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Embracer Freemode has announced a new hardware and gaming gear range called CRKD.
CRKD products are designed in-house in Freemode’s technology incubation lab, and according to the firm are designed with enthusiasts in mind. The CRKD first product will be the Nitro Deck, which is intended to provide Nintendo Switch handheld users with a ‘highly elevated handheld experience’.
The Nitro Deck replaces Nintendo’s Joy-Con Controllers in their entirety, and is effectively a new controller that attaches to the tablet part of the console via its USB-C port so that there is as little latency as possible. As well as presenting the player with a new handheld form factor, the Nitro Deck also includes drift-free Hall Effect sensor-based sticks, remappable back buttons, a stand, and an extra USB-C pass-through port that can be used for charging the console while it is played.
There will be seven colours of Nitro Deck available at launch, White, Black, Grey, Classic Grey, Retro Purple, Atomic Purple and Glacier Blue. The last two will be capped to a production run of only 1000 units per colour, and will exclusively be available from Freemode’s sister company Limited Run Games at launch.
Freemode has also announced that more Nitro Deck designs will arrive from popular hardware art designer POPeArt in the near future, although none have been shown off at this time.
“Bringing CRKD to the gaming community has been a labour of love and a true team effort. The Freemode group has so much talent on board who have lent their creativity and expertise in realising this vision,” said Lee Guinchard, CEO of Embracer Freemode. “We believe the Nitro Deck will enhance how gamers interact with their Switch console, and it serves as the perfect taste of what’s to come from the CRKD brand. We can’t wait to share more product news shortly and look forward to bringing the Nitro Deck to gamers everywhere.”
Nitro Deck is expected to be available in America and Canada in September 2023, with more regions to follow shortly after that. If you’d like to learn more about CRKD, you should take a look at their website.
