| Price | Etsy |
| Release | March 2023 |
| Compatibility | NS2 / PC |
| Dimensions | 12″ x 6″ x 0.6″ |
Introduction
As a fighting gamer, the word “walnut” may remind you of three things:
- Super Arcade in Walnut, California
- A healthy snack to eat in between matches
- Great material to make leverless controllers
In Arborcade’s case, it’s the third point that’s the most relevant! You see, this fine establishment makes leverless controllers out of walnut, mahogany, and so on.
With that being said, Arborcade controllers have 12 main buttons by default. Also, there are six function buttons, which are enough. Need a joystick? That is possible too.
Arborcade controllers come in different sizes, depending on your needs. For example, maybe you want a large controller to place on your lap without squeezing your legs together too hard.
On the other hand, maybe you want to gift your younger sibling a smaller controller. Just let Bino from Arborcade know your needs, and he can ship your controller from Oregon with care. For now, it’s time to talk about the performance.
Performance
Let’s dive into the Walnut All-Wood Flatbox specifically. Its walnut buttons are flanged and installed from the bottom to prevent them from popping out during an intense gaming session.
With that said, the Kailh Choc V1 Red switches are hot swappable for your convenience, but if you stick to these default switches, they’re low profile and smooth.
The switches’ performance is supplemented by 24 mm Sanwa OBSN buttons featuring spalted tamarind with custom wooden plungers. The jump button is 30 mm, so you can press it with your thumb’s side easily.
Hardware
Something interesting about the Walnut All-Wood Flatbox is that it’s a small controller housed within a bigger enclosure, but the resulting controller is still considered a mini controller—if that’s what you need. It’s finished with semi-gloss urethane that’s oil-based.
At this point, it’s worth mentioning that Arborcade controllers are quite slim, so you might be able to slide them into a tablet sleeve you already own. For connectivity, the USB-C port comes out of the center back—a convenient location.
Speaking of connectivity, Arborcade goes for a combination of a custom Flatbox PCB and the GP2040-CE firmware. The firmware is excellent, open source, has pretty much no lag, and comes with SOCD cleaning for tournament legality.
Appearance
Wood has been popular for fighting game controllers for years now, but they’re still niche enough to make you stand out if you own a wooden controller. That said, Arborcade’s appearance can be summarized in its choices of wood, such as walnut and mahogany:
- Walnut has a rich and dark grain that feels pleasant to the touch.
- Mahogany has a warm tone and fine texture that shouldn’t irritate your skin.
Aborcade’s style is very minimalistic, so you won’t see button labels taking away from the controllers’ elegant look.
Conclusion
Whether you’ve been playing fighting games for decades or are a newcomer, consider investing in an Arborcade controller. It’s suitable for competitive players and those who play once in a blue moon. Also, the customer feedback on Etsy speaks for itself.
Just imagine yourself finally receiving your Arborcade package, unboxing the controller, catching a whiff of the fine wood’s smell, and jumping straight into an online gaming session (in which you dominate)!
- Hot swappable switches
- Sanwa flanged buttons
- Layout & size choices
- Lever or leverless
- Wood options
- Slim & light
- Urethane finish
- Excellent firmware
- Custom printed circuit board
Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