CRKD Nitro Deck+ Review
One of our favourite gaming accessories of last year, the CRKD Nitro Deck, was able to legitimately turn the Nintendo Switch into a more comfortable handheld console by aping the form factor of the Steam Deck and Wii U Gamepad. It’s fair to say that technology can move at an alarming rate in gaming, and so is the case here, with the arrival of an updated Nitro Deck+ which builds on the original’s excellent form, while adding in the features that fans were crying out for. The result? An excellent device, but one which swaps improvements in some places for downgrades in others.
The Nitro Deck+ feels like a more serious device than the original, even if it’s fundamentally answering the same design brief. This is an all encompassing grip, which your Nintendo Switch device slides happily into, swapping out the thin and often flimsy feeling Switch and Joy-Con combo for something far more robust and comfortable.
Our Nitro Deck+ was mainly built from smoked black plastic – a clear white version is also available – with black buttons and hardware, and a flash of metallic purple beneath each analogue stick. Compared to the purple Nitro Deck we originally tested, it’s more grown-up and less obvious, though I do miss the GameCube colour scheme.
Just as with the original, the Nitro Deck+ feels rock solid, and though it’s quite light when taken on its own, once you’ve added the Nintendo Switch itself, it comes in at 598g, which feels relatively close to the Steam Deck’s 640g. I’ve never had a problem with the additional heft, but it might be something worth considering for younger gamers.
The most obvious change in this new iteration is the positioning of the right analogue stick, with CRKD shifting it from its original offset position to a symmetrical design. While I never found the Nitro Deck’s stick positioning to be a problem, apparently everyone else did, and with the shift there are definitely some improvements to be found, particularly if you play FPS games. I spend a lot of
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