Is the Nitro Deck a better option than Joy Cons?
Vložit
- čas přidán 2. 06. 2024
- On the surface #NitroDeck has a lot to offer over standard Joy Cons, like full-sized sticks, roomier layout, and a comfortable grip. However, below the surface lurks some large flaws in #CRKD's first #Switch controller. Can the negatives outweight the benefits?
Nitro Deck: crkd.gg/collections/all-nitro...
Patreon: / gamexdata
Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/gamexdata
TikTok: / gamexdata
X: / _gamexdata
BlueSky: bsky.app/profile/gamexdata.bs...
Threads: www.threads.net/@gamexdata
Other controller reviews:
BIGBIG WON Blitz: • Blitz Controller Revie...
NYXI Wizard: • NYXI Wizard Review: Jo...
Chapters:
00:00 Nitro Deck Design
04:02 Controls and Buttons
08:51 Extra Controller Features
12:02 Final Thoughts - Věda a technologie
Don’t know what everyone is complaining about I have the snes one and think it’s great , yes some minor things but, nothing to crazy and it’s very comfortable in the hands
I have the same edition as you, the SNES... I like it, but until now it didn't blow me away... it is some kind of heavy and the grips get very warm I think... that bothers me a little. I was hoping for more ergonomics from this. And I wonder, if the material is the same on the basic editions, because it feels like plastik from the 90s... it matches the retro look and feel of SNES and makes it authentic, but somehow it doesn't match to the materials of the Switch itself and doesn't feel so comfortable. But all of this is complaining at a high level. On the other hand, if you compare it with the joycons, they feel some kind of softer in terms of material, but the position is just not ergonomic at all for large hands. Then the nitro deck is a great thing. I will have to deactivate those buttons in the back, because I keep triggering R or ZR by accident
Agreed.
The right stick and dpad placement is horrible
What a great and honest guy. Thx for the review, you earned a new sub :)
I like the analog triggers. As long as I don't have to pull it back all the way to register an input, I'm content with it
I've spammed between Stand and Swim in Splatoon so much. Having an analog trigger to hold back past registration point guarantees it won't fail me
I like that people don't need to have a curriculum to know how much could you know about having a different controller. The shelf behind you tells your entire biography. Nice collection!
this kind of controller already exists and has been for years . I personally have one from DOBE for the OLED switch and it's amazing. These kind of controllers do change the feel of the switch and it makes you feel like you have changed the device completely and that's awesome. I'm not planning on getting on a nitro deck since I have the DOBE one but these controllers are always cool to see the designs that pop up every now and then.
Really great review. Just ordered a nitrodeck.
Heads up, you can turn off the back buttons by holding down the button on the back until the controller vibrates. Same goes for turning back on. I had too with mine. Happy gaming!
I've been using mine for a week or so now, I do love it but it's definitely not perfect. My criticisms:
- d-pad/right analog stick placement. I'm a bloke with between average and large hands and it feels a little awkward to reach those functions. I think I'm slowly getting used to it though
- Secondly, I wish it was a little chunkier to hold such as the Skull and Co Neo grip which has your hands holding the device at a bit more of a distance, allowing you to use your thumbs more easily.
- Third complaint is as you mentioned, the charging port locations and that pointless tag feature on the back...nobody is going to 'collect' these; you buy one and then stick to it.
Unfortunately it's been really hard to find a grip that ticks all boxes, but I'm yet to find a grip that has ALL of the following:
- hall effect sticks
- proper d-pad/right analog stick placement
- direct USB-C input
- 'chunky' grip for larger hands
- illuminated buttons for night play (not essential but very cool)
Even now with my Nitro Deck and I thinking about trying the Retroflag but that 'c stick' design isn't ideal and I'm not a fan of the purple 🙈
I think if they somewhat extended the width on the sides it would allow your hands to sit in a way where reaching for the thumb stick feels better. I’d also probably say move it slightly inward just to help reachability I think the design idea was to keep it in a somewhat familiar look and form to what it would be like if you had joycons on the switch. I notice they line up fairly identically.
