8Bitdo Retro Mechanical Keyboard, Bluetooth/2.4G/USB-C Hot Swappable Gaming Keyboard with 87 Keys, Dual Super Programmable Buttons for Windows and Android - N Edition

Quality product, great features, great price, amazing keyboard. This actually feels good to type on, and sounds incredible. If you like a nice loud, clicky (like loud clicky) keyboard, this is it. I can't decide which style of it looks best, but this M edition is gorgeous. It is both subtle, retro, and still feels modern somehow. I can't recommend it enough. If you're on the fence, this is that message. Buy it

I bought this keyboard because I was looking to build a nostalgic custom for several hundred dollar, then I found this beauty for only 99$. Out of the box, this thing is simply a treat. It's colorways just nail it, and bring back that old Nintendo nostalgia (I myself indulged in the Famicom variety). It has rubber-sleeved cables, which for a product like this is actually a boon, because the rubbers sleeves feel just like the controllers of old. Just as well there are the power buttons, which plug in via a 3.5mm jack at the back of the keyboard and really drive the message home. All around great presentation; it's thematically perfect. Then comes build quality. The board does feel a little hollow. It has a plastic shell, and no inner foam layer to fill things out (at least it doesn't sound or feel like it does, I don't really know for sure). However, it does have an aluminum plate which helps provide a good amount of thock, and the keycaps are dye-sub PBT which give them a nice noise that's on the lower side of the register. The switches themselves are Kailh Box White v2's. Now if Kailhs are a turn-off for you, I'll just say that I used to be the same way. However, Kailhs have come a long way through the years, and these are actually pretty good. Overall the switches feel quite consistent, they have good response, and they are nice and clicky (settling them in nicely with the keyboard's retro theme). Furthermore, the PCB itself is hot-swappable. So you can also change out the switches for whichever you like if you'd prefer something else (just make sure everything's compatible). What truly surprised me however were the stabilizers. I don't know exactly what they did to them, but they are silent; no rattle whatsoever, at least in my unit. Very nice play from a keyboard in this price range. Then there are the power buttons, which are much more useful then you might think. The buttons themselves have a nice texture that makes them feel great in the hand. They have a good weight to them, and they have a solid rubber bottom. So they'll stay put on any surface you place them. The switches within each button are the same as on the keyboard. So they feel nice and clicky with good response. At times, I have found myself just pushing the buttons over and over again only because it was so satisfying to do so. In addition to their nice build quality, they are programable using 8bitDo's companion software. I myself programed them to F5 and F8 so that I could use them as quick and easy quick-save and quick-load buttons when playing games on a controller. As I said before, there is companion software that allows you to reprogram the keyboard as you see fit. Just as well, there is an A and a B key on the keyboard itself which you can use as programmable hotkeys however you like. For connectivity, you have either wired, Bluetooth, or 2.4ghz. I never did try Bluetooth, but the wireless 2.4ghz is quite good. While I did have issues here and there with the 2.4ghz, causing it to randomly, and not that rarely, repeat the last input upon infinitum. Pressing any key would resolve the issue immediately. The battery life is very good as well. I've had the board since release, and have only charged it maybe twice. All and all, it's a great wireless board, and that's not including the nostalgia it perfectly recreates. For the price, you're getting a great entry-level offering into the high-end mechanical keyboard market, and in comparison to the likes of Corsair, Logitech, Razer, and the like, you're getting a heck of a lot more bang for your buck. Just and overall great product.

Absolutely awesome keyboard. Really easy setup out of the box. Typing on it feels awesome, and it's super responsive. Great feedback and feel, and the keyboard is solid and set at a great typing angle. Of course, it's got a great vintage aesthetic, and really evokes a nostalgic and calming feel when I use it and see it on my desk. I'm excited to use more features and set up the included buttons and joystick.

This review comes after six months of daily use for work, and play, using this keyboard. Appearance: I like it. it is reminiscent of the C64 keyboard but not exactly the same. It doesn't blind you with RGB lights either, which is great. Durability: I don't see any fading of the lettering on the keys. Everything is still working. Feel: I like the feel of the keys, but not everyone will. You have to push the keys down further than on some keyboards. I also like the sound they make over that of past keyboards; it's like a duller clicky sound. Connections: I have always used it with the USB cable. It offers the use of both Bluetooth or Wi-Fi if you want to use it wirelessly, but then you have to charge or power it in some way. Annoyance: There are "engraved" lines running around the keyboard and they can be hard to clean if something gets in there. Bonus feature! Since the keyboard uses a type C port for USB, it can be plugged directly into an IPad and it works instantly (I used the cable that came with the IPad). No need for an adapter like most keyboards would need. Of course, you have to think about power when doing this. Either it will use the IPad power or it uses an internal battery, I'm not sure which it uses in this case. I just remembered today that this came with two big buttons and a little joystick, so now I'm trying to think of something to use them for. I have not used any of the other features like the keyboard mapping software, the profiles, or the two programmable buttons between the alt and ctrl keys on the right side. Since everything else is so well made, I assume that those things would work well too. Summary: So far, I think it is my favorite keyboard, over the forty years that I've used keyboards.

