Last year as a part of my EVO content package, I purchased the event-exclusive variant of JunkFood Custom Arcades' Snack Box Micro. Since then, I got familiar with the companion JF App that also allowed easily accessible customizable options including LED patterns and colors. The case itself was something I praised it for in terms of breaking down a setup and making adjustments to it. Changing the artwork as well as the button caps is as simple as swapping them out for new ones on the fly. However, there's one not-so-secret attribute to the Snack Box Micro that I didn't attempt to mess around with until an idea came to me via a friend of mine.
I will begin this by saying that I am not sponsored by JunkFood Custom Arcades at the time of this write-up or any of the past coverage of the Snack Box Micro. I'm just a big fan of their work and how mod-friendly their setups are. My friend builds custom arcade sticks and prefers buttonless as well, so I'm also a big fan of their work as well. At the previous Tekken local, the same one where I compared myself to "Cinderella" (how embarrassing), I was given these glistening gems in a bag. These cute pink squares may look like candy but they aren't meant for human consumption! Instead, these confectionary-appearing switches were for my Snack Box Micro. They can be used in your Snack Box as well as any other controller that uses low-profile micro-switches.
This post is also not sponsored by Kailh or the following websites that I'll mention I got the rest of my switches from, but it is very possible to change the default microswitches in the Snack Box Micro with something of personal preference. The only thing is that the replacement microswitches have to be Kailh Low Profile V1 Choc Switches. They can not be V2 or any other brand, like Gateron for example, unless the player has custom keycaps to fit another type of switch. Most importantly, they can't be any other form of microswitch except the low-profile ones because I almost made the mistake of trying to fit some Black Cherry MXs into the case. That would have been humorous (it wouldn't, I would have been annoyed).
Adding regular keyboard microswitches to buttons is something that has been done before, more specifically GAMEFINGER and Crown SDB-202 MX Buttons. Under normal circumstances, the inside of a button has a built-in mechanism meant to replicate the arcade experience. There are some buttons that use the same switches found in keyboards instead, giving players an added layer of customization. The Sanwa OBSF buttons are known to be light and responsive while the Seimitsu PS-14 is noticeably flat, with a firm and heavy resistance on release.
What makes the ingenuity of "microswitch buttons" an enticing venture for beginner modders is that players can adjust how each button feels to their liking. This is because keyboard switches range in various colors, categories, and weights. There are more than sixteen types of choc switches and I've ordered mine from Chosfox but any place that's convenient is good enough to score some of these little guys. Before diving into the vast array of options available, it's best for the player to know what they want. Linked below is a video that goes in extensive detail about the types of microswitches available and the "best recommended" one for the Snack Box Micro.
The Snack Box Micro comes equipped with twelve Red switches, which are linear with 50gf of operating force needed to activate the switch. This is the gold standard when it comes to what one will expect from their Snack Box unboxed and it is definitely more than enough for most players. I felt like I could go for lighter springs, as the lower number of "gf" required, the less force needed to activate the button. One of my dear friends (whom I was playing friendly casuals with at the Tekken Monthly this past Saturday) as I mentioned earlier, gave me a bag of their leftover Pinks.
Looking at the video above as well as the Chosfox website, Pink switches are 20gf, an entire 30 gram-force difference from the default Reds. I immediately felt the difference, as I compared the inputs as "hair-trigger sensitive" which meant that quick reaction times were rewarded, but so was the risk of dropping inputs. At least with the directions, especially for 3D games, I can move a lot more freely. In 2D games, it means I always have a special motion ready upon reaction. For the rest of the buttons, I swapped the Reds with Robins.
Robins are clicky switches, different from Reds and Pinks. Clicky switches are just as satisfying to press on a controller as they are on a keyboard and it means that my buttons have some weight to them. The best example I can compare this to is turning the controller vibration on to feel "every impact." The Robins are heavier than the Reds by 10 gf, meaning a little bit more effort is used to confirm a button input but not by much.
So, in short, my directional inputs were lightning fast while my attack buttons felt snappy, weighted, and with a force behind each press. This caused a brief sensory overload as my left hand was touching smooth silk buttons with buttery handling while my right hand felt as if I was thrusting my foot on a car accelerator. I had to throw a car reference somewhere, my apologies. Until my new replacement art case arrives from JunkFood Custom Arcades (please notice me!), this will be a set-up I'll have the most fun getting used to and in mere seconds it can be anyone else who is curious enough as well.
The parts were easy to get, arriving within a week, and all that was needed was a Phillips screwdriver to unscrew the screws and push the buttons out from the motherboard. Then, separating the cap from the switch delicately, I replaced the switches with my new ones, lightly lubed them with the leftover 205g0 I had, and placed everything back together. It's like breaking into a pair of new sneakers, but like the relief my feet feel in a new pair, my fingers felt joy in a set-up that was not only different but unique and tailor-made for me, by me.
UPDATE: I decided to try out some Street Fighter 6 combos and I was pleasantly surprised at how much synergy there is between the light linear directions and the heavy clicky action buttons. As I expected, I was dropping a lot of inputs due to how delicate the switches were, but they also meant it was easier to glide my finger across the top three direction buttons. With a single wand motion of my finger, I could do a "quarter-circle-forward" motion and if I'm fast enough, I can cancel a special into a super in less than a second. Of course, this requires precision I don't have, so enjoy this Marisa combo I cooked up!