As far as the collection thing. If I’m honest I’m not a huge collector but I get the appeal. I don’t see it as a negative just as a super niche thing. They intend to release some special editions and other limited run versions of these and with how much people like to have unique looks to their devices I can see someone getting more than one of these. Hell I really wanted some of the transparent ones as well as the black. And it is kind of neat knowing which one out of the batch you have. Like I said it is incredibly niche though but it’s a good way to keep track of what you have. An even more niche case that came to mind is in the event of a next gen switch that wouldn’t be compatible maybe they can use the fact you have one in your collection and offer you a discount opportunity if they have to make new ones for newer hardware. This is hypothetical but something to think about. .
As for port placement I’m mixed on it. Cause I think the logic behind that is really set on the idea of you charging it and letting it ain’t with the stand out in a table top kind of sense. As well as just aesthetically look more minimal. However though I do also understand the gripes with where it is. I’ll have to see once I have mine how I end up feeling long term.
i have both the retroflag and the nitro deck and honestly i prefer the nitro deck by a lot.
Just an update (I know nobody asked but oh well)... I'm actually giving the Hori Split-pad pros a go. I nearly went for the nyxi hyperions but I don't need that flash RGB lighting, internal battery, nor do I need the rumble (when I'm in bed next to my partner the rumble is just noisy when she's trying to sleep anyway), NFC or any of that.
The hori split pad pro is simply what I need and nothing else, chunky enough for my hands, the button layout is so much nicer and overall its so much more comfortable.
One of the things I don't think people are talking about enough with switch grips is the weight of these grips...the Nitro Deck felt heavy... But because the hori split pad hasn't got all the extras they're so much lighter and thus I can play for longer holding the thing up. The buttons and sticks feel just right, some people commented on how they had stick drift but I've been using the standard joycons for 2 years and they never drifted...just look after your things and they'll last longer has always been my mentality!
I know you could argue that the hori hasn't got direct USB-C input but in all honesty in the short time I used the Nitro Deck, I didn't really notice any difference in terms of latency...literally felt the same as the joycons.
I've done alot of trial and error'ing to end up here but I wish I'd just got these from the start. Obviously if you're after all the bells and whistles then go for the hyperions but I have seen reddit posts complaining at inconsistent levels of quality control of their products.
@zrzmtz6131 Thanks for sharing the update! I keep meaning to give the split pads a shot. Sounds like they might be a pretty solid, no-frills option to keep an eye on.
Also, I'm right there with you not feeling the difference with the USB-C connection. I've a hypothesis that most people who claim they feel a difference (outside the FGC or top-tier competitive areas) are experiencing more perceptual bias than anything.
@@GameXData i think it's the placebo effect potentially? It all sounds great in marketing and all but not enough people are really being honest saying that it really doesn't make a difference. Same goes for the mechanical/digital buttons, the hall effect sticks (I did see someone who bought the nyxi wizard saying he somehow had stick drift, work that one out!) etc
A further update: The Hori split pad pros have still been good so far. One thing I will say is I've had to adjust how I hold it as despite this being wider with good d-pad/stick placement as I did get a bit of hand cramp still as it's not as 'chunky' to hold as the neo grips in the sense that it doesn't fill my hands (it's really hard to describe). Once I adjusted my hands slightly everything was all good and remains comfortable and still the best all-rounder for me personally.
On a side note and out of curiosity I tried my original joycons with the Skull & co neo grip and omg the analogue sticks on the original joycons feel HORRENDOUS compared to the Hori's. Once you've switched (no pun intended) you won't ever want to use a grip that uses the original joycons ever again, no matter how comfortable the grip is to hold.
The buttons on the Hori as well as the sticks I think are as good as you're going to get (in terms of button 'feel' and stick dead zones etc). Just make sure you buy it with the adapter which allows you to plug it in as a wired controller as I don't think you can buy it seperately.
I'll update if there's any changes but I'm sticking with these for now 👍
This was the most critical review of the Nitro Deck I've seen so far. That's a bit concerning, considering that I just bought one. Still, I couldn't STAND the D-pad on either the Joycons or my Switch Lite, so I had to look into alternatives.
I'm looking into doing my own review of the thing and I bought the GameCube version. I'm not too happy about it and will be more critical. If I have to offer a better solution, a pair of joy cons with gulikit hall-effect thumb sticks paired with a Satisfye grip is so much better it's insane.
