What We Know About CRKD's Atom Plus Portable Gamepad Price

CRKD priced its new Atom Plus gamepad at $29.99 and built it roughly 3.5 inches wide — about half an inch smaller than 8BitDo's Zero 2 — while adding dual analog thumbsticks the Zero 2 lacks, according to The Verge. The move puts CRKD in direct competition for the pocket-controller niche long dominated by 8BitDo's smaller, button-only models.

What does the Atom Plus cost and where is it sold?

The Atom Plus lists for $29.99 and is available in retro purple and gray colorways through Amazon, with the gray version also sold directly through CRKD's own site, The Verge reports. That price lands in the same bracket as many compact third-party gamepads, but CRKD is betting the added thumbstick hardware justifies the cost against cheaper button-only alternatives.

How big is the Atom Plus compared with other portable controllers?

At roughly 3.5 inches wide, the Atom Plus is about half an inch smaller than the 8BitDo Zero 2, a controller The Verge's Andrew Liszewski has relied on for years as a travel companion to full-size gamepads for the Nintendo Switch 2. Despite the smaller footprint, CRKD packed in "considerably more features and functionality" than the Zero 2 offers, Liszewski writes.

What features does the Atom Plus add over smaller gamepads?

The headline addition is a pair of analog thumbsticks — a feature missing from the Zero 2 and most controllers in its size class, which typically rely on digital directional pads and face buttons alone. Liszewski describes testing a controller that uses TMR (tunneling magnetoresistance) analog thumbstick technology, a sensor approach gaming hardware makers have increasingly adopted to reduce drift compared with older potentiometer-based sticks, though The Verge's hands-on does not specify TMR drift figures for this unit.

Who is the controller aimed at, and what are its limits?

CRKD built the Atom Plus for travelers and anyone pairing a Switch 2 or mobile device with a gamepad that fits in a pocket rather than a bag. Liszewski, who writes that his family avoids using Joy-Con controllers standalone and brings backup gamepads on trips, calls the Atom Plus "nearly exactly" the combination of Zero 2-level portability and larger-controller functionality he has hunted for. The tradeoff is ergonomic: Liszewski notes that users with larger hands, including himself, may find the tiny chassis a stretch during extended play.

What else is happening in portable gaming hardware?

The Atom Plus lands as hardware makers broadly chase smaller, more feature-dense input devices. DAREU recently showcased adaptive gaming peripherals at a Saudi exhibition, part of a wider push by accessory makers to differentiate compact controllers through sensor technology and ergonomic adjustments rather than size alone. For shoppers choosing between the Atom Plus and competitors like the Zero 2, the calculus comes down to whether analog-stick functionality outweighs the half-inch size difference and the hand-fit tradeoff CRKD's design requires.