CRKD Nitro Deck - Professional Handheld Deck with Zero Stick Drift for Nintendo Switch and Switch OLED (PAL Grey - Nostalgia Collection)

i ordered the PAL grey version of the nitro deck for standard switch. i’ve only had it for about 5 days, so i will update this review if my opinion changes. size/feel/stand: i have small hands so i expected this to be too big and uncomfortable for me, but it surprisingly isn’t. i have used a satisfye grip - too big and my wrists hurt after about 20 minutes. the plastic build has the same feel as the hori split compact. i expected it to be heavier than it is because it almost completely covers the switch, but it has a lightweight feel and nice quality. the stand on the back is great. i’m constantly picking up and setting my switch down when i play so i’m very happy with the quality of the stand. it’s not loose and feels strong. you can have it at different angles and it holds nicely. joycons/sticks/thumbcaps: nintendo switch joycons are bad. the sticks are extremely loose and they feel cheap because of it… and stick drift. the sticks on the nitro deck are smooth like butter! and this thing is half the price of nintendo joycons. i did not order any of the thumbcaps that crkd sells because the price was a little high for me. i have a couple of pairs that i got cheap elsewhere and they fit/work fine. OLED/returns: i did read that some people have issues with the OLED and the nitro deck. i didn’t look into that because i have a regular switch. make sure to do your research before purchasing because i also saw that people have issues with returning (maybe they don’t accept returns??) vibration: a bit strong for me even on the lowest setting, which is a bummer because i do like playing with it on. you can turn it completely off though. i’m not sure if there is an update to change vibration further - see “updating” below. programming/home button brightness: programming is easy enough. the only issue i had was with changing the brightness on the “home” button. the instructions were slightly unclear when you have to hold most buttons to program them. for the home button brightness you only have to PUSH the program button once and it dims. once more and it is off. this wasn’t a problem, i just had to use my brain for a second. updating: huge drawback for me is you have to update the firmware via PC/windows. i don’t use windows so this is unfortunate and we’ll just enjoy the ride and see how long it lasts. i will say i did not look at past updates for the nitro deck or how often they get them but for me right now that’s not an issue. overall: i love this thing. i’m also saying this as someone that has a sour taste in their mouth with nintendo’s choices recently. i’m usually on playstation, but i don’t have a portal and i don’t want one. the nitro deck has made playing my switch fun again. thanks!

I mean built like a brick in a good way. This thing is massive and rock solid. It weighs about as much as the Switch itself. It has a nice feel to the buttons and the sticks. The triggers have a nice pull to them as well. When you slide your Switch into it, it satisfyingly clicks into place and is secure. It has a built-in kickstand for tabletop mode, and a fast charger pass-through to the Switch. Its D-PAD rocks! I have no trouble with accidental activation of diagonal controls when pressing one of the four directions. It has 4 re-map-able buttons on the back, that can also take macros. It also has turbofire support. And, if you're short for a controller, there's an output port on the back that when you connect a USB cable to it, it can act like a wired controller when plugged into a switch dock. Features aside, there are a few drawbacks for this unit. Removal can be a bit of a chore as you have to hold down the lock and slide the Switch out putting a little force on the face of the Switch. It can be a bit heavy for some users, especially for extended play. The CRKD logo doubles as the home button, lights up when in use, but you can change its light level or turn it off completely. All in, this is my daily driver as it's solid, has been handled a little roughly and so far shows no signs of wear.

The Nitro Deck truly elevates handheld gaming on the Switch. Once you slide your console in, the difference is instantly noticeable. It feels more like a premium gaming device, and the grip is comfortable enough for extended sessions without hand fatigue. The build quality is solid and gives off a high-end feel. One of the best features is the Hall effect thumbsticks. They’re a huge improvement over Joy-Cons, especially if you’ve dealt with stick drift in the past. The back buttons are programmable and offer extra control options that are great for shooters or competitive play. The direct USB-C connection helps minimize input delay, making fast-paced games feel more responsive.