@mid_nyght I second the enhanced joy con + Satisfye grip approach. It's less-compromised overall for the input while (mostly) eliminating the comfort and drift issues standard joy cons tend to have. Though, the one point in the Nitro Deck's favor is that it's much easier to remove when I want to dock my Switch. It always feels a bit rough to attach and detach my ZenGrip Pro due to how tightly it grips my Switch OLED.
@@GameXDatathey do now that that updated dockable zen grip
Oof. The trigger situation just feels extra rude to me. I basically never use my joycons, not because of drift (I never gave 'em a chance,) but because ZL/ZR feel awful in things like Mario Kart where I'm expected to hold onto a trigger for dear life while the joycons do their damnedest to provide an uncertain shelf for my fingers to slide on. I'd guess anyone designing an alternative would have similar worries, but I'd guess I guessed wrong.
I was thinking about buying one as i thought it would be a must have but after watching your informative video ( which is great by the way , the best video ive watched on the nitro deck)
Ive decided to give it a miss as i always seem click underneath buttons as where my hand sit while playing and i already have Hori split pad pro for on the go gaming. ( which i still hit the underneath buttons by accident . So i think for me the Nitrro deck is a $100 AUD novelty more than a must have accessory
You can easily disable the programmable triggers underneath. Hori split pad pro lacks rumble + gyro unfortunately, which makes it useless in a game such as Breath of the Wild for instance.
I just received mine the other day...
I'm not sure how this got through testing, not only is the positioning of the right stick bad but also the sticks are too high so you have to elevate your thumbs higher which puts more strain on them & you have to move your thumbs in a wider circle (which emphasises the problem with that right stick placement).
The buttons & dpad are a bit too mushy, there's no need for so much travel in the buttons because these are digital inputs, same with the L & R (which sound clunky compared to the joycons).
The Joycons surprisingly feel more confortable than the Nitro Deck, I wish I could find some pre-modded grey Joycons with hall-effect sticks. :/
The rolling dpad is a deal breaker for me. That’s such a basic thing to get right, I just don’t even want to know what we don’t know is an issue.
With regards to the cable, I am admittedly hamming it up a bit for the camera in the video. During regular usage, my fingers do tend to extend almost to the kickstand when relaxed which has made a charging cable a bit of an annoyance. If you have smaller hands or choke up on the grip more, it might be less of an issue for you.
As for the right thumbstick placement, it hasn't felt dramatically different from using joy cons. It's slightly lower than on joy cons, but the added width and more relaxed grip balance it out (for me at least). I think I'm more positive in toward the thumbstick's placement than other reviewers though. So, your mileage may vary.
Hi can you still use this to the dock? I still love to play in dock mode :)
Unfortunately, no. The Nitro Deck blocks a Switch from docking.
Does it have to be charged? I swear I just read it does but may have misinterpreted.
There's actually no internal battery (as far as I can tell). It's only active when it's connected to a Switch or to another device via USB.
lack of amiibo has to do with pro controller wired connection I think
I have the Nexigo Gripcon and like it a lot (not perfect). got a nitro deck, but thinking I might be disappointed by it in the end. I love the look of it, but the complaints sound reasonable and the honest reviews I've seen on YT seem to have the same things to say.
Ah, thanks for bringing that up. The wired connection is definitely a reasonable limitation of this design that I didn't consider. I still would've liked them to find a way around it and whatnot, but I could at least empathize with a rationale for having a wired connection over other connection options. (The RFID tag is still a weird choice though.)
I get the feeling that the Nitro Deck will be hit-or-miss for a lot of people. Especially for folks like you with other (immediate) options, I could see the compromises it introduces being a little more irritating. I'd be interested to know how the feel of it stacks up against the Nexigo though. I saw one of them in Micro Center over the weekend and was tempted to pick it up.
@@GameXData so far the Gripcon has been decent. biggest gripe is the left and right sticks can't be swapped, and the included right sticks are hard plastic, not grippy (at least on the model I got). the D-pad is horrible, it's a chore to press down, very stiff. otherwise, really great. love the button and stick feel. overall feels really premium for ~$40 (amazon). going to compare to nitro deck and either, return/sell one, or keep both.
