Normally when we go into retro gaming we think of our handhelds, maybe our Sega Genesis or the Nintendo 64 controller everyone loved to use. But unless you’re a MS-DOS nerd you might not have thought about the keyboard you use for retro gaming.
When 8Bitdo released its first mechanical keyboard in Famicom and NES colorways, that whole idea changed. When they released the C64 edition, I was interested. And now with the IBM model, I was hooked.
Thanks to the cool guys over at AKNES, I’ve got the IBM model of the 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard to take a look at today. After one small change, I think this is going to be the keyboard for me going forward.
8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard: “Specs”
When it comes to specs, it gets a bit odd. Usually, it’s “Screen Size” this and “Switch Sticks” that. But this is a bit different. You can grab all the specs of a stock 8BitDo Retro Keyboard right down below.
- Switch Type: Kailh Box White V2 (Clicky switches, 45 grams of Operation force)
- Key switches are Hot-Swappable
- Keycaps: PBT, MDA styled design
- Connectivity: 2.4ghz, Bluetooth Low Energy, Wired over USB-C
- Dimensions: 14.8” x 6.7” x 1.9”
- Weight: 1,050 grams
- Battery: 2,000mAh (Rated for 200 hours of use)
And for those giant super buttons that come with
- Switch Type: Gateron Green (Clicky Switches, 80 grams of Operation force)
- Switches are Hot-Swappable
- Connectivity: Wired over 3.5mm Plug
- Dimensions: 6.3” x 2.9” 1.3”
- Weight: 270 grams
And just for comparison my last main keyboard the WK870 weighed 1,917 grams when fully built, and was only a wired keyboard. Alternatively, my 40% Keyhive UT47.2 weighed a measly 427 grams.
8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard: Software
The software for the keyboard as well as on the board are both pretty nice experiences for what they offer. On the PC you get 8BitDo’s Ultimate Software V2. For now, it only supports the keyboard and the Ultimate 2C Controllers, but it allows you to take care of many different functions. You can update the firmware, set up macros, and switch through different profiles to find exactly what you need for your keyboard.
On the board itself, you have the power LED, the connectivity, and volume knobs as well as three extra buttons. Bluetooth Pairing, Fast Key Mapping, and Profile Switching. The FKM button allows you to quickly set up a macro that you can use on the two giant bonus buttons, and the other two do exactly what they sound like. While Barebones, the Ultimate Software V2 does its job and does it really well. It gets a thumbs-up from me.
8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard: The Change
When it comes to the one change that I made, it comes down to the switches. The Kailh Box White V2s were a nice light clicky switch that really does make the keyboard feel retro, but unfortunately, the clicks were a bit much for me. So following the sound test down below, I swapped over to a set of Akko V3 Creamy Blue Tactile Switches.
These also have a fairly light operating force of 45 grams. But the difference is they omit the click in favor of a light tactile bump. You can see the difference below. While it may be a personal preference, I still feel like it sounds like a retro keyboard, and to me, it feels even better.
8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard: Experience
When it comes to the experience of using this board, after swapping over to the Akko switches, it has been a basically flawless experience. The 2.4ghz connection activates immediately once I turn the knob to 2.4. And while I don’t prefer using it, connecting over Bluetooth was as easy as connecting something like my Xbox controllers to my PC. After connecting it just the one time, any time I would turn it on to Bluetooth it would just click back in after a moment.
Latency was another thing that I didn’t really notice, especially on 2.4 GHz. When it comes to gaming, I don’t notice any delay in my button presses, but I’m also not someone who is trying hard to win every last game I play. The most impressive thing to me though
has been the longevity of the battery. I charged this fully the first night I received this board. Outside of plugging it in to update the firmware, I have yet to plug this keyboard in again nearly 2 weeks later. That 200-hour rating truly is no joke, and I think that’s the thing that really sells this keyboard to me.
Oh, and the big ole buttons work great every time I use them once I plug them into my keyboard. It’s almost like 8BitDo has some clue of what they’re doing.
Final Thoughts
I’ve been buying keyboards for years now. I have a few UT47.2s, a Rainkeeb, a Freebird60, the WK870, and even an old Epomaker I don’t remember the name of. All of my keyboard experience stems from a Gateron Brown-based Drevo Blademaster TE. But the 8Bitdo keyboard really feels like a step up despite being nothing more than a wireless TKL plastic keyboard.
8Bitdo properly lubricated and tuned the stabilizers (for me at least), their software and connectivity just work, and after changing the switches I have a feeling that I genuinely like. The only pitfall is the stepped caps lock which means you’ll need another one if you want to change the keycaps, but that isn’t the point. If you’re buying any version of this board, you’re buying it for the looks. And the 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard has that in spades despite the generic name.
I’m super happy the folks over at AKNES sent this to me, and despite all the modern-looking devices that clutter up my desk, this keyboard is going to stay. This is probably my favorite tech acquisition in the last year. Except for maybe the Loki Max, that thing is stellar too.
8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard
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