| Price | Junkfood Custom Arcades |
| Release | May 2025 |
| Compatibility | PS5 / XSX / NS / PC |
| Dimensions | 12.5″ x 6″ x 1″ |
| Weight | ~2 lbs |
| Cable | ~1.83 to ~2.74 m |
Introduction
The SWORL is perhaps Junkfood Custom Arcades’ most ambitious project at the time of its release. Its name is a mixture of swirl and world.
Despite the company’s groundbreaking success with the Snack Box Micro, the controller’s fighting game specialty was somewhat of a setback, so the SWORL is more than a fighting game controller. It can also work with RPGs, rhythm games, and more.
Does the SWORL have a learning curve? Yes, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t designed well. It just means it has a new layout that, if you learn it, you should see the benefits. Also, your hands shouldn’t get tired.
Unboxing
Among the items you should receive with your brand new SWORL are:
- Junkfood Custom Arcades sticker
- Right angle USB-C braided cable
- Hard shell dual-compartment carrying case
The case has enough rigidity to protect your SWORL without being too stiff. It has a divider, so the controller can be on one side, and any other thing you’d like to store can be on the other side.
Performance
On the SWORL’s left, you will find a slanted set of WASD keys. On the right, there are 10 attack buttons with five buttons per row (so a total of two rows).
The two middle attack buttons are supposed to be for L3 and R3. Regardless, you should be able to map the SWORL’s buttons however you want. Oh, and the MX switches are hot swappable, which is awesome.
Instead of analog sticks, the SWORL has two grippy & rubbery trackballs or “thumb domes” with a Hall effect that you can move with the sides of your thumbs, and they should return to the neutral position after release (without drifting). They are supposed to limit the needed travel distance for an input to register by a whopping 40%!
By the way, why does the SWORL’s Hall effect matter? You see, it allows for precise and smooth tracking with little wear & tear since there are no components rubbing against each other in a way that would cause degradation over time.
Hardware
The SWORL is a mini controller that is still wide enough to place on your lap without having to squeeze your legs together. The controller features a heavy metal plate. Furthermore, custom MX mounting plates change the feeling and sound of the buttons.
You can also disable the SWORL’s analog controls, such as when playing RPGs. You can even latch the analog control to a forward direction when playing RPGs and then pull backward to unlatch.
Moving on, the six secondary buttons can be found in the upper center of the SWORL’s top panel:
- Home
- Select
- Start
- Touch
- Edit
- Profile
Also, the SWORL’s wrist resting space is sloped downward for ergonomic purposes.
With that being said, the SWORL has three independent PCBs for easy upgrades and repairs, which are the (1) main PCB, (2) analog control PCB, and (3) USB PCB.
The SWORL’s chip is provided by the bestselling Brook, and there is support for a battery & wireless dongle. The controller’s edition with less compatibility (basic edition) can accept a compatibility boosting dongle. Otherwise, you can go for the multiconsole edition.
As for the USB, you may be able to order cables of different lengths from Junkfood Custom Arcades. You can even attach a couple of keychains to the SWORL to enhance its looks. Speaking of looks…
Appearance
When ordering a SWORL, you can choose the RGB LEDs, MX switches, keycap colors, enclosure color, and artwork. In fact, the controller features toolless art swapping, thanks to the magnetic design.
We at The Arcade Stick can help you with the art through our custom service. For example, here is some SWORL art by our artist, Mina Spasojevic, which we printed too:
You can also submit any SWORL artwork you already have if you would like us to print it for you! Make the art pop even more by choosing the appropriate keycap colors, which can range from hot pink to sky blue.
Conclusion
Gamers of all kinds should absolutely consider the innovative SWORL.
- 10 adjustable buttons
- Hall effect trackballs
- Slanted WASD keys
- Hot swappable switches
- Angled & braided cable
- Multiconsole or basic
- For many games
- Brook chip
- Wireless support
- Easy to modify
- Can latch analog
- Can attach keychains
- Features metal
- Carrying case
- Decent width
- Wrist slope
- RGB LED
- Customizable art
- Color customization
- Magnetically toolless
Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