The Crkd Nitro Deck was a saving grace for the original Nintendo Switch. The slide-on $59.99 accessory brought Hall effect sticks to drift-plagued consoles — no need to open up your Joy-Con for a complicated repair. The Nitro Deck 2, made for both the original Switch and the larger Switch 2, continues the tradition of having better sticks than what Nintendo puts in even the newest Joy-Con (though these aren’t Hall effect or TMR). But it doesn’t feel as essential, and there’s one thing I really can’t stand about it.
It’s too difficult to use the Nitro Deck 2’s ABXY face buttons without the right stick getting in the way. The stick-to-button arrangement is a big step down from the original Nitro Deck (and especially bad compared with the symmetrical Steam Deck-like stick layout in the video output-ready Nitro Deck Plus). I’m surprised Crkd’s team thought this was an improvement. My patience with the run-based gameplay in Echo Weaver is already tested enough, and trying to quickly hammer inputs on the Deck 2 only adds to the frustration.
Your preference may differ, but I like having a little breathing room between the right stick and the face buttons. Some companies choose to space them out or, in the case of the Switch 2’s Joy-Con, make the stick small enough to allow my thumb to hover over it so I can press the buttons. The Deck 2 makes me adjust my thumb’s angle of approach outside of what’s comfortable. It’s just a few millimeters off.
The original’s superior slide-in design was traded for a vice-grip design to ensure compatibility with both the newer and older Switch consoles. The Deck 2 has a twisting mechanism on the back that you can loosen, tighten, or lock. It’s clever, though the tradeoff for broader compatibility is a design that feels inherently less secure. Crkd is asking Switch 2 owners to put a ton of faith in this mechanism staying tight around their $500 consoles. My Switch 2 didn’t feel wobbly during testing, but I’d rather not have to think about its safety at all when I’m gaming. I would have preferred a slide-in design for the Deck 2 made expressly for the Switch 2.
It’s disappointing that Crkd’s Joy-Con-replacing solution isn’t as good because I like some things about it more than the original. For instance, the accessory has adjustable tension on both sticks, so they can snap back to their original position faster or slower than the default speed. Also, the accessory’s bulkier design makes the console more comfortable in my medium-size hands to use in handheld mode. It also has a bunch of customizable buttons: four on its back and an extra near the triggers.
Photography by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge