CRKD Nitro Deck Review

Nintendo’s Switch is a wonderful device, and one that’s practically a permanent companion both at home and on the move. However, despite the amazing software and ground-breaking hybrid design, it’s not all that comfortable in the adult hand. I’ve gone through a number of options while searching for a solution, with Hori’s Split Pad Pro the one that I settled on, albeit with the caveat that it destroyed the console’s portability when they were attached and felt worryingly unstable the longer I used it. The CRKD Nitro Deck is an alternative to those seeking the ultimate in Nintendo Switch comfort, and though it adds a fair bit of girth to your plucky console, this is a product that, in my opinion at least, comes close to perfecting Nintendo’s design.

The Nitro Deck fundamentally bulks your Nintendo Switch into a Steam Deck. Someone at CRKD clearly thought that Valve’s design was a big improvement over the big N’s – it certainly is in terms of comfort – and decided to slap the two together, creating a glorious colossus that stands as a testament to human engineering. Oh, and as proof that sometimes you can out-Nintendo Nintendo.

Our review version came in GameCube purple, with colour accurate buttons and sticks; if you’re a Nintendo fan this is likely to be your first choice, though it also comes in black, mint green, and a Super Famicom-styled grey colour scheme with purple buttons. The brighter colours are certainly true to the Nintendo’s legacy, but they look more toy-like than the subdued black number, and they cost a few dollars more too. Still, if you want to prove that you have an iota of childlike wonder left, definitely go for the purple one.

Adding not just bulkier hand grips, but also plastic around the back and bottom of the Switch, the CRKD Nitro Deck is a chonk; it’s not as long as the Steam Deck, but it’s as thick. After years of getting used to the slim form factor of the Nintendo Switch, it’s really confusing at first to find that it’s now closer in shape and size to the Wii U’s gamepad. It packs plenty into that expansive body though, adding wide and comfortable triggers, four additional rear buttons, and a sturdy stand alongside all of the controls you need.

The Nitro Deck connects to the Switch via its USB-C port, utilising the Pro Controller wired mode to nab its functionality, and gaining lower latency as part of the bargain. You have to manually activate the connection in your Switch’s options before it’ll work, but once you do the Nitro Deck is ready to go, seamlessly linking up with the Switch and making the whole thing feel like one complete console. Your Switch locks into place, and when you want to remove it there’s a simple release catch located on the back.

The Nitro Deck’s face plays host to all of the buttons you’d expect it to have, while there’s a pair of replacement analogue stick toppers if you’re not so keen on the GameCube-styled ones. Personally, I was more than happy to keep the GC ones, but you do have to live with the fact that the toppers are different. The grey stick on the left has just a single ridge to it, while the yellow right stick is the one with the GameCube-style triple ridge design. That’s totally not going to set my OCD off. Totally.

Whatever colour they might be, the analogue sticks feel taut and perfectly responsive, though there’s some extra height that isn’t present in the Switch’s Joy-cons which takes a little bit of getting used to. Thankfully, these are sticks that won’t ever suffer from the Joy-cons dreaded drift, as CRKD have seen fit to install HALL effect sticks: this utilises magnets rather than traditional components that can wear out, keeping you playing for… well, forever.

The other major change is a brightly glowing Home button, which was just about to annoy me when I started playing in the dark before I discovered that the program button on the back can adjust the brightness. While you can keep things dim, you can also turn it off completely. This is the kind of thinking that we like.

The Nitro Deck also features a bunch of buttons you might not be expecting. Taking its design brief from the Steam Deck means that it’s also got an added batch of four buttons on the rear of the unit, each of which you can program to replace the face buttons or a combination thereof. You can even program simple macros, setting a series of inputs that the rear buttons will then replicate. The process is incredibly easy too, pressing the program button on the back, selecting your standard input(s), and then choosing the additional button you want to replicate it.

This brings the Nitro Deck a level of control that is streets ahead of the standard Switch and the official Pro Controller, and really earns the ‘professional’ tag that CRKD have labelled it with. If you’re into any of the competitive shooters out there – I’m a big fan of sneaking in a few rounds of Overwatch 2 on the Switch – then this is going to be perfect for you. If you don’t need them? Just turn them off.