I"m bummed this is a necroed thread because I think its a good discussion, that just happened to die out 2 years ago.
The PS3 supports USB, so there need not be a controller issue... even if the game only supported one brand of sticks/throttles/pedals, that would be enough. And AH runs on pretty low end hardware, so it should be doable when you know every PS3 is the same and can code right to its specs.
The problem is that the code isn't the same, at least with the 360 there might be a lot of similarities with a PC, but I don't think that's the case with the PS3. So you'd have to spend twice as much time developing each patch, assuming you decide to deliver updates to the PS3 version of the game (Everquest 1 for macs has been on the same patch level for 6 years or something like that, and never got the expansions past PoP, so this is not a given or a necessity for that matter).
The upside is that you have a chance to significantly increase the subscriber-base which means more money to HiTech. And also to joystick manufacturers that work with the game... you may say the increase in sales would be negligible, but I'd argue that both AH and joysticks are already niche markets, so even a small increase in subscribers (or bought joysticks) might be significant, hugely significant if the game catches on... just look at Guitar Hero.
But for whatever reason HTC has never decided to do much more than the occasional TV add on the History or Military channels in the way of advertising or pushing to expand the player base. Its a legit way to go if you want to maintain control of your own company, as expansion often (but not always) means selling shares and giving up some control. Oh and Skuzzy might have to be cloned if the PS3 users find the forums... after a point the community almost always gets worse the more anonymous people join it.
