Switch Accessory Firm CRKD Is Launching A Rather Unsavoury 'FOMO' Scheme

"...we're not about to start dropping money on a new accessory every two weeks, thank you very much."

i think the point of stuff like this is that you buy the special one when you are going to buy this thing anyway and then feel special later when the design of the week or whatever it is changes and no one can get "yours" anymore.

but I think this company is overestimating how much people are clamoring for their products, let alone special editions or what not. there's a lot of competition out there. 👍

These companies always say their things get “locked away in the vault”, well how about I blow the door to this vault off with big cartoon dynamite while wearing a ski mask and striped shirt huh??? What’re these companies gonna do then>: )???

@PinballBuzzbro

talking about "the vault" is the height of pretentiousness when Disney (for example) does it, and it's simply off the charts for this company imo 😂

I don't get, what is so special about these things? I like the switch with the normal joycon, and it is already quite big, what's the point in using these ?

Edit: I'm talking about the "nitro deck". I've been seeing a lot of people talking about these recently

This company has always been really fishy to me. Their weird push of the NFT like collection database in their app for these mostly ugly designs is so odd.

Not to mention their customer service is god awful. I bought a Deck, played 2 hours with it, and decided it wasn’t for me. With everything including box and paper work still pristine, they told me I couldn’t return it because it was scanned in the app already (?). What does that even mean, I have to assume that was an employee mistake.

@-wc- I'm definitely not clamoring for their products. I think they're poorly designed functionality-wise and that they have an overall junky aesthetic.

If anybody wants a Joy-Con alternative, I recommend the Mobapad M6 HD.

@InJeffable That’s what I ended up getting after trying and hating the Nitro Deck. Now THOSE are some killer Joycons.

I can see it as just wanting to pump out a bunch of designs but also needing to actually get rid of them

Alex made it pretty clear this puppy isn't comfy, so I'll pass, looks cool though.

Was I the only one who had to google "FOMO"?

I agree with Alex on this one. I was not impressed with the Nitro Deck. I was originally hyped about it when it was first announced and pre-ordered the Atomic Purple one. Once I finally had it in hand, it was so uncomfortable to use that I never wanted to use it, a little janky feeling, so I just got rid of it.

They are pushing out products that may look amazing but the quality definitely isn't there and they definitely aren't putting a lot of thought and effort into development and testing to make a product someone would actually want to use as a replacement for their Switch controllers. I'll be staying away from their products.

People who are dumb enough to think this garbage is rare or collectible might as well give their money to CKRD. If this company didn't exist, they'd just waste it on Funko Pops or some get rich quick scheme they heard about on reddit.

Not really FOMO, more the Disney Classics approach.

Yeah, jog on. There's not much there to make me want to buy on a normal day much less try to score something exclusive solely for the purpose of being exclusive.

Anyone have the skinny on the neo s one? Been looking for a little pad like that

Well that sucks, but since it's not official accessories, I don't have the FOMO for this stuff.

This is a "anti-consumer" strategy to push more sales than they would have if they didn't limit it. (Or that is what I am assuming is what they are going for.)

Same business model as Analogue.

I wonder how many people are actually interested in their stuff.

I hope this is a giant "shooting yourself in the foot and then falling off your high horse into the big abyss" moment lol. That'd be funny and would be more valuable than whatever product they're trying to pass off as rare or collectable.

This FOMO business strategy is very anti-consumer so I despite any company that uses it, so it's a HARD PASS for me.

CRKD stands for crooked, right?

Had to double check, but yep, this is Limited Run Games' fault. Partially.

This is a brand of Singtrix, a division of Freemode. The section of Embracer that has Lord of the Rings, Clear River Games, and holds Tatsuijin hostage when it should REALLY be part of THQNordic.

Please see attached autism for reference

https://x.com/Zeebor15/status/1810468677805810093/photo/1

@BulkSlash It's actually "cracked" but I had initially thought it meant "crooked" as well.

@Zeebor15 That's interesting, because their initial launch of the Nitro Deck included two color variants that were exclusive to LRG.

Not defending this practice here - because I think the entire idea of FOMO and limited run stuff is just business approved gatekeeping - but I do want to point out that CRKD has said this was their business model from the beginning. Like it was always known that their Nitro Decks were designed to have colors go out of production, and they've had the app since day one (where you scan in your purchase and are told how rare it is).

Now it IS true that in recent months, they've stepped up the exclusivity/vault/limited run talk a bit more, which seemed to start with the release of the NEO S controllers and was continued with the Atom controllers. I'm just saying that the whole idea behind their company was kind of laid out at the start, and there was always talk about how certain editions would release, only be available in limited quantities/timeframes, etc.

I think it's strange to go so hard in on this idea when it's a small and niche community to begin with. There's a distinct difference in appeal and desire compared to, say, the PS5 Pro 30th edition. I don't think someone is going to resell their Gamecube inspired Nitro Deck for hundreds of dollars down the line; you'd really have to have Nintendo themselves doing that kind of thing for it to generate that level of excitement and desire.

As for CRKD's products, I think they are maybe in the B- range or so. Definitely not perfect, feel well enough but not something I think most people would seek out unless they absolutely cannot handle the Joycon form factor.