It's not bad, but for the price? I feel it should cost $30 or $35 bucks, not $50 bucks. It does nothing to improve the switch(1)?🤷‍♂️ only thing it does is the way it handles, it feels right when you grip to play, it's not heavy won't make your hands or wrist tired...Ahh like my SteamDeck.😑 All the functions work, Analog controller feel good. (Sorry no mouse pads like the SteamDeck)🙄 Buttons don't feel clunky & noisy when you hit it.👍 There is two usb C ports on the back side, one is for charging and the other is a out port maybe for controller(s)? no more upside down laying down the switch when charging.😎👍 Switch fit snuggly and tight👍 Back Paddle is a plus👍 Kickstand is real sturdy, better than the Switch Kickstand.👍 4⭐Star...for everything except the price💰👎☹

i love this, i went from docked only to now portable only because of this, i would say to don’t believe the videos online this nitro deck dosent kill battery life and the button only stays lit when you have a game suspended it tells you it will in the instructions that no one reads now adays lol and the right joystick isnt in a too low of a spot its in a different spot than usually yes but the extra frame makes it still in a comfortable spot but its not like many nintendo switch games use the right joystick, my main thing is it makes the switch super comfortable in big hands and it looks awesome sitting in the deck, buy it and check it out for yourselves you wont regret it and no it dosent fit in the switches dock or any case other then a crkd case but small price to pay for awesomeness in my opinion it turns the switch in to handheld perfection

Great 🎮 and awesome company. Highly recommend this, yes it works great for the Oled.

I'll start with a review of the hardware itself: mid. 3/5 stars, at most. The build quality and materials of the device are quite poor. The LED light, even at the lowest brightness, bleeds heavily through the plastic. The vibration is weak. It is VERY difficult and frustrating to remove the Switch from this device (at least the OLED one). The case has a tight fit, a positive while in use, but has an iron grip on the console. There is a release button, but that only unlocks two bumps on the side which hold the switch in place. When docked, the switch is flush (maybe slightly depressed) with the case. This gives NO leverage to pull the switch out. Pushing the release button doesn't help. Effectively, you have to use your thumb on the screen(!!!) to push the console up a couple inches so that you can then pull it out from the sides. This will mess your screen at minimum, and since you have to put downward pressure to give enough friction to push the console upward, you're putting unnecessary strain on the screen as well. I have strong thumbs what if I hurt my poor switch. I would be sad. It has some nice programability once you figure it out. Last thing on the hardware: the control sticks do feel good and offer good control. The buttons are, again, mid at best and honestly closer to bad. The "A" and "B" on the buttons are poorly painted and have poor visibility due to poor contrast. (The lables don't matter a ton per se, but add to the poor quality impression). OKAY, here's why you shouldn't buy this at all even if all that sounded awesome to you (you do you): the app, which they highly motivate you to install, records your phone's screen and audio and saves it; it requests permission to do this without explanation! If granted, it has full access to effectively everything you do with your phone from that point forward. Especially note that if using the built in keyboard, the visual effects when typing would allow the app to know *everything you typed, including passwords*. This is what one of the permissions requested allows. I did not see anything in the privacy policy which limits what they can do with this data (or, again, why they would ask for it to begin with). This isn't a pedantic security argument, or permissions weirdly worded but which are actually necessary (for example, the permissions to pair bluetooth devices in an app didn't explain very well it's necessary to talk to new hardware, or whatever). Did you know the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia owns a significant minority portion of CRKD's parent company (Embracer Group)? Idk found that fact interesting. It also asks for several bluetooth permissions which allow building a location profile. This is not necessary for operation of the app either; the device communication is done through NFC. Pairing with the app isn't necessary (again, the box and manual highly recommend it provides no functional value. To you. It does to their company. There is a Windows-only firmware update available, if you trust it. This allows adjustable rumble, trigger actuation point, improved motion controls and some other unspecific bug fixes.

It's alright. I honestly hoped for a bit more with a marked price of 50 bucks. The buttons felt good to press, and the sticks felt nice to move around, but in all other senses, the rest of it felt very cheap, like one of those unbranded 20 dollar pro controller knockoffs. Every surface felt like brittle, thin plastic. It felt a little better once the switch was in it, but otherwise felt hollow and light. The rumble motors sounded strange, and honestly the noise alone was annoying enough to turn me off to it. The Nitro Deck Plus didn't have that issue, so perhaps they realized that, although I'm disappointed they didn't fix it on the original. Also, I don't generally use back paddles, but the four buttons on the back are a nice bonus, although feel just as cheap and plasticy as the rest of the thing. They're also kind of too close together, but again, I'm not used to using them anyways. If you manage to get an original Nitro Deck on sale like I did, I'd say it's a good pick up for 30ish bucks. But at $50, I'd honestly stick with the standard Nintendo Joycons.