Nitro Deck Retro review | Nintendo Switch

For the better part of seven years, gamers have battled to find more comfortable ways to play a Nintendo Switch on the go.

The standard joy-con is fine, but too thin to curve to the palm of your hand.

Other companies have sold solutions to varying success but none have packed in as many features as the new Nitro Deck.

The fact it comes in Gamecube purple is just a cherry on top.

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In essence, the Nitro Deck is a shell designed to beef a Nintendo Switch into something more like a Wii U controller with a few neat additions.

All of the standard buttons are here, plus interchangeable thumb-stick toppers and a glowing 'home' button, but the best of the Nitro Deck is tucked behind the screen.

At the back are rounded grips, four customisable buttons and a sturdy, centralised kickstand. It also moves the (annoying) USB-C power inlet from the bottom of the Switch to the top; allowing it to charge while being played in tabletop mode.

To the right of that 'input' is a USB-C port labelled 'output' which - when connected to a console - allows you to use the Nitro Deck as an additional controller.

Unfortunately, the port cannot be used to stream gameplay to a TV.

It's about the only feature I'd want that's missing on the Nitro Deck besides the fact that you will need to read through its instructions to get it working.

A QR code will greet you when unboxing the Nitro Deck and take you to a YouTube video explaining all of its features.

Sliding your Switch into the shell is intuitive enough but for the Nitro deck to work, you'll have to dive into the 'Controllers and Sensors' setting on your Switch to enable 'Pro Controller Wired Communication.

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This disables Amiibo support which, admittedly, I rarely to never use.

The Nitro Deck has a built-in gyroscope so you can still use motion to steer in games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but it doesn't have its own battery.

You'll need to wake your Switch with the power button at the top of the console, rather than the home button, which will illuminate once the Nitro Deck is powered and ready to use.

If - like me - you find a glowing button distracting, you can turn it off using the small 'PROG' (programming) button at the back of the Nitro Deck. There are three brightness settings to cycle through before it goes entirely dark.

You'll also use that same 'PROG' button to enable the customisable back buttons like so:

1. Hold the 'PROG' button for a few seconds until the illuminated home button on the Nitro Deck blinks purple.
2. Enter the button or button combination you wish to map.
3. Press one of the four customisable buttons to map and save that combination.

Personally, I've never felt the need for extra buttons to control with my middle and ring fingers. Although, I did map the L+R combination so many Nintendo games demand on a home screen to one and it worked well.

I imagine mapping complex button combinations demanded by fighting games like Street Fighter and Mortal Combat would be a wonderful help but, as a wildly average Smash player at best, I doubt they'd improve my odds.

That is to say, how much value you get out of the buttons will depend on your play style.

Using the Nitro Deck for longer sessions was, for me, much more comfortable than a standard Switch with joy-cons attached.

On my scale, a Nitro Deck with a Nintendo Switch installed weighed in at 583g

That's 168g more than the standard Nintendo Switch with joy-cons attached.

It's not a ridiculous difference but it is noticeable; as is the Nitro Deck's wild rumble.

I love a strong rumble. I do not love a loud rumble.

By default, the Nitro Deck features both and there's no way to disable it out of the box.

Thankfully in December, CRKD - the minds behind the Nitro Deck - released a firmware update. You'll need to download and install the update via a Windows PC (which I don't have at home). There are some pretty wild button combinations (Home+X+R for three seconds) to put the Nitro Deck into update mode but the team at CRKD upload excellent video walkthroughs via YouTube to guide you step by step.

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Updating the firmware will also allow you to change how far you need to press the triggers before the Switch will recognise an input, make motion controls more accurate, allows you to disable thumb-stick "dead zones" and changes the button combination you need to turn the Nitro Deck into a wired controller (from pressing and holding the left and right thumb-ticks in, to pressing and holding both thumb-sticks and the '+' button) to prevent accidental inputs.

That level of attention to detail is rare these days and much appreciated.

All of that is to say that an already great option for Switch owners is getting better.

I would rather spend $99 on a Nitro Deck than $119 on another pair of joy-con any day.

The retro line - including the Gamecube homage - and CRKD's see-through crystal versions will set gamers back an addition $50.

The Nitro Deck comes with a case so there is value for money to be found here.

The question Nintendo fans will ask instead is, 'how long will I use it for?'

A 'Super Nintendo Switch' or 'Nintendo Switch 2' is heavily rumoured to be arriving in time for Christmas in 2024.

9news.com.au was provided with a Nitro Deck for the purpose of this review.