8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard

[grasshopper]

This curiosity caught my eye a few weeks ago.

https://www.8bitdo.com/retro-mechanical-keyboard/

I don't normally like gaming keyboards, or keyboards that have superfluous controls above the main keys. However, I do think the Famicom edition looks strangely coherent and attractive. I particularly like the Japanese legends, even though I don't speak a word of Japanese.

The NES edition is not quite as attractive IMHO, but still not bad looking by gaming keyboard standards.

The keycaps are apparently Dye-sub PBT. I wonder if they will sell them separately.

[Muirium]

Ooh, very nice indeed!



I have one of their SNES-style Bluetooth gamepads. It’s so-so. Looks better than it feels. No one ever seems to get Nintendo’s D-pad right. Certainly not according to Street Fighter II! So my guess is this board is easier on the eyes than the fingers. Surely no match at all for that PC’s OG keyboard.



Nice looks though.

[TNT]

And it comes with Kailh Box Whites. That's nice!

[Muirium]

I must admit I’m quite tempted, given the reasonable price, the unfamiliar (to me) switches, and the hot-swap. I don't have any hot-swappable keyboards. A looker like this, with Bluetooth, is a compelling addition…

Any good reasons not to? I could use one of those.

[kbdfr]

[…] Any good reasons not to? […]

I see none

[Muirium]

:wary Scotsman looking into his wallet emoji:

[Lanrefni]

If it weren't for the fact that non split boards make my wrists scream in agony after an hour of use I'd be all over this,really wish they would do a split version.

[Muirium]

Split? Maybe after they do a 60%. Not that I expect them to even do a 60%.

I did order one of these, btw. I’m not crazy for yet another TKL, but this one has Bluetooth—unlike my other TKLs—along with all the stuff I mentioned before. Those looks for that price? Irresistible…

[robinsonb5]

Split and 60%? Says a lot that both of those are more likely than ISO!

[Findecanor]

It looks weird that they put a Commodore bread-bin VIC-20/64 - style Power LED on an item that is otherwise NES-themed.
For comparison: C64, 8BitDo.

I like the overall shape of the keyboard and the features with the dials on the top left, but I didn't grow up with a NES/Famicom so I don't have any nostalgia for it and I don't think any of the two colour themes actually looks good.

[grasshopper]

One minor niggle is that they don't appear to be offering an ISO version. That's far from a deal-breaker, but I do prefer the ISO enter key.

I believe that most Japanese keyboards are based around the ISO layout. So, it might have been more appropriate for the Famicom model to be ISO.

It would also be nice (but perhaps unrealistic) if the keyboards supported the PS/2 protocol in wired mode. There are some FPGA emulation systems that use the PS/2 protocol because it's far simpler to implement than USB, so it's still somewhat relevant. PS/2 also potentially has less lag than USB, which can be important for gaming.

[Muirium]

What to pine for next: Alps support?

I get Fin's point, but I like this keyboard for what it is, more than what vintage consumer goods it's inspired by. Nintendo didn't have a Commodore style bulging power LED on top, but I had many things which did. I dig that look in any case.

[Findecanor]

I believe that most Japanese keyboards are based around the ISO layout. So, it might have been more appropriate for the Famicom model to be ISO.

Most Japanese keyboards are based on the JIS layout, which has the same type of Enter/Return key as ISO layout, but a lot of differences: split Backspace, long left Shift, split right Shift, additional keys to the left and right of the Space bar.

The Famicom version of the 8bitdo retro keyboard has legends with the same Hiragana characters as JIS layout ... except that it is missing those additional keys that an actual JIS layout has.

There are some FPGA emulation systems that use the PS/2 protocol because it's far simpler to implement than USB, so it's still somewhat relevant.

Some new hobbyist computers based on older hardware do too. For instance, the Commander X-16.

PS/2 also potentially has less lag than USB, which can be important for gaming.

That's a myth. When looking at only the protocol, PS/2 and "Full-speed" USB have about the same theoretical minimum limits for latency, and PS/2 has lower throughput.
PS/2 is only faster if you compare it against a cheaper-than-cheap office keyboard that uses "low-speed" USB, based on an old dedicated keyboard controller chip. There is no USB gaming keyboard that is slower than PS/2.

[Muirium]

I did order one of these, btw.

Arriving today, I’m told.

[Muirium]

And so here it is! My very first impressions…

The board itself is an Absolute Unit of a slab, with no noticeable flexing whatsoever when grabbed both ends and twisted. Quite impressive! Easily tougher feeling than many vintage boards I have of more considerable weight. This one isn't lightweight by any means—its centre of gravity is quite far back in the wedge—but I’m used to IBM; with or without a solid zinc case. No complaints, though: this is commendably solid, with a presence.

The aesthetic is what it is: plenty! It strikes me as more playful, maybe even approaching the childish, in person versus pics. The A&B sidekick controller is emphatically too much! The colourway is consistent, mind, all things matching perfectly, right down to the box. That Commodore-style power LED is definitely my favourite LED in a keyboard. No pretence at "backlighting" here, it's true to the 1980s.

What impresses me most about this keyboard, though, are the switches. Kailh Box Whites are really pretty good. They stack up quite well in the "light and high clicky switches" stakes I was recently on about, with a mind to hot-swapping in some alternatives. I’m quite impressed! The sound is reassuringly "vintage clicky" in this very solid case, and the feel is crisp and sharp, just as I was looking for. I'll have to swap in some lesser switches I have spare (MX blues and whites) to convince myself!

The caps are pretty decent, but not all time greats. I can believe they're PBT but they don't feel like all my other favourites in that material. The row profiles are a bit flat for my liking, but they're tall and spherical enough to be pleasing all the same. I'll have more to say about them once I even get to the keypuller…

I’m using this on my Mac. Bluetooth works like a charm, literally out of the box here now. The modifiers are all PC-style, but nothing Karabiner can't work out. What does escape me, however, are the B and A keys on the bottom row. Neither sends keycodes over Bluetooth, nor do the enormous B and A buttons when plugged in round back. Besides those, everything else shows up just fine, including the little volume dial, which just sends volume up and down keycodes on each detent! I'd rather a real knob than a spinner, but that fight was lost long ago almost everywhere.

One actual problem so far: pressing Control+Option+Command+V—my clipboard history shortcut—doesn't trigger Jumpcut but unhelpfully emits a [doesn't show up on DT but a hollow square] character. Karabiner reports the Command key being masked by the other two, when I press them in my normal way, or the middle one being blocked when I press them in reverse! Did they goof up the modifiers for Bluetooth's inherent 6KRO? Is this a rollover issue on direct USB connection, too? I'll have to rummage out a USB C to C cable, as there's only an A to C in the box. Edit: No, this is just a bug in my Karabiner rules. Disabled the modswap and now everything's fine about the modifiers, on both wired connection and Bluetooth. I'll have to fix my code.

One more nice touch: the big red vintage-style LED slowly throbs when the keyboard is charging. (It's quite a lot like PowerBooks used to do, like breathing while asleep.) So weirdly "futuristic" as I realise how impressed I would have been back in the day just to see that on a C64!

All in all, colour me well chuffed! It's a cracking board, and for a magnificent price. The value for money is quite terrific. These switches may well prove to be an all time favourite for me. I'll surely give it a thorough workout and see how they settle in.