I have a good amount of keyboards I have in rotation for my computer, and this is one of my favorites whenever I bust it out. Nice clicky tactile feedback from the Kailh Box White V2 switches, ability to use 2.4ghz dongle or bluetooth for other devices that aren't wired, SPECTACULAR SOUND, lovely vintage appearance and feel, on-board macro keys, n-key rollover, doubleshot-ABS keys (I had it for around a year and see no signs of fading), desk space saving (while having all keys in familiar places) TKL layout... this one is a straight up winner. I have the impression that a lot of the custom keyboard market is dominated by linear 'thocky' smaller size keyboards, and any that aren't pre-built that way, users would go out of their way to spend money and time on making them that way. You probably could do that with 8bitdo keyboards, but that would be missing the point of how and why these are built the way they are. To paraphrase Chyrosan22 on YouTube, these 8bitdo keyboards with their roomy plastic housing, metal plate, and lack of dampening make this a VERY good resonance chamber for clicky switches, amplifying and enriching the sounds. This is the same reason why the IBM Model M is such a beloved keyboard. And then again, if I were to want an actually quiet keyboard, I would go get one of those $10 compact keyboards that Walmart or Target would have. Otherwise, 8bitdo keyboards are a very easy recommendation, assuming its resonant sounds don't bother you or any nearby people.

You can't compare this to aluminum keyboards and the like, but as far as plastic keyboards go I would say this is very solid and has a little weight to it. I've experimented with some nameless, generic brand, and/or cheap mechanical keyboards over the last two years. They have issues with lower than normal battery life, inconsistent wireless/bluetooth performance, or cheap-feeling cases. The 8BitDo Retro has none of those issues. The design is really what drew me in. I'm a fan of the retro 80/70s look here. I just wish I knew they were going to make other designs because I think I prefer some of 8BitDo's later stuff, especially their IBM-inspired design. Also, while I love the look of everything from the keys, the colors, and overall design, my one nitpick is the branding "retro keyboard" at the top that kind of bugs me. That bit could have gone on the back. And then there's the Kailh Box White switches that are used in most of 8BitDo's keyboards. I was always a fan of Cherry MX Blues 10-15 years ago and then I took a huge break from the keyboard hobby. This was one of the first keyboards I bought when I got back into things, and it is the first clicky switch I tried. The difference in quality, typing feel, and sound is night and day from my old MX Blues. Clicky switches are not for everyone but I think it goes together with the Retro aesthetic 8BitDo is going for. They sound really good in this plastic case, and that includes the spacebar and stabilizer-backed keys, which I usually have to modify or mess around with in some way to make them sound the way I want. It is hot swappable so you can put other switches in if you want. There's no RGB. I'm not an RGB guy but at the price point you might expect it although I think that wouldn't fit with the retro theme. There are, of course, a lot of keyboard options at this price. Whether or not you buy this will come down to the aesthetics and the switches. I will say it might not be cheapest for what it is, but I can vouch for the reliability and overall construction of the keyboard after about a year of use.

8bitdo is known for their wireless controllers and it seems like they've decided to expand into mechanical keyboards. This is a great first attempt by them! I have a couple mechanical keyboards so I'm not an expert by any means, but I'll try to make it make sense for newbies. I have a Redragon K556 Pro that I used to type on before I got this and 8bitdo's has blown that out of the water. Battery life: The battery life is fantastic. I can't get my redragon to last more than a couple days even with turning off the keyboard at the end of the day. I haven't had to charge the battery yet for 8bitdo's and I started using it around early November 2023. Can't remember if it was bluetooth or 2.4 so I'll update when I check next time I'm in the office. The switches: I swapped out the switches in my Redragon for speed silvers which I do love, but I also love the switches on the 8bitdo keyboard. If you're a newbie to mechanical keyboards, the switches they use on 8bitdo's are the Kailh White switches which aren't super noisy, but aren't linear either. They're tactile. They're louder than speed silvers but still type nicely and aren't as loud as cherry blue switches. The clickiness volume sounds like a normal keyboard so your coworkers won't be super unhappy with you unless you're an angry typer like I am, lol. They sold me on the Kailh switches so if I ever decide to switch, that's what I'm using. The keycaps: I swapped out my keycaps on my Redragon which have a KCA profile. I wasn't super happy with them because I kept mistyping. I'm more of a Cherry girl. If I had to guess which keycap profile these were, these look a lot like DSA or XDA which are probably more my speed. They remind me of the XVX XDA profile keycaps actually (also sold on amazon), which are about same height as a normal keyboard's keycaps. That was smart because that makes this as close to a normal keyboard with the benefits of a mechanical keyboard. It's great for those who are thinking about swapping to a mechanical keyboard but also don't want to sink $$$ into one or wasting money trying to find the right keycap profiles for their typing style. The big red buttons: These are just so fun to use! It took me a second to figure out how to program them, but the instructions included were very helpful so I figured it out. They also weren't on fragile paper and I have it hiding under the buttons. It came with stickers too. I programmed my two to be Ctrl+C & Ctrl+V because they are my most used buttons and they work great when I remember to use them. My coworkers love to come over and mess with me by clicking them. These are wired, but the wire is long enough and unobtrusive. Was this worth it?: Absolutely 100% worth it. Mechanical keyboards get so costly. The fact that they made this keyboard $99.99 is extremely accessible when you consider that mechanical keyboards can cost hundreds. I hope to see a full sized version someday. No lie, I also wish they sold the keycaps because I absolutely love the retro aesthetic of this keyboard. It feels good and looks good so I would recommend this.

