Technologies

Review: This Portable Controller Is the Perfect On the Go Gaming Accessory

The Crkd Neo S is a fun, little controller with a reasonable price — and a few quirks.

Gaming controllers are a dime a dozen, and it’s not easy to know which ones are worth spending money on. Often, the question is whether you really need to upgrade to a new controller when you still have the one that came with your console. However, the truth is there are so many more ways we can play our favorite games now, including on our phones and tablets. Plus, having something you can quickly drop into your bag in case you want to game on the go is super helpful, too.

I’ve been testing a lot of controllers lately, and the Crkd (pronounced like «cracked») Neo S offers nearly everything you’d want in a good, easily portable game controller — and it’s affordable, too. The company let me check out the Frost Edition, and I’ve been quite impressed.

What I like about the Crkd Neo S

Hardware and customization

Crkd mostly nails the hardware on the Neo S. Firstly, I had not used a rectangular controller before, but it felt very comfortable after just a few minutes. The slightly protruding grips on the back help out quite a bit.

The buttons are really clicky, the joysticks are stiff without being too rigid and the triggers feel great. Gaming with the Neo S for a couple of hours at a time was a pleasure, and I never missed an input due to mushy controls.

The Neo S connects wirelessly via Bluetooth, but there’s also a USB-C port and an included cable for wired gaming. Up to three devices can be connected at a time. Once set up, I was able to quickly switch between my PC, iPad and Nintendo Switch in just a few seconds.

It’s impressive that it’s as good as it is, considering its size. The Neo S is small enough to tuck into a large pants or jacket pocket if you really need to, and it easily slipped into my backpack. Although, the lack of a carrying case meant the sticks caught on my bag occasionally, but it’s quite easy to travel with.

Another fun thing about the Neo S is all the different special editions available. I have the Frost Edition, which is exclusive to the Apple Store (and currently sold out), but there are options like Retro Gold, Classic Clear, Fortnite and several others. You can add them to your «collection» in the Crkd app, and the app will tell you the product number of your controller and even give it a rarity rank depending on how many were made.

It would be cool if you could collect points or something by adding more to your collection, which you could then redeem for discounts on other controllers or accessories, but right now, points seem to be for bragging rights only.

One other impressive thing about the Neo S is the pro-level of customization built into it. Considering its price and size, you wouldn’t necessarily think you could customize almost everything possible input on it. Things like the vibration intensity, trigger sensitivity, even the dead zones for the joysticks — all things that you can normally only customize on controllers that cost a few hundred dollars.

Despite all of its features and compact design, the Neo S is still reasonably priced. At the time of writing, you can find most editions for about $40 to $50, though newly released editions are typically around $60. Plus, you get even more discounts if you buy a few at a time (like if you want to upgrade the kiddos’ Switch controllers). That’s really not a bad price at all for such a good controller, especially with as much customization as this one offers.

What I don’t like about the Crkd Neo S

For as good as the inputs on the Neo S are, the haptics are surprisingly mediocre. They aren’t as bad as others I’ve used, but I would recommend keeping them on the lowest setting or just turning them off. They’re nice to have for some games, but I’m just not a fan.

Also, while the controller is extremely customizable, tweaking those settings is pretty confusing. Changing any of them manually on the controller requires pressing a combination of the big Crkd button at the top and some other random button. It’s not at all intuitive, so you either have to memorize the different button combos or look them up every time.

Thankfully, you can change everything in the Crkd iOS or Android app, but that means pausing your game, connecting to the other device, changing the settings and switching back to the console. It’s quite a lot of steps, and it doesn’t save settings between devices — you’ll have to change them every time.

This confusion also translates to the setup process. Pairing to and switching between devices took some trial and error at first, and even so, you have to remember which button combo connects to which device (D-pad up plus Crkd button for iOS, D-pad right plus Crkd button for Switch, and so on). Having a tiny LCD screen that could help walk you through stuff might help, but my recommendation is to just pair the controller with one device and leave it.

Should you buy the Crkd Neo S?

All that being said, I would absolutely recommend the Neo S in a heartbeat. It’s a really solid little controller that’s incredibly portable and quite comfortable to use. Plus, the immense level of customization means you can get pro-level controls for a fraction of what you’d pay for something like an Xbox Elite controller.

The collectible nature of the special editions also adds another layer of fun to the Neo S.

