An Xbox controller would probably work fine. I already have multiple connected to things like PC's, Macs, and even an AppleTV in my house.
I think Apple is playing the long game here. Moore's law and manufacturing improvements will cause the price to go down over time.
Remember, the first Macintosh cost $3,000 in 1984. Today most Macs cost less than 2/3 of that price before adjusting for inflation.
Moreover, making elaborate games like civilization wouldn't be economically feasible even if they could be appropriately controlled by default. The price for the headset is so high that not many people will buy it. Then elaborate games can't sell enough copies in order to be profitable. For example, it seems unlikely that even a success like Half Life Alyx made its development cost back. The hardware install base is too small.