Trenda constructs about 50 controllers a year on an individual basis. The base controller with basic switches, wiring and design runs $250 with the price increasing as customers customize the controller how they want. Those who order can request custom paint jobs and even add lighting for the buttons.
Ransai sees more demand for the controllers as the release of a new version of the game approaches. Pop'n Music 13 Carnival is set to release for the Playstation 2 in Japan at the end of the month and while Olah noted the game is rising in popularity in the U.S., its fan base is still fairly limited.
"Many people just don’t know about it," he explained. "A lot of people take one look at the box art and immediately dismiss it as a kid's game. It’s for anybody and it stands on its own as a music game that doesn't simulate anything. It’s not like playing a guitar or any other instrument; it’s just hitting buttons and making music. It's irresistibly fun."
Much of Pop'n Music's allure to players is the wide number of music genres it covers, said Olah.
"It covers more genres of music than any other music game," he said. "It has everything. You can play classical, rap, reggae, death metal, anything you can think of."
Along with Pop'n Music controllers, both companies also offer arcade-style controllers for the Bemani game Beatmania IIDX. Unlike Pop'n Music, the DJ simulator has found its way into the U.S. market with a couple of limited arcade releases in the late '90s (re-named HipHop Mania) as well as a home release, which launched in March.
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