@sanderev

"Not really FOMO, more the Disney Classics approach."

If "Disney Classics" being taken out and put back in the vault isn't a FOMO campaign I have no idea what could possibly be 😂 ✌️

What is wrong with doing this? Nothing. I swear generation z is awful at knowing things that are going on around them and then comprehending them.

One of those controller schemes only screams Dunkin' Donuts to me. One of the most bizarre "retro" themes I've seen.

FOMO for a bunch of Chinese plastics that of decent quality. Meh if you ask me they sell these for way too much. No matter how many times they made a new Nitro Deck they always screw up the control layout which makes it uncomfortable to play in handheld mode.

I wanted one just for the Wii U pad style but I ultimately didn't when I realized what makes the Wii U pad/pro setup so comfortable is the buttons and sticks are still slanted like every other controller style. These are straight up and down so they would never be as comfortable. Glad I avoided them

@Ein Josh Fairhurst is a bitch ass *****

"the products "may appear later down the line or disappear, locked in the vault forever"."

A Nintendo-like approach for a Nintendo accessory? And they even refer the vault? Truly on the nose.

For anyone wondering what the point of products like this are, and saying the joy-cons are fine, I would just like to point out that the nitro deck has solved an infuriating issue with Nintendo’s own joy-cons for me: in handheld mode on my switch, all official joy-cons quickly became loose on my OLED, constantly disconnecting during gameplay, ruining my switch experience. Then there’s drift, which ruins it further. The nitro deck solved both these issues for me instantly: no drift ever due to Hall effect sticks, and no loose connection due to not relying on those shoddy side rails.

In other news, 8bitdo has seen a sharp rise in sales for seemingly unknown reasons. . .

Good thing they had this to fall back on when the NFT bubble burst. I’m surprised they’re not trying to sell their accessories as AI devices somehow.

I'm generally sceptical towards third party controllers (though I do love my 8bitdos and my mobapad <3) but one thing I love about what I see here is the two sticks being in primary/upper position and symmetrical. Best layout ever.

See the WiiU Pro? Best button layout, it's so confortable and it doesn't feel like either of the main hand positions (dpad or sticks) are an afterthought or that one has been treated as the most important of the two. No other controller has replicated that (though ps5 is getting close) and for that imo this controller hasn't been topped by any of its more modern counterparts.

My dream controller would be the button layout and the general shape of the WiiU Pro, the dpad of the N64, the buttons and other functionalities (motion sensors, hd rumble...) of the Switch Pro and finally Hal sticks mobapad style. Sticks with octogonal basis instead of the now default circle one, also mobapad style. And also the plastics from the Switch Pro which are much better than the glossy finish of the Wii U pro.

... A man can dream.

they should be add this kind of accessory on www.veryugly.com

I don't hate the Nitro Deck I have. When my Joy-Cons quit on me, I ran across a half-price sale for one of their models and it's... fine. Not too uncomfortable for me. But am I a huge enough fan of their work that I'd chase some FOMO-fueled high for their so called collectibles? Nah.

dang i thought people didnt even like the base nitrodeck that much so i dunno where theyre getting the confidence to use buzzwords like "the vault" and such lol

@PinballBuzzbro That’s precisely how I’ve always envisioned myself infiltrating “the vault.” Ha!

I don’t think the Nitro Deck or this brand are desirable enough to warrant this approach in the first place but either way, if anyone feels “FOMO” over these kinds of things then that’s something you need to work on personally.

Fortunately I've never liked the look of their products anyway. But if I did – yeah this would be a terrible marketing strategy.

@PinballBuzzbro Call some bobbies with twirled mustaches, stovepipe caps, and wooden batons

FOMO trying to FML, but it ain't gonna happen. I'm good.

I‘m getting old for these headlines.

This trash "locked in the vault forever", you say?

Oh no. Anyways.

The Nitro Deck is my favorite Switch accessory, but CRKD sure seems to do a lot of dumb sh*t.

I really like my nitro deck. I find it MUCH more comfortable than joycons. But I already bought one and I can't play on two switches at the same time so I have no need for more.

I love my nitro deck. Works like a charm and is comfy as hell.

I like my original Nitro Deck and disagree with Alex's review but then again I don't play a bunch of FPS shooters on it, more sports games and platformers, which only use the right stick occasionally. I think it's a solid product and like the crystal colour scheme.

Actually some interesting products, but the whole scan your controller or deck to check the "rarity" of your item is beyond ridiculous. Interesting products, but terrible business decision.

Thought about getting the Nitro Deck, but I got sidetracked and discovered the Mobapad M6HD. The best joycons ever.

This is honestly pretty gross. Reads like they're putting more effort into marketing these "exclusive" products than they did into creating something worth owning. Seriously, they've set up an app feature that does nothing but reassure you of how exclusive the thing is and therefore how cool you are for buying it? Oh and make sure to buy the next one too so you don't drop down the exclusivity leaderboard? A year or two from now there's going to be a bunch of stupid people trying to unload the complete collection, still pristine in box because they bought two of each, and not understanding why nobody wanted this garbage the first time.