8-bit do retro keyboard review: I own the 8BitDo NES theme retro keyboard with B/A super buttons, as well as the similarlt-themed Retro Numpad. I've had them for a couple months now. I also own the Super Stick, which I just got today. Base score: 5 STARS. Here's my breakdown: Responsiveness: I love clicky keyboards. I understand not everyone does, but keeping that in mind, this is one of the most fluid keyboards I've ever used, and one of the nicest-sounding (*click click click!*) Ease of use: The USB Dongles are plug and play, but the keyboard and numpad both come with usb wires to charge/ use wired. The buttons to turn on and off the 2.4GHz wireless is seamless with no noticeable drop in regular use. Note that I didn't play a game with trigger controls and swap the connection style though, so I can't comment on that. Aesthetic: This thing is beautiful. It looks like a classic NES peripheral with its theme and it looks like it's straight out of the 80s. I love it. It's a little pricey (my setup all told was around $175 for the keyboard, numpad, and joystick), but that's roughly on par with other gaming keyboards, so its not so bad. The Good: Great sound, great aesthetic, great response time and connection type switching (a known benefit of 8BitDo). It's also solidly built and looks premium. The numpad doubles as an adding machine; niche, but neat. The keyboard also has two dedicated programmable buttons aside from the super buttons, which is good for those of you who like macros set up. The Bad: Sometimes the clackyness of the super buttons can cause simultaneous inputs to not fire just right, but this is manageable. It also has no backlight, which is a shame. For the price of the keyboard and numpad, I wish they would have made the button labels translucent and installed a stock backlight. makes gaming or computing in the dark impossible. The super stick is nice feeling, but if you're a heavy masher of buttons, the actual joystick (which is meant to disconnect for ease of shipping) falls off a lot. The mildly annoying: The numpad is set up as an adding machine, so if you're used to the computer numpad, you have to re-train yourself. This is offset by the fact that the numpad can be used as a stand-alone adding machine, so IO understand why this was done. Also, my whole setup, aside from the super stick uses the NES theme, but I couldn't get the super stick in that same color theme. 8BitDo, fix this; your stick is only $15, if I need t0 pay an extra couple $ for a license to use the NES color scheme, I would have done it. Lastly, it's a little pricey, so unless you're an 8BitDo diehard, have a retro itch you need to scratch, or are looking for a new gaming keyboard, this is a luxury buy you don't need to get to replace a working gaming keyboard. I don't regret my purchase by any means, but I didn't *need* it. The Awesome:8mm jacks for button input? Genius. This makes those inputs usable for ANY switch-based button. To prove a point, I used an old X-Arcade coin-op setup (which is a coin receptacle connected to a switch), connected an off-the-shelf 8mm plug, and plugged it into one of the 4 connectors that comes with the retro keyboard and boom, instant coin op! Also, the components will connect to each other via magnets! I just found this out. It never occurred to me why my keyboard and numpad always stood together despite me dragging the setup all over my desk. It works with the super buttons too! Also, the batteries in these things are downright epic. I use my computer 3-4 days a week and the numpad (the keyboard was plugged in most of the time out of habit) went from 100% to 95% after 3 weeks. 3 WEEKS! This is another staple of 8BitDo- insane battery life. Overall: Worth the price of admission, if not for the aesthetic alone, for the versatility, wireless capabilities, and battery life. Are you looking for a signature look for your keyboard setup? do you want to have arcade buttons on your desktop, do you want the best wireless options and battery life you've ever experienced in a peripheral? Get this.