CRKD has begun shipping the Atom+ globally, marking the arrival of a more fully featured follow-up to its exceptionally compact Atom controller. Pre-orders for the retro-styled gamepad opened in March 2026, and customers who placed an early order should now see their units moving toward delivery.
The Atom+ carries a $29.99 / £27.99 MSRP and is positioned as a miniature controller that does considerably more than its size might suggest. It supports Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch OLED, iOS and Android smartphones, PC gaming platforms, and smart TVs. All four color variants are shipping, and the controller is also available for purchase through CRKD's store and Amazon without the earlier pre-order wait.
Its arrival comes later than originally planned. CRKD initially expected shipping to start in late June 2026, before moving that target to an August 17-31 window. The start of global fulfillment in late September means the Atom+ has missed both of those estimates, but the company has now confirmed that the hardware is on its way to customers.
A tiny controller with the missing feature the original needed
The original Atom found an audience by embracing an unusually small form factor. It is the kind of controller that can disappear into a bag alongside a Switch, cables, and other travel accessories, making it an appealing option for handheld players who do not want to carry a full-sized pad everywhere. Its d-pad-focused layout, however, naturally put limits on the games it suited best.
For useful background on this topic, read Counter-Strike 2's Rush Hour Update Adds 3v3 Battles, Music and Chicken Eggs as Anti-Cheat Calls Grow.
That is the key issue the Atom+ is designed to address. Where the older model was most at home with Nintendo Switch Online's NES and SNES catalogues, 2D games, and other experiences built around a directional pad, the new version adds two precision thumbsticks. That immediately makes the compact controller more practical for modern 3D games, camera control, driving games, and genres that depend on twin-stick input.
CRKD is using TMR technology for those sticks. TMR, or tunneling magnetoresistance, is increasingly being used in controller hardware as an alternative to traditional stick mechanisms. The intended benefit is improved durability and a reduced likelihood of drift developing over time. Drift prevention can never be treated as a guarantee before hardware has spent a long period in players' hands, but it is a welcome design priority for a controller aimed at frequent portable use.
The sticks are not the Atom+'s only functional upgrade. The controller also includes digital bumper and trigger buttons, built-in vibration feedback, and motion controls. Digital inputs should give the shoulder buttons a more immediate, tactile response than analog triggers, which may suit arcade-style racers and action games. Meanwhile, vibration and motion support help the Atom+ feel less like a novelty micro-pad and more like a viable alternative controller for Switch and Switch 2 owners.
Built for Switch 2, but not limited to Nintendo hardware
Nintendo Switch 2 compatibility is a major part of the Atom+ pitch. The controller's small dimensions make it a natural match for players who regularly take Nintendo's handheld hybrid system outside the house and want a separate pad for tabletop play, travel, or a compact multiplayer setup. Features including thumbsticks, vibration, and motion controls should also make it better prepared for games that ask more from a controller than retro libraries do.
For example, the revised control set sounds especially suited to Mario Kart World, where stick control, vibration, and responsive digital buttons all have obvious uses. More broadly, Switch 2 compatibility gives the Atom+ a chance to serve as an inexpensive backup controller, even if its small body may not be everyone's preferred choice for hours-long sessions.
That said, CRKD is not presenting the Atom+ as a Nintendo-only peripheral. Compatibility with iOS and Android devices gives smartphone players another compact option for cloud gaming, remote play, emulation, and native mobile games with controller support. PC support extends its potential further, particularly for people who want a lightweight pad for travel or a secondary controller that does not claim much desk or storage space.
Smart TV compatibility rounds out the platform list. That could be useful for players accessing gaming apps or streaming services from a television without keeping a larger controller nearby. The value of that feature will naturally depend on the apps and services available on a user's particular TV, but it reinforces the Atom+'s role as a flexible, carry-anywhere device rather than a pad built around one console.
Four nostalgic colorways at the same price
CRKD has retained one of the original Atom's most appealing qualities: a set of designs that lean hard into gaming hardware nostalgia. Rather than treating appearance as an afterthought, the Atom+ arrives in four retro-inspired finishes, all priced the same at $29.99 / £27.99.
- Smoke Black, a transparent dark finish reminiscent of the translucent electronics trend.
- Glacier Blue, another see-through option that channels early-2000s console and accessory styling.
- Pal Grey, a color scheme inspired by the PAL Super NES aesthetic.
- Retro Purple, a distinctly nostalgic purple variant.
The transparent Smoke Black and Glacier Blue models fit particularly well with the renewed interest in clear gaming accessories. Translucent shells have long had a place in Nintendo-adjacent controller culture, from older console hardware to modern third-party designs, and the Atom+ uses that visual language without abandoning its deliberately tiny identity.
Pal Grey may be the most overtly region-specific design in the lineup. Its colors evoke the PAL Super NES, giving it a different feel from the familiar North American SNES look. For players who grew up with that version of Nintendo's 16-bit hardware, it offers a small but meaningful piece of visual nostalgia. Importantly, CRKD is not charging a premium for any particular finish, so buyers can choose based on preference rather than availability or added cost.
Early hands-on impressions offer some encouragement
While the broader shipping rollout has only now begun, a small number of customers received their Atom+ units ahead of the formal global shipment announcement. One Reddit user, TheLoFiPunk, shared that they had picked up the Retro Purple version after enduring the delays and described the eventual wait as worthwhile.
That is only an individual early impression, not a substitute for wider testing, and prospective buyers will still want to see how the thumbsticks, buttons, battery behavior, wireless connection, and ergonomics hold up over time. Still, it is an encouraging sign for a product whose appeal depends heavily on making compromises in the right places. A miniature controller does not need to replace a full-size pad; it needs to be convenient enough that players will actually pack it.
The Atom+'s design suggests CRKD understands that distinction. Its appeal is not simply that it is small. It is that the company has kept the compact, collectible-looking profile while adding the inputs expected from a modern general-purpose controller. The shift from a d-pad-centric device to one with dual TMR sticks is therefore a much bigger change than it may initially appear.
The original Atom remains a cheaper alternative
Players who prefer the earlier design, want a simpler pad, or are shopping strictly on price can still choose the original CRKD Atom. It remains available for $19.99 and is also compatible with Switch 2. The older controller offers more color options, but it retains the d-pad-only control approach that makes it better suited to retro-focused play and games that do not require analog sticks.
That leaves a fairly clear choice between the two models. The original Atom is the lower-cost option for players who want an ultra-portable controller primarily for classic games, 2D titles, or basic menu and multiplayer use. The Atom+ costs more, but its $10 increase brings twin TMR sticks, motion controls, vibration, and additional button functionality that dramatically broadens the kinds of games it can comfortably handle.
With shipping now underway, the Atom+ will soon have the opportunity to prove whether its tiny design can accommodate those additions without sacrificing comfort. For Switch 2 owners, mobile players, and PC users who value portability as much as feature depth, CRKD's latest miniature controller looks like a notably more capable version of an already distinctive idea.
Community
Discussion
Start the conversation.
No comments have been posted yet.