My switch is properly stuck in the Nitro Deck when I slot it in. I basically need to slot a credit card into the speaker slit, push the latch and use the credit card to pry it out. I don't know if my switch has more grip than yours or it's the Nitro Deck that causes it.
That's so weird. When you hold you latch up, are the joy con rail clips receding fully into the controller? My Nitro Deck gives a bit of resistance, but as long as I'm applying a small amount of downward force on the display as I'm sliding the Switch out, it doesn't give me any troubles.
@@GameXData I found the source... Remember that sticker telling that you need to set the switch up for wired pro controllers? It turned out some of the residue glue from that sticker was still on it. And after a thorough cleaning of both the switch and the Nitro Deck it's no longer a problem.
@MarkLangdahl Oh, yikes. I'm glad the solution was simple. Not including a large sticker that'd leave residue behind seems like another small way that CRKD could've had a bit more forethought with their product.
@@GameXData yeah, especially since it was written so many other places on the box and in the manual.
Not really I was about to buy them but it makes it really bulky I bought the pastel pink and yellow joycons
Can you power the switch on with the crkd button
Technically, yes, but you'd need to mash the face buttons a few times to wake the controller and then press the home button multiple times to unlock the system. Practically-speaking, pressing the Switch's power button is quicker.
Wired pro controller communication disables nfc and thus amiibo, I don’t think they can really do anything without rethinking how the nitro deck connects to the switch.
How has noone mentioned the main bad thing about it, the damn dead zone on the sticks.
You probably have yours poorly calibrated
For what it’s worth you can turn off the back buttons and as far as the triggers go I think they went analog for the fact you can also use this on a computer .
NFC is rare amongst third party controllers. The only one I know that has it is the GuliKit controller and there are some amiibo it doesn’t work with
Also the app is mainly just a digital record of your collection if their products and how rare some of those may be with limited runs.
Just dropping my little two cents. Good vid
I've actually been trying to find out how to disable the back buttons but can't find any mention of it in the user guide. Is there a specific button combo I need to press to make it work?
@@GameXData You just have to hold down the program button. They have a video on their channel going over the features. I believe you hold it for 7 seconds and the controller will vibrate, signifying that the back buttons are cleared.
Similarly if you want to reset them back to their default you hold it for 5 seconds. It should flash and then go solid if I remember correctly.
@kylehunter Coolness. Thanks for the assist! Definitely feels like something they should've included in their user guide or support page on their website. Even how to enable turbo seems to have been omitted outside that video.
@@GameXData Hmm interesting. I won’t have mine til probably Wednesday. That does seem odd if that info is omitted. Thank goodness for the video 🙌🏾 Glad I could help.
The only negative thing that I’ve read is that it drowns your battery… 🤷🏾♂️🤔
Its insane how low they have the right thumbstick. Got mine and i don't even want to use it.
I am forcing myself to use it and honestly it's getting better, but man that low right stick gives me some gripes on my index finger when playing shooters
Where do you need the right thumbstick on a Switch? If someone would ask me I couldn't reply to this question...
@@SUPERSTEF79 It's fine having it low but this is lower than any of other devices and makes you stretch your thumb in an awkward way. Surprised this go through testing
@@wking8 will check this
@@SUPERSTEF79 any camera control games, Metroid, borderlands
i'm tired of my joycons drifting and waiting a week for nintendo to replace them.
If joy con drift is a constant issue for you, you might consider replacing your sticks with Hall Effect sticks instead. Cleaning drifting sticks with isopropyl alcohol has also worked for me in the past.
Doesnt work with oled
Joycons were god damn garbage. I barely used my Switch and the left Joycon already developed drift and failed to lock on tightly.
Anything is better than the joycons.
Yup, they are absolutely awful for adults. Got 5 sets of them (son has switch too) and replaced sticks on 3 sets from those cheap repair kits on Amazon. £60 seems fair considering the longevity and comfort (YMMV) of these in comparison. I’m about to pull the trigger on buying this and had concerns over the right stick (a common complaint in most comment sections) but nothing can be as uncomfortable for me than a prolonged session using joycons!
@@garethc78I actually love joycons I play handheld only with my switch oled
Sure, but there are way better options than Nitro Deck.