One of the problems with controllers is that, when they work perfectly, they’re completely invisible. A good controller is one you only think about when picking it up or putting it down, and at every point in between it barely exists if it’s noticed at all. The job of a controller is to enable action without thought, no matter how wonky the in-game controls may be, and even when a game pulls out something as unpleasant as a “click stick down to run” function, the gamepad should do its best to enable this crime against nature.
CRKD (pronounced “cracked”), on the other hand, specializes in controllers you can think about, from music gaming accessories to completely retooling the Switch, and they had a great selection of cool toys on display at PAX East.
When In Doubt, Diversify
While the big display was for CRKD’s upcoming music game, the first thing that caught my attention was the tiny little Atom+ controller. This is a controller shrunk down beyond all reason at 90mmx48mm, and comes complete with twin TMR thumbsticks (tunnel magnetoresistance, widely viewed as an improvement over the classic drift-free Hall effect sticks), bumpers and triggers, the plus pad, and, of course, vibration.
It’s a huge amount of functionality to pack into a tiny little space, and while we can’t say I’d want to sit down for a multi-hour gaming session with an Atom+, it was surprisingly easy to use and felt like it would work nicely for less epic-length play sessions. It’s designed as a standard Bluetooth controller for use on PC, Switch/Switch 2, and mobile, but sadly not PlayStation or Xbox, and will be out in June.
CRKD Bring Special Guitar Bundle for Holidays
One company is bringing the heat this Holiday season with a special guitar bundle.
The second point of interest was the Nitro Deck 2, which is an all-in-one full-body replacement for everything except the Switch 2’s (or original Switch’s) screen. Like the original Nitro Deck, this is meant to bulk up the Switch from its somewhat weedy dimensions, making it feel closer to a Steam Deck in size but not weight. The unit dispenses with the Joycons completely, replacing them with controls built into either side of the frame, and the middle section slides open to fit the screen then closed again to lock everything in place. A ring on the back acts as the control for the locking mechanism, and once sealed shut, the Nitro Deck 2 and Switch 2’s screen feel like a single complete unit.
In addition to all the buttons you’d expect from the Switch 2’s Joycons, the Nitro Deck 2 also comes with a few extras in the form of an additional two shoulder buttons plus four more on the underside of the hand-grips, two per side. The joysticks use a different tech than either the Hall effect or the Atom+’s TMR, in that they’re built with capacitive sensing to avoid stick drift.
The design of the case leaves the USB port open, so you can keep it plugged in for longer gaming sessions, but it also comes with a U-shaped USB-C widget that connects the case to the screen for microsecond-faster response time than the Bluetooth connection allows. There are a lot of cool features built into the Nitro Deck 2, such as how it comes with a blank to fill in the gaps between the two sides that allows you to use it as a plain extra-wide controller, and while the version we played with wasn’t final, it left us looking forward to the May release.
Finally, the big star of CRKD’s booth was the guitar controller, which was set up with Guitar Hero 3 to show it off. The line for this was a bit much for me, sadly, but they had a wall of different models of guitar, so we at least got a feel for it. CRKD’s guitars are meant to be used with any guitar-based game out there, from Fortnite Festival to Clone Hero on PC, or a huge range of PS3 music games running in legacy mode, and of course Rock Band 4 on PS4 or PS5. The guitars are also modular, with replaceable necks and even frets, if you don’t mind popping them open with the right screwdrivers.
There are a lot of cool features built into the Nitro Deck 2, such as how it comes with a blank to fill in the gaps between the two sides that allows you to use it as a plain extra-wide controller…
The best part of the guitar, though, wasn’t on display, and that was Red Octane’s upcoming Stage Tour. (CRKD and Red Octane are technically different companies, but they work together under the same corporate roof, so it’s functionally all the same.) With Rock Band not getting any new music and losing licenses to the old tracks, and Fortnite Festival feeling a bit worrying after its recent contraction, we could really use a good high-profile plastic instrument game to pick up the slack.
Stage Tour is a new but familiar take on the genre, and while it will work with CRKD’s existing guitar controller just fine, there’s also going to be drums and a microphone as well. CRKD had plenty of Stage Tour branding at the booth, but sadly, it’s too early to show it off yet, so it’s being put on the Anticipated list for now.
CRKD had a great showing at PAX East, and I’ll admit that I’ve got an unreasonable fondness for the Atom+ controller just because of how tiny and cute it is. The Nitro Deck 2 is incredibly promising, especially if the thinness of the Switch Joycons doesn’t feel that great in your hands, and the guitar controllers have been consistently popular thanks to excellent designs both visually and mechanically.
Spring and summer are going to be taken up with new controllers, including the upcoming Ult Pro, which we didn’t get around to checking out, and in the back half of the year it’s time to welcome a new music contender and all the instruments needed to get the band back together.