, and no single component makes up the whole of the experience.
Sky Render - Sanity is for the weak.
