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8BitDo\u2019s latest mechanical keyboard riffs on the design of a 1980s computer with one of the most iconic-looking keyboards of all time: the Commodore 64. 8BitDo\u2019s Commodore 64 edition of its Retro Mechanical Keyboard series is available to preorder starting today for $109.99, with plans to ship it on May 26th.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Underneath its beautifully chunky brown keycaps (ABS plastic with double-shot legends) and Commodore-style rainbow logo, this is basically the same peripheral as 8BitDo\u2019s previous NES keyboard<\/a>. It comes with clicky Kailh Box White V2 switches as standard, but they\u2019re hot-swappable if you want to swap them out for something a little less loud down the line. It can connect to devices via a choice of USB, Bluetooth, or with a 2.4GHz USB dongle; and there\u2019s also a built-in volume dial at the top left of the keyboard.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Returning from the NES keyboard are the programmable \u201cSuper Buttons,\u201d which still look like the Nintendo Entertainment System controller\u2019s A and B buttons. This time, they\u2019re joined by a small joystick called the \u201cSuper Stick.\u201d If the construction of this keyboard is the same as the last, expect both of these accessories to be wired and to plug into the top of the keyboard via 3.5mm jacks. The whole keyboard uses a tenkeyless form factor that omits the numpad but otherwise maintains a relatively traditional layout, and there\u2019s no RGB lighting to speak of.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Interestingly, while the original Commodore 64 has that chunky look I\u2019d normally associate with clacky mechanical keyboards, it was actually equipped with Mitsumi hybrid switches, which are a cross between a rubber dome and mechanical switch. Retro keyboard YouTuber Chyrosran22 did a review of the Commodore 64C<\/a> (a variant of the Commodore 64 with a lighter color scheme), if you\u2019d like a closer look at the insides of the original.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n