Between the Analogue Pocket<\/a> and the proliferation of game emulators<\/a> on Apple\u2019s App Store<\/a>, retro gaming is more than chic in 2024. So, it\u2019s not terribly surprising that boutique keyboard maker Angry Miao is getting in on some of that sweet nostalgia with its latest mechanical board, the Game Boy-inspired AM RGB 65<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n But the real surprise is that what at first blush looks like a near-$600 parts bin rehash of an existing board<\/a> is actually Angry Miao\u2019s best mech to date.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The RGB 65 is a 65 percent layout keyboard, but its large dot matrix LED forehead means it takes up almost as much space as most 75 percent keyboards. It looks a whole lot like a shrunken-down Cyberboard<\/a>, but thankfully, it takes more design cues from one of the most beloved<\/a> handheld devices in human history than from a frequently mocked<\/a> rolling dumpster.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The retro vibes are most pronounced on the white and purple versions, but all colors of the RGB 65 have small homages to Nintendo\u2019s industrial design from the original \u201cDMG-01<\/a>\u201d Game Boy. This includes a curved bottom-right corner with six slats mimicking the speaker grill, a negative relief D-pad cutout surrounding the USB-C port, and mock B and A buttons on the bottom, which replace the wireless charging pad found on other AM models. Another aesthetic flourish is a Galaga<\/em> pixel art graphic adorning the plastic antenna window that lets the Bluetooth 5.1 and 2.4GHz wireless connections through the all-metal chassis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n 1\/3<\/p>\n 1\/3<\/p>\n Typing on the RGB 65 is a breath of fresh air compared to previous Angry Miao boards. The marbly sound signature is still present, but the new Icy Silver V2 linear switches with their nylon housings and revised internal design give the RGB 65 a deeper, much more \u201cthocky\u201d sound than any other<\/a> AM keyboard<\/a> I\u2019ve tried<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n I\u2019m relieved to see Angry Miao making strides in the sound and typing feel departments. While I\u2019ve personally enjoyed the sound of most prior AM keyboards, it\u2019s all very subjective. And the \u201cmeta\u201d around what\u2019s popular in the custom mechanical keyboard scene continues to evolve<\/a>. I think Angry Miao is doing a fine job keeping up with trends here, and it needs to.\u00a0This is a very expensive keyboard that should feel good and sound great out of the box, especially when you consider it rehashes a big design element from the Cyberboard.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The 200-LED dot matrix panel on the Cyberboard always looked charming, but while it\u2019s recycled on the RGB 65, it\u2019s better implemented and slightly more practical. Instead of being angled away from you and upside-down like on the Cyberboard, it\u2019s flat on the main deck and easy to see. It\u2019s still mostly a flashy novelty to go along with the RGB light show under the keys, but you can use Angry Miao\u2019s site<\/a> to do some deep customization or download fully baked presets from the community. It\u2019s fun to tinker with, even if I end up using it as a big desk clock most of the time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n But the most underwhelming bit of the RGB 65 is this \u201ccyber gray\u201d color combo, at least in comparison to the white and \u201cviolet fury\u201d options. It looks slick in its own right, sure, but the other two feel like where it\u2019s at for the maximum Game Boy vibes. Perhaps if the gray model used opaque light gray or charcoal black keycaps, it could channel a tiny bit of the Game Boy Advance SP<\/a> or Game Boy Pocket<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Either way, the RGB 65 desperately needs some see-through atomic purple<\/a> or jungle green<\/a> action (which is another ongoing trend<\/a>), so I hope Angry Miao considers a cheaper all-plastic version in the future. I\u2019d even be willing to sacrifice a bit of that thock if Angry Miao can allow itself to not overengineer every little thing from aluminum.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n