It’s not an exaggeration when we say that the Nintendo Switch is getting on in years at this point, yet to no one’s surprise, there is an abundance of accessories that are still being made for the handheld, till this day. Recently, and in conjunction with this year’s Summer Gaming Fest, a company by the name of CRKD launched the Nitro Deck, a custom controller of sorts for the console.

To be honest, looking at the Nitro Deck gives us some major Steam Deck and more recently, ASUS ROG Ally vibes, more so with the latter, given its overall shape and joystick orientation. Moving on, CRKD says that its controller and dock is compatible with both the original Nintendo Switch and OLED models, with the well for the console big enough to house either one comfortably, and from the looks of it, without any wiggling.

One key selling point of the Nitro Deck is that its joysticks are made from the coveted Hall effect thumbsticks, leading to claim that Switch gamers will never encounter the stick drift issue that has been plaguing the majority of the Switch’s original Joycon controller. Further, controller is plugged in directly to the console via the USB-C port at the bottom, yet another USP the company says will allow for a “more responsive, lag-free gaming experience”. Oh, and the top of the thumbsticks are swappable too.

Where the Nitro Deck starts to resemble the Steam Deck and ROG Ally are the additional four buttons in the rear of the controller. We’re guessing these are programmable and can be assigned, as they usually are, to other least accessible functions or features of a game title. There’s also a kickstand but instead of solid metal sheet that Nintendo gave the OLED model, the one on the Nitro Deck is slimmer but looks a lot thicker than the one on the original Switch.

To charge the Switch, the Nitro Deck has two USB-C ports that are fixed in an undercarriage. One is for charging, while the other that is labelled as “Output” may suggest that it can be used to output to a TV and continue playing with a separate wireless controller.

CRKD’s Nitro Deck will be shipping out the first round of preorders by 18 September 2023, although that date may be subject to change and sadly, they’re only shipping to the US and Canada at the moment. Pricing for the accessory starts from US$59.99 (~RM277) for the base editions, to US$89.99 (~RM416) for the Nostalgia and Limited Run Editions.

(Source: CRKD)

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