There are so many leverless controllers on the market at this point, yet few come quite as small as the Snack Box Micro from Junkfood Arcades.
This no-nonsense controller is a delightful option for you if you’re after something simple, stylish, and easily portable for all of your fighting game needs. Weighing in at 360g and measuring 253mm in length, it’s significantly smaller than, say, the Hit Box Ultra, but it packs a boatload of neat little features that could make it a firm favourite.
Starting with compatibility, the Micro works out of the box with Switch 1 and 2, PS5, Xbox, and PC thanks to the Brook PCB (printed circuit board). The native PS5 compatibility is particularly notable, however, and a big reason for the controller’s more premium price. RRP is set at $220, but it’s listed at $165 at the time of writing, which is actually pretty competitive in the world of arcade controllers.
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As expected, this is also a wired-only controller, and this is to help keep any input lag to an absolute minimum. The included wire is braided and exceptionally strong, which is great. Meanwhile, the USB-C port sits at a right-angle against the controller, meaning the cord is kept neatly out of the way when you’re all hooked up.
Many leverless options these days come with additional, programmable inputs, but the Micro has stuck to the basics. This means you’ve got four directional inputs over on the left, and eight action inputs on the right, laid out in the standard leverless format made popular by Hit Box. This makes the Micro a solid choice for beginners, since you won’t need to worry about additional inputs beyond the essentials.
The switches under the buttons are Kailh Choc Amber v1, which feel pretty great. Actuation is set at 1mm which allows for some swift combos on Street Fighter 6, and they’re comfortably one of the quieter options on the market for mechanical switches.
As for the button caps, these have a matte feel with a pleasant texture along with a concave design. I thought they felt great, but if you prefer convex inputs, Junkfood offers this as a separate purchase.
Over on top, you’ll find your function buttons. These are a little bit too small for my liking; so much so that pressing them feels a little uncomfortable. That said, they’ll serve your needs and do everything from screenshot capture to home screen access. None of the inputs are labelled, which could cause some headaches for newcomers, but you’ll soon get used to the layout. If not, you can pop in some custom artwork to provide full labelling.
Speaking of artwork, the Micro is one of the more accessible options out there if you like to personalise your controllers. You simply remove the four screws on the backside, then lift up the vinyl cover on the front. By default, Junkfood has included its own artwork containing its logo and whatnot, but you can spice it up with something cool and there are plenty of services online to help you (the transparent casing means it also looks killer without any artwork at all).
On the backside, the Micro also has a lovely non-slip cover to keep the controller in place while in use on a desk. The texture is wonderful and feels super premium. Just keep in mind that the exceptionally small size means that playing on your lap could prove problematic, so desk use might actually be the best approach with this one.
Finally, personalising the Micro’s software is easy. Just hook it up to a PC and navigate to Junkfood’s configurator. Here, you can remap inputs, adjust the RGB lighting, change the SOCD mode, and more. Alternatively, specific combinations of the left function key and action inputs will allow you to perform basic customisation directly on the controller itself.
Overall, the Micro is a lovely little device that nails the essentials while being remarkably portable. So many alternatives these days are trying new and wacky ideas to try and stand out, and frankly it can be a little overwhelming. The Micro does its job well, and though its RRP is a little steep, buying this at a cheeky sale discount could prove a wise investment.
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Thanks to Junkfood Arcades for providing the sample used in this review.
