As much as I appreciate the ingenious design of the Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Con, my family and I can’t stand using them as standalone gamepads. So when we travel with the Switch 2, we always bring at least one full-size gamepad, plus a couple of 8BitDo’s Zero 2 controllers for games that don’t use analog thumbsticks. I’ve spent years hunting for an alternative that pairs the size of the Zero 2 with as much of the functionality of a larger controller as I can get, and CRKD’s new Atom Plus is nearly exactly that. But if you have larger hands like I do, you may find the gamepad’s focus on portability a struggle.
Measuring around 3.5 inches wide, the $29.99 Atom Plus is about a half-inch smaller than the 8BitDo Zero 2 but squeezes in considerably more features and functionality. The most obvious is a pair of symmetrical analog thumbsticks with anti-drift tunneling magnetoresistance technology. You also get shoulder buttons and triggers, rumble feedback, a dedicated home button, motion controls, and customization through a mobile app.
Like many third-party controllers, the Atom Plus works with multiple platforms, including the Switch and Switch 2, PCs, Android, iOS, and various smart TVs. And just like other gamepads, pairing to different devices requires putting the Atom Plus into one of several Bluetooth modes by holding down a combination of buttons at power-up, which in this case is the home button plus a specific direction on the D-pad. It’s easy to do, but never easy to remember: I frequently needed to grab the manual or quickly Google which direction I need to press when switching devices. The Atom Plus already features a bunch of technical info etched into the back of the controller, so I’d love to see these important pairing instructions included there, too. (And that goes for all multiplatform gamepads.)
I primarily tested the Atom Plus with the Nintendo Switch 2 since I mostly plan to use the controller as a travel accessory. The thumbsticks are about the same size as those on the original Switch Joy-Con, which means they’re smaller than the Switch 2’s. And while I prefer an asymmetrical layout, the Atom Plus’ sticks are very good, with a little more tension than Nintendo’s that I find actually helps with precision movements given their limited travel.
While the overall build quality feels excellent, the Atom Plus’ tiny footprint creates some compromises and challenges. The front action buttons and D-pad feel nice and squishy, but the gamepad’s controls are a little crowded. When pressing down or right on the D-pad, my thumb regularly bumps the left thumbstick. It doesn’t hinder gameplay, but I do find it an annoying distraction.
The shoulder buttons use digital microswitches, as do the triggers, which means the latter can’t be used for racing games that support analog acceleration controls. I like that the two sets of buttons on the top edge sit at slightly different heights, but I would have preferred a little more differentiation since I’ve occasionally accidentally pressed the triggers when I meant to hit the shoulder buttons.
I was impressed with the Atom Plus’ customizability, however. When paired to an accompanying mobile app, you can check the controller’s remaining charge, turn off rumble feedback, see its unique product number (by tapping your phone to an NFC chip inside the controller), and remap any of its controls. That includes the pair of dual-function shortcut levers that replicate the Switch’s plus and minus buttons and screenshot shortcut.
Those levers move up and down and cleverly reduce the number of buttons crowding the front of the Atom Plus, but they feel a little too small, which is more or less the general theme. It’s a tiny gamepad that’s great for travel or stashing in your everyday carry. But, unsurprisingly, it probably won’t find its way into your regular gaming rotation. It’s assumed that players will be willing to settle for the compromise of occasionally contorting their fingers in weird, new ways for one of the smallest fully featured controllers on the market.
I don’t think a dual-stick controller could get any smaller than the Atom Plus without making too many ergonomic compromises. So while I applaud CRKD for the careful balancing act behind the Atom Plus’ design, and would certainly recommend it for those wanting a very capable controller that’s also cheap and portable, I’m now curious how it compares to Microsoft’s recently announced Xbox Nano controller that’s “surprisingly comfortable,” according to The Verge’s Tom Warren. It’s $20 more expensive than CRKD’s and noticeably larger, but it adds analog triggers, a more spacious design, and stubby grips making it easier to hold for those of us with beefy mitts.
Photos by Andrew Liszewski / The Verge