I think selling a cheaper consoles without a controller would be a better deal for people with working controllers from a broken or stolen console to buy a console without a controller for a lower price because you only need a console, and not a new controller as well since you already own a working controller, and don't need two.
It would also be good for people who prefer a different color like Gold, Blue, Silver, or custom controller instead of the regular color like white or black controller which comes with new console, and people who prefer using third party controllers made by different brands.
My controllers last pretty long. My PS2, PSX, and Xbox 360 controller still work pretty good after a few years, but I mostly play RPG and racing games which are more about strategy rather then button mashing like fighting games.
If you are unlucky enough to have your new console stolen after a few weeks of owning the console, but the robber forgot to steal your controller, or a water pipe leaked and spilled water onto your console ruining it, but your wireless controller was on your couch and not close to your console which got flooded. Also, some people break their console before a few years because they got a badly made console, the cooling fan failed, or lightning/power surges zapped their console...
Also, there are gold, silver, and Red controllers for the Xbox 360 which look nicer then the standard Black controller for people who like gold, silver, and red more then black, so some people may rather just buy the console, and buy the controller separately because of different colors.
Companies can sell two versions of the console with a controller for a higher price, and a version of the console without the controller for lower prices because it does not have a controller.
Microsoft has two versions of the Xbox 360 which is the Arcade for casual gamers for 199.99 which does not have a hard drive, but 4GB of Flash memory storage, and users can upgrade to a hard drive at any time, or use their old hard drive from their broken 360 to plug into their Xbox 360 arcade which can save the buyer 100 dollars or more since they don't need to buy the more expensive 299.99 version which comes with a hard drive which they already own.
Controllers can be simple to fix since there are YouTube videos, online tutorials for learning to fix controllers yourself, and console repair shops for fixing controllers, and eBay which sell the parts to fix your controller yourself for a few dollars in parts.
I agree, I would like the option, although one thing is that DS could be right about the DLC thing, but not likely. Also, how long your controller lasts depends on how you take care of it, and how short your temper is. Mine only last awhile...