Personally, I wish I’d discovered Crkd controllers years ago.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for July 5, #1477

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle for July 5, No. 1,477.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Wordle puzzle is a pretty tough one. I grew up on a farm, so I know the word, but I didn’t put it together right away, even though the letters are common ones. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

There is are two vowels in today’s Wordle answer.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with the letter B.

Wordle hint No. 4: Down on the farm

Today’s Wordle answer describes a piece of farm equipment.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer refers to a machine for making paper, hay, or cotton into bales.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is BALER.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, July 4, No. 1476 was CURVE.

Recent Wordle answers

June 30, No. 1472: BLINK

July 1, No. 1473: MOLDY

July 2, No. 1474: INCUR

July 3, No. 1475: POPPY

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for July 5, #489

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for July 5, No. 489.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

The theme of today’s NYT Strands puzzle isn’t terribly tough, but at least one of the words is unusual and really, really long to unscramble. If you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Every second counts.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Does anybody really know what time it is?

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

DIAL, SOLE, MOLE, MOLES, SHAKE, CHEEP, ROLE, HOME, LOCK, MEAT, TAME, TAMES, ROLES, ROON, TRON

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

CLOCK, WATCH, SUNDIAL, HOURGLASS, CHRONOMETER

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is TIMEKEEPERS. To find it, look for the T that’s four letters down on the far left, and wind across.

Technologies

Microsoft Is Eliminating Passwords in August: Here’s What You Need to Do to Prepare

Microsoft Authenticator has already stopped autofilling passwords, but the biggest change comes next month.

In June, Microsoft Authenticator stopped letting users create new passwords. In July, it turned off the autofill password function. And in August, the login app will stop supporting passwords entirely, moving to more secure passkeys, such as a PIN, fingerprint or facial recognition.

Attila Tomaschek, CNET’s software senior writer and digital security expert, says that passkeys are a safer alternative to the risky password habits practiced by 49% of US adults, according to a recent survey by CNET.

«Passwords can be cracked, whereas passkeys need both the public and the locally stored private key to authenticate users, which can help mitigate risks like falling victim to phishing and brute-force or credential-stuffing attacks,» Tomaschek said.

Using the same password for several accounts or adding personal hints can be a convenient way to remember your login. But that puts you at a big risk for scammers, identity theft and fraud. Here’s more on Microsoft’s plan for eliminating passwords and how to make the switch to passkeys before August.

When will Microsoft Authenticator stop supporting passwords?

Microsoft Authenticator houses your passwords and lets you sign into all your Microsoft accounts using a PIN, facial recognition like Windows Hello, or other biometric data like a fingerprint. Authenticator can be used in other ways, such as verifying you’re logging in if you forgot your password, or using two-factor authentication as an extra layer of security for your accounts. In June, the company stopped letting users add passwords to Authenticator, but here’s a timeline of other changes you can expect from Microsoft.

July 2025: You won’t be able to use the autofill password function.
August 2025: You’ll no longer be able to use saved passwords.

If you still want to use passwords instead of passkeys, you can store them in Microsoft Edge. However, CNET experts recommend adopting passkeys during this transition. «Passkeys use public key cryptography to authenticate users, rather than relying on users themselves creating their own (often weak or reused) passwords to access their online accounts,» Tomaschek said.

Why are passkeys a better alternative to passwords?

So what exactly is a passkey? It’s a credential created by the Fast Identity Online Alliance that uses biometric data or a PIN to verify your identity and access your account. Think about using your fingerprint or Face ID to log into your account. That’s generally safer than using a password that is easy to guess or susceptible to a phishing attack.

Passkeys aren’t stored on servers like passwords. Instead, they’re stored only on your personal device. More conveniently, this takes the guesswork out of remembering your passwords and the need for a password manager.

How to set up a passkey in Microsoft Authenticator

Microsoft said in a May 1 blog post that it will automatically detect the best passkey to set up and make that your default sign-in option. «If you have a password and ‘one-time code’ set up on your account, we’ll prompt you to sign in with your one-time code instead of your password. After you’re signed in, you’ll be prompted to enroll a passkey. Then the next time you sign in, you’ll be prompted to sign in with your passkey,» according to the blog post.

To set up a new passkey, open your Authenticator app on your phone. Tap on your account and select «Set up a passkey.» You’ll be prompted to log in with your existing credentials. After you’re logged in, you can set up the passkey.