CRKD Atom review: Tiny iPhone game controller | Cult of Mac

By Ed Hardy • 12:15 pm, November 5, 2024

The CRKD Atom looks small enough to be a game controller for a doll, but it’s designed to clip on your keychain for gameplay wherever you go. It’s a way to have some fun with your iPhone when you find yourself with some unexpected time to kill.

I played with it, and while the complete lack of sticks greatly limits the controller, it’s possible to have fun with retro games.

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When playing a hack-and-slash RPG or first-person shooter on an iPhone’s touchscreen, I find it almost impossible to keep my fingers in the right spots on the screen to hit the controls, so I end up frustrated. That’s why I strongly recommend playing advanced games on your iPhone or iPad with an external controller.

But that’s one more thing to carry around. Even a very portable one like the Turtle Beach Atom Controller I reviewed earlier isn’t pocket-sized.

But the CRKD Atom really is pocket-sized. You can take it anywhere you bring your car keys. If you find yourself waiting around somewhere, it’s always ready for you to do some gaming.

The CRKD Atom is less than palm-sized. It’s a mere 2.7 inches by 1.4 inches by 0.6 inches, and under an ounce.

It’s so small I’m grateful it has a loop to attach a strap — I connected an AirTag to it so I wouldn’t misplace the thing. Or I could have put it on my keychain.

Given the minuscule dimensions, there’s no way for CRKD to fit in all the standard game controls. Plus, tiny joysticks would have been too fragile. So these were left out. It’s a design decision that’s somewhat unavoidable but seriously limits the games that can be played with the Atom.

Shoulder buttons and triggers are included, but are set side-by-side, not one above the other. It’s an awkward arrangement.

But the ABXY buttons are quite good — firm and responsive — as is the single D-pad. And that saves the CRKD Atom.

You keep the wireless game controller charged up via a USB-C port. It’s still running in the first charge I ever gave it.

Immediately drop any thought you might have about playing advanced RPG or FPS games with this tiny controller. Every one I tried it with requires a stick to move and another to look around. The CRKD Atom lacks both.

True, iOS and iPadOS let you change what buttons do, so it’s possible to make the D-pad simulate a joystick. That let me play Lego Star Wars — a classic favorite — and I enjoyed that. But the limited controls put every advanced game I tried out of my reach.

I’d be more critical of the side-by-side layout for the shoulder buttons and triggers except that the lack of sticks stopped me from even walking or looking around so difficulties in aiming or shooting are immaterial.

Before I could pitch out the CRKD Atom, it occurred to me that retro games didn’t require a full set of controls. They were actually designed to work with similar setups to this controller.

I immediately loaded up the retro game emulator Delta and was happily playing DigDug in under a minute. And then I moved on to Final Fantasy.

These games were played with the Game Boy Advance emulator. The CRKD Atom matches the simple controls of the GBA.

On the other side of the coin, I couldn’t get Super NES games played via Delta to acknowledge that this controller is even connected.

Those who enjoy retro gaming on an iPhone or iPad might get a lot of fun out of this tiny controller. It’s so very portable you can easily carry it everywhere and always be ready to kill some time gaming on your iPhone.

But the lack of joysticks eliminates most recent RPGs and FPSs from the list of games playable with the accessory.

★★★☆☆

CRKD Atom costs only $19.99. That low price contributed to me not being more harsh about the limitations of the wireless iPhone game controller.

Buy it from: Amazon

Atom comes in a range of color combinations. My sample unit is grey, and there are also purple, blue, pink, green and more.

CRKD provided Cult of Mac with a review unit for this article. See our reviews policy, and check out more in-depth reviews of Apple-related items.