CRKD Neo S Purple Wave Edition – A Fun Pick for Rhythm Game Fans

CRKD Neo S Purple Wave Edition with guitar-fret attachment offers a fun, portable, and unique way to enjoy rhythm games on the go.

Riya Singh March 24, 2025

0 62 5 minutes read

CRKD Neo S controllers are known for their compact size, unique designs, and great performance. Now, CRKD has released a new collectible – the Fortnite Festival-themed Neo S Purple Wave Edition. What makes this special is the five-fret guitar grip attachment that connects through the charging port at the bottom of the controller. While it might not fully replace a gamepad or keyboard for everyone, it offers a fun and compact option for rhythm game fans who want an instrument-like feel.

Design and Performance of CRKD Neo S Purple Wave Edition

What’s in the Box and Overall Design

Inside the box, you get the Neo S Purple Wave Edition controller, the five-fret guitar attachment, a USB-C to USB-A charging cable, a microfiber cloth string bag, and a Velcro hand strap. The controller works like any other Neo S gamepad, with the main difference being its unique design, the guitar grip attachment, and the hand strap that helps you hold it securely when playing with the attachment. If you already own a Neo S controller, you can buy the guitar grip attachment separately for $19.99, but it won’t match the Purple Wave color scheme.

The Neo S is mainly a Bluetooth controller but also has a USB-C port at the top for charging and wired play, which helps reduce input delay. Despite its compact and retro-style design, it offers a full set of controls. The thumbsticks and triggers use Hall Effect sensors, known for preventing drift and improving durability.

At the bottom, the controller has charging contacts and a 3.5mm headphone jack, which the guitar attachment connects to. On the back, you’ll find an RFID touchpoint for the CRKD and CTRL app (available on iOS and Android), two programmable buttons (S1 and S2), a program button for remapping, and a reset pinhole. You can customize or disable the S1 and S2 buttons based on how you hold the controller.

Customization and Features

Using the CRKD app and CTRL feature, you can customize almost every part of the controller. You can remap buttons, the D-pad, thumbsticks, and even the guitar-fret attachment. The LZ and RZ trigger sensitivity can be adjusted to low, medium, or high. There’s also a “No Deadzone Mode” for the thumbsticks, so even the smallest movements get recognized. You can control the vibration strength for the left and right motors separately or together.

Compatibility

Neo S is compatible with PC, Nintendo Switch, mobile devices, and anything that supports Bluetooth or wired Xinput, Switch, or Android controllers. It even includes a gyroscope for motion controls when used with the Switch, working like a Pro Controller. If you connect it over USB, audio can pass through the 3.5mm jack for headphones—but the guitar-fret attachment blocks the audio port when connected.

For PC, macOS, or iOS, you can use the controller as an Xinput Bluetooth device or wired (wired mode works on PC and macOS). On Android, it connects as a Bluetooth gamepad. Switching between paired devices is easy—just hold the D-pad in the correct direction and press the Home button.

A Portable and Affordable Alternative to Full-Sized Instruments

Performance and Gameplay Experience

Like other versions, the Neo S Purple Wave Edition works well with many types of games. It’s great for classic-style games that don’t require complex controls, but it can also handle modern games. Some might find the compact size and shape a bit small, but it’s a nice change from the usual bulky gamepads. However, the battery life—around 8 to 15 hours on a full charge—is a little weak compared to other controllers.

Neo S Purple Wave Edition – Great for Fortnite Festival and Rhythm Games

The Purple Wave Edition matches the color style of Fortnite Festival’s notes and sustain effects. While the design doesn’t scream “Fortnite” apart from the logo, the purple look is eye-catching and fits the music star vibe of the game. If you prefer something simpler, there’s also a Tribal Black version, which comes with the fret attachment too.

The real highlight is the guitar-fret attachment, which feels similar to the old Guitar Hero: On Tour grip for the Nintendo DS. It’s designed for Fortnite Festival, and while you can still play fine with a normal controller or keyboard, this attachment makes gameplay feel more natural—especially since you can control everything with just one hand.

Personally, I’ve mostly played Fortnite Festival with my Logitech G Pro X TKL keyboard, which works great. But at higher difficulty levels, it’s hard to keep your fingers straight, and the fast-paced notes can get overwhelming.

With the guitar-fret attachment, the learning curve is there, but it started to feel natural after a bit of practice. The fret buttons match perfectly with the note lanes, making it easier to play using one hand. There’s no strum bar, so you’ll need to map strumming to the D-pad or another button like RT. It’s not perfect, but it works—especially when playing hard songs that need strumming.

What’s cool is that the attachment isn’t limited to Fortnite Festival. I tested it with other rhythm games like Clone Hero and YARG (Yet Another Rhythm Game) on PC, and it worked well. Both games felt fun and responsive with this setup.

Is the Guitar-Fret Attachment Worth It?

If you’re switching from a regular gamepad, the guitar-fret attachment definitely makes a difference in rhythm games. Standard controller buttons are often too close together, which becomes a problem on higher difficulty levels. The attachment’s button layout feels more natural, especially for music games.

That said, if you have a good mechanical keyboard, you might not need this add-on. Keyboards work well, but even then, I sometimes lost my rhythm during tougher songs. The guitar-fret grip offers a more intuitive way to play, mimicking an actual instrument, though it does take some practice—and your hand might get tired while adjusting.

Of course, if you want a full-size guitar controller, CRKD has that too with their CRKD x Gibson series, which includes a proper strum bar. They look great, but personally, I’m not ready to start collecting large game instruments again. The Neo S and its guitar-fret attachment are compact, affordable, and practical for rhythm game fans.

✅ Pros and ❌ Cons of CRKD Neo S Purple Wave Edition with Guitar-Fret Attachment

✅ Pros	❌ Cons
🎮 Small and easy to carry	🚫 No support for PlayStation or Xbox
🎸 Fun guitar-fret attachment for rhythm games	🔋 Battery life is just okay (8-15 hours)
💻 Works on PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile	🎧 Fret attachment blocks the headphone jack
🛠️ Good quality with Hall Effect sticks and triggers	🎯 No strum bar, needs button remapping
⚙️ Easy to customize controls with the app	✋ Takes time to get used to the fret grip
💰 Costs less than full-size guitar controllers	🤏 Small size may not be comfortable for everyone

Conclusion

The CRKD Neo S Purple Wave Edition is a great option for rhythm game fans. It offers a more natural and fun way to play lane-based rhythm games compared to regular controllers. The main highlight is the guitar-fret attachment, but the Neo S gamepad itself is also solid and unique. It works well on PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices, though it’s a bit disappointing that there’s no support for PlayStation or Xbox. Still, compared to large plastic instruments, the Neo S with its fret attachment is much more portable, practical, and costs about half the price.