Gone are the days of going to a friend’s place only to be dealt the other controller, the “spare” – you know the one; dodgy buttons, loose joysticks, and a real weird texture to it. It never quite worked right, and had an essence of uncanny valley about it. But now, aftermarket and alternative brands have been absolutely knocking it out of the park – to the point where if you’re handed a controller it is likely to be the official branded one, while your friend plays with something even better. That’s where the CRKD NEO S comes into play.
Straight out of the box, the NEO S is deceptive – I wasn’t prepared for something that appeared so simple to be so powerful. Nearly the same size as a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, the rigid rectangular body of the Neo S might appear unwieldy to begin with; but once it sits in your hands it feels a whole lot more lightweight and comfortable. Sliding out of its cool little carry case, the first thing I noticed was that it almost felt too light, especially when comparing it to the Switch Pro Controller.
The other thing that caught my eye was the design that adorned the NEO S’s face – in conjunction with the artist POPeART, the NEO S sports some fantastic designs full of personality. The Junkyard Edition we got our hands on evokes industrial flair, combining form and function to make something really cool. It also made me want to collect them all, and not only are there two extra designs in Blossom and Splatter from POPeART, there’s also Nintendo 64-esque translucent colours as well, leaning into the retro-meets-new feel that CRKD is aiming for.
Now before you dread the idea of downloading yet another app to do something related to a game or a service, hear me out – CRKD has made their companion app fun and exciting to use. Not only can you play around with your controller’s settings, including programming your back buttons and adapting the vibration, but you can also adjust the trigger actuation points as well as remove dead-zones from your thumbsticks. Using an RFID tag in the back of the controller, you can also scan in your device in what CRKD calls the “True Collection System”, which shows you details about the NEO S controller you’ve picked up – including the product number and rarity rank (what model number you received).
We’ve mentioned a few of the features of the controller, but how do they actually work in with playing games? Pairing your controller is really easy – in fact you get a neat little card that shows you just how to do so to your PC, mobile device, or Nintendo Switch – and from there you’re straight into gaming. You can program the back buttons by holding down the PROG button at the back of the controller and entering a single- or multiple-input combo before confirming it by tapping the button at the back, or even dedicating one to a ‘turbo’ mode for rapid input.
To add longevity to the device, both thumbsticks use hall effect technology which reduces contact points and prevents everyone’s dreaded nightmare of stick drift from occurring to the NEO S. In connecting the device to my phone, my Nintendo Switch and even my PC, this was definitely noticeable too – the responsiveness of the Hall effect sticks meant better accuracy and less struggle to ensure the correct input. But the tech doesn’t stop there, because the trigger buttons also use Hall effect sensors, allowing you to customise your own actuation points and make them more or less responsive to input.
THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $99 FROM JB HI-FI
The one surprising feature about the controller which I wasn’t really aware of until I played around with the app was the vibration function – I’m used to wireless controllers of the same variety not having any sort of haptic feedback or vibration, but the NEO S does have it. It was also one of the only downsides, as the vibration feels very light and often goes unnoticed; not that its a dealbreaker of any kind, it’s one of the only things I could suggest as a negative throughout this whole review.
Of course if you already own the CRKD Nitro Deck for your Nintendo Switch, there’s no doubt you know the level of detail and quality that CRKD puts into their products, and the NEO S is no exception. Right down to the ability to replace the thumbstick pads (which are interchangeable between the two devices), the NEO S is comfortable to hold and sleek in design, not sacrificing form or function with its retro-inspired looks. But under the hood it does so much more, with its Hall effect sensors and ability to customise vibration, trigger function and back buttons giving you the flexibility to personalise it how you want.
