Forget about the people complaining about DJI's decision not to sell a package with the FPV controller. I believe this was done in order to prevent inexperienced but overconfident pilots from crashing their drones and causing a bunch of supply chain headaches by demanding replacements through the Care Refresh program. I'm sure DJI will offer a package with the FPV controller in the not-too-distant future, if you don't want to have to purchase the controller separately.
First, the Avata is a BLAST to fly (even with the motion controller). It's designed for flying in close proximity with other objects. Indoors, through trees, under and through obstacles - this thing really performs. It's been a while since I've had this much fun with a drone. I'm also blown away by the quality of the footage that comes out of it. The colors are great, right out of the box, and the stabilization is fantastic.
The Motion Controller is NO GIMICK. It's a really amazing piece of technology that allows inexperienced pilots to get their feet wet with FPV without months of practice and expensive drone repairs. It's intuitive, responsive, and accurate (check out the attached video to see what you can do with the motion controller). It does have limitations - for example, you can't fly backwards with the motion controller, nor can you do a proper orbit without engaging the head tracking feature in the goggles - but the pros outweigh the cons. Once you're ready to up your game, you'll be able to buy the FPV controller and continue your drone journey.
The goggles are simply amazing. The image quality is spectacular, and the transmission distance is just as impressive. Transmission distance decreases sharply when there are a lot of trees or other objects between the drone and the controller, but it's still very impressive. I will add that the goggles can be a bit uncomfortable when worn for an extended period of time, but taking a little break between batteries should help with that issue.
Battery life is also very impressive. From what I understand, the typical cinewhoop battery will provide 3 to 7 minutes of flight. I've been able to get 14 minutes with the Avata with brand new batteries, and expect that they'll provide a little more after they've gone through a few charge/discharge cycles.
All in all, the Avata is a fantastic product that I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone in the market for a new drone.