A keyboard that reminds us of the legendary Commodore 64

8BitDo's latest piece of keyboard art took its design inspiration from the 1980s computer, the Commodore 64, which is considered by many to be the most recognizable design today. Dubbed the Retro Mechanical Keyboard, the new keyboard is available for pre-order and is priced at just over US$100. It is currently only available across the pond, so ordering it to Europe would cost you quite a bit more. from the price of the keyboard.

Beneath its gorgeous thick brown keycaps (ABS plastic) and rainbow Commodore-style logo, this is essentially the same peripheral as the previous NES 8BitDo keyboard. It comes standard with Kailh Box White V2 click switches, but these can be swapped out if you want something less loud. It can be connected to devices via USB, Bluetooth or with a 2.4 GHz USB dongle, and the volume button is also built into the top left of the keyboard.

Similar to the NES keyboard, they added programmable “Super Buttons” that still look like the A and B buttons of the NES controller. This time they were joined by a small game stick called “Super Stick”. While the construction of this keyboard is the same as the previous one, expect both accessories to be wired and plug into the top of the keyboard via 3.5mm jacks. The entire keyboard uses a “tenkeyless” form factor, which means it doesn't have a numeric keypad, but otherwise maintains a relatively traditional layout and luckily no RGB lighting.

Interestingly, the original Commodore 64 has that boxy look you'd normally associate with mechanical keyboards, but was actually equipped with Mitsumi hybrid switches, which are a cross between a rubber dome and a mechanical switch.