The IC above the switch? I could solder that on for you and add the connector.
I'm in the UK.
Thank you so much for the offer, it's very much appreciated, and I may well take you up on it!
I've asked KRIKzz's staff whether it would even be technically possible to do that hack (it may be something that they changed in the FPGA, too), and I've also asked if it's possible to special-order a bunch of cards with the USB option included, just to see what that would cost (if possible).
There are so few people here interested in development that I suspect that it would be hard to come up with enough to meet a minimum-order, but I can always fantasize!
KRIKzz really should have encouraged developers to use the USB (IMHO) if he really wanted regular--gamers to see the value in paying the extra cash for the USB option.
From my POV, it's a developer's dream-card ... but I totally understand that until folks like me actually do something useful with the extra hardware, it's just costly dead-weight to folks that just want to play games.