The CRKD NEO S website states, “NEO S transcends being just a controller – it’s a statement, an art piece, and the perfect gaming companion for Console and PC gaming.” For those who desire a curvy, ergonomic controller, the retro-styled NEO S may start and end as an art piece. For anyone longing for a retro controller that packs in modern technology and amenities without losing the boxy aesthetics that would make a ‘90s Volvo blush, the NEO S is the retro controller you are looking for.
Unlike CRKD’s debut accessory, the Nitro Deck for the Nintendo Switch, the NEO S is a standalone wireless controller that can be used with a variety of devices. The NEO S can be used wired or wirelessly with the Nintendo Switch (of course) or PC and can be connected wirelessly to an Android or iOS mobile device. It can even be connected to a Smart TV; I used it in conjunction with Geforce NOW on my LG TV without any issue.
CRKD NEO S – Features
The NEO S is full of modern features. Switch owners tired of buying expensive controllers and joy-cons only to have them rendered useless due to stick drift will be happy to know that the NEO S uses Hall Effect switches for its thumbsticks and triggers. Hall Effect switches measure changes in magnetic fields to determine stick movements, reducing the wear and tear found in mechanical switches that cause stick drift in analog controllers.
The use of Hall Effect switches also means that you can adjust the actuation point of the left and right trigger buttons to suit your individual needs. Furthermore, the back buttons, which default to duplicating the A and B buttons on the front of the pad, can be reassigned to any other button press or reprogrammed as a multi-button sequence on the fly through the use of the small program button on the back of the controller.
Along with premium switches, the NEO S also mimics many of the features found in the Nintendo Switch. Anyone who enjoys the motion-sensing powers of the Switch will be happy to know that the NEO S supports motion control, rumble support, and a turbo button function.
More programmability is enabled through the CRKD mobile app. After registering your controller in the app, you can remap all of your buttons to your liking and assign any button as a turbo button. Likewise, you can adjust the strength of the controller’s rumble feature and turbo button speed in the app.
The convex thumbsticks can also be swapped out, and CRKD offers a variety of stick styles that are also compatible with the Nitro Deck. These additional thumbsticks create a nice accent that compliments the color or art on the NEO S while adding a bit of customizability for those who dislike the default sticks’ shape and feel.
CRKD NEO S – Collectibility
The CRKD software is also where CRKD’s claim of collectibility comes into play. Each production run of the NEO S is limited, and each controller is tagged with a production number during manufacturing. After tapping the controller into the app’s True Collection System, your controller will be given a rarity rank of Silver, Diamond, or CRKD based on its production number. Our controller was 434 of 3991, and being in the first 500 made it a CRKD rarity. Although a regular user couldn’t care less about this, anything with a production number can be a collectible, so we’ll have to wait and see if the NEO S becomes a desirable collectible.
To further enhance the collectibility and aesthetic uniqueness of the NEO S, CRKD is also partnering with artists to expand beyond the basic Classic Clear, Crystal, and Retro Gold editions. The first partnership with POPeART has added three new editions to choose from, with POPeART’s Insta teasing several more possibilities. CRKD plans to have more collabs in the future, such as the recently announced CRKD x Tomb Raider partnership with Limited Run Games.
CRKD NEO S – Practical Use
My first controller was an Atari-style single-button joystick, so I’m familiar with a minimalist controller. I’ve been around for all of the console generations, so I’ve seen the progression to two buttons, four buttons, dual sticks, and finally, controllers with more buttons than fingers.
With a gaming background like that, a retro-style controller sounds like a good option to me. In practice, they just don’t have the buttons to navigate a modern game effectively. Fortunately, the NEO S is only retro in looks, not function. It has all of the buttons you need to command a modern game, and anyone familiar with using the Switch in handheld mode will feel right at home.
Even with its modern functionality, there’s still the question of comfort. Even without all of the ergonomic features of modern controllers, I didn’t immediately experience hand fatigue with the NEO S. That is due to the NEO S’s curved back and relatively large size (for a retro controller, at least), which allowed me to hold the controller in the palm of my hands instead of with just the tips of my fingers. The back buttons are well positioned so that my fingers naturally rest on top of them and don’t require any vertical or lateral movement to activate a button press.
There isn’t any way to attach your Switch to the NEO S, so you’re stuck with finding a solid surface and flipping out the kickstand while on the go, but the NEO S shines when using your Switch in docked mode. I’m already used to the stick and button layout of the Switch’s joy-cons, and although it isn’t quite as comfortable as, say, a PS5 controller, the NEO S is still a better experience than an actual Nintendo Switch with default joy-cons.
Once connected, I never had any issues with the NEO S losing its connection to the Switch or any other device for that matter. Stick movements and button presses registered nearly instantaneously, and I didn’t notice the input lag associated with older Bluetooth devices. Button mapping allows me to adjust the NEO S to suit my favorite games, and the ability to swap seamlessly between devices means I can handle gaming on all of my devices without having to use a collection of controllers.
Final Thoughts
Even though the NEO S isn’t at quite the same level as using an Xbox or PS5 controller on PC, it is a close second. Undoubtedly, it is a better experience than using the default joy-cons with the Nintendo Switch. Factoring in the ability to traverse a broad spectrum of devices and the option to reconfigure its inputs make for a compelling argument to declutter your gaming space and use the NEO S as a one-stop controller.
