> I guess it's a way to make a nice profit from what is effectively a captive audience. You can either buy the original peripherals at extortionate prices or you can try your luck with off-brand copies.
Typically the first generation of controllers are not sold at a large profit. They get cost reduced and a couple iterations in they are major money makers.
> You can either buy the original peripherals at extortionate prices or you can try your luck with off-brand copies.
AFAIK all major consoles have security chips for their controllers, collecting a licensing fee from 3rd party peripheral manufacturers may sound nice, but if the team doing the licensing is the same team who gets credited for profits from first party sales, then there is a huge conflict of interest. This is why the market for third party controllers can be a bit slim for some consoles. It is up to the political whims, and fiscal arrangement, of a company during that console's lifetime.
Typically the first generation of controllers are not sold at a large profit. They get cost reduced and a couple iterations in they are major money makers.
> You can either buy the original peripherals at extortionate prices or you can try your luck with off-brand copies.
AFAIK all major consoles have security chips for their controllers, collecting a licensing fee from 3rd party peripheral manufacturers may sound nice, but if the team doing the licensing is the same team who gets credited for profits from first party sales, then there is a huge conflict of interest. This is why the market for third party controllers can be a bit slim for some consoles. It is up to the political whims, and fiscal arrangement, of a company during that console's lifetime.