Cast your mind all the way back to January and you may remember I reviewed the Purple Wave Edition of the NEO S controller. Well, now I’m back with the CRKD NEO S Linkin Park Edition Controller. That was a mouthful.
Good Things Go
There was a time when Guitar Hero and Rock Band dominated the rhythm game field. Along with them came the peripherals of course. Those fret based controllers we all knew and loved. Maybe even sometimes loathed when we heard those notes clunk away. With the launch of Fortnite Festival came cries for the return of such controllers. Which is where CRKD stepped in. Available on their website for £59.99, the NEO S Linkin Park Edition Controller is first and foremost a rhythm game controller. So for this review I’m focussing purely on that.
Let’s take a look.
Design and Features
In terms of design and features the NEO S controller hasn’t changed between this Linkin Park Edition and the previous Purple Wave Edition. It is simply an aesthetic upgrade. Which as an avid collector of various things, I don’t have any issue with. Afterall having pretty controllers on display is every gamer’s right! This edition is beautifully inspired by Linkin Park’s latest album From Zero. And visually there is nothing zero about it!
The controller itself is compatible with PC, Nintendo Switch, Mobile, Tablet and Smart TVs. Still no update on Xbox or PlayStation compatibility I’m afraid. The connection is predominantly Bluetooth based, although there is no dongle provided. Alternatively you can use the NEO S Linkin Park Edition Controller with a wired connection via the included USB cable. This cable is also how you charge the controller.
With adjustable trigger sensitivity as well as vibration feedback, the controller has plenty of opportunities to adjust it to just how you want! The swappable stick tops opens up another world of customisation too. These same stick tops sit atop Hall Effect thumbsticks, limiting stick drift issues. Even after some hardcore usage, you should continue to have nice responsive control when using the Neo S.
As this is a Bluetooth enabled CRKD product it is compatible with their CRKD CTRL app which is available for iOS and Android users. The app lets users customise settings really easily. This includes things such as button remapping, deadzone adjustments, trigger sensitivity, rumble strength, and firmware updates. It also enables you to create an inventory of all the CRKD products in your collection. You know just in case you forget!
Usage
So far I’ve focussed on the NEO S Linkin Park Edition Controller overall. In fact in my last review of the Purple Wave Edition I separated the controller out into general use and Fortnite Festival use. I’m not doing that this time. Sure the square design of the NEO S is appealing and harks back to the days of the NES, but that’s not why you would be buying this controller.
It’s real selling point, is it’s detachable 5-fret attachment. Designed primarily for Fortnite Festival this clever little thing turns your controller into a miniature guitar, keytar, drums or even bass. Hell, press those buttons in the right combination and you’ll be a pitch perfect singer. Whatever part you play in a Fortnite Festival band, you can use this controller for! That is, in theory.
In practice I still feel the NEO S needs some refinement. No matter what instrument I played, what settings I adjusted or if I used it on PC or Switch, the buttons felt off somehow. It was almost as though my hands were too big for it. But at the same time as though my fingers were just a little too close to utilise the fret attachment properly. The buttons almost needed to be on the face of the controller as it never felt like I had enough grip to it. I feel if the controller itself was more the width of a Wii remote, the whole thing would work better.
All the buttons being the same colour fits the aesthetic perfectly. However, this does cause a steep learning curve for newcomers to the controller. Whilst there is a slight ridge on the middle button that is supposed to help you navigate which button your fingers are on, this did little to help. I also still have no idea where the wrist strap is supposed to go. None of the product photos show me. Nor is it even mentioned in the instruction manual. CRKD, help a girl out?
Final Thoughts
I really want to love the NEO S Linkin Park Edition Controller. I really do. Unfortunately for me it just doesn’t quite work. It isn’t bad, it just needs some refinement. However, I am well aware that as a tall woman with fingers that were praised for being “perfect for piano” when growing up (spoilers I was less then perfect at it) maybe I’m just too big handed. Maybe my fingers just aren’t flexible enough for this festival attachment. A sentence I never even thought I would write.
That being said there are also some good things to this controller. The design work is beautiful. The colours vivid and as a Linkin Park fan I was very excited to get my hands on a controller that pays such beautiful homage to the From Zero album. If you like to look at and collect pretty controllers, this is one for you.
Much like it’s Purple Wave Edition predecessor the NEO S Linkin Park Edition Controller gets the Thumb Culture Silver Award.
Disclaimer: A product was received in order to write this review.
@crkdgg Crank it up to 11 with the @Linkin Park NEO S 5-Fret @FNFestival ♬ original sound – CRKD
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