In this short paper I will look at the use of hand-made gaming controllers for my own interactive artworks, in particular the technology behind the interactive projection mapping artwork Shadows blister those who try to touch, exhibited at ACM MM 2015 in Brisbane. In this installation, interactions between viewer and artwork give new life to older forms of interactive hardware and traditional art media. Its set up also creates previously unexplored connections between new and old software, and has caused me to postulate that the aesthetic of interactive controllers can, and perhaps should, be considered in the artistic process. In new media art, hardware can be a part of the artwork -- not just a peripheral.