8BitDo Retro mechanical keyboard review – delivers on nostalgia and performance
Reviewed By: Sebastian Kozlowski
Table of Contents
Recently, I got to get my hands on one of the most unique keyboards I’ve tested yet, the 8ButDo Retro. Featuring the ultimate in nostalgic, NES inspired design, this keyboard sure does look the part – but the question on my mind was whether it’s all style and no substance?
Here’s what I thought of this mechanical keyboard, and ultimately, whether it’s worth the money.
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*Stock availability and pricing subject to change depending on retailer or outlet.
- Form factor: TKL – 87keys
- Key switches: Kailh Box White Switches V2
- Keycaps: Dye-sublimation PBT keycaps with MDA-like height
- Connectivity: Wireless 2.4G, Bluetooth, Wired
- Dimensions: Keyboard: 376.6×169.6×46.8mm
- Weight: 1050g
The 8BitDO Retro is one of those rare cases where style meets substance. This is an excellent keyboard in its own right, but delivers the ultimate in nostalgia for NES fans. It sounds and feels great to use, and has a whole host of add-ons and accessories to expand the board with. What’s more, it comes in at under $100, which is exceptional value for money considering the build quality and connectivity options.
- Support for wired, 2.4GHz, and Bluetooth connectivity
- Under $100 price tag
- Solid build quality and design
- Great sounding typing experience
- Plenty of customization options for keys and additional controller
- No adjustable feet to change the angle
- Extra buttons are large, and it takes time to get used to them
- No media keys
Design and features
As mentioned, this keyboard version is heavily inspired by the NES console. It features the keyboard’s basic block colors of white, grey, and red. It's a bold design without modern RGB or flashy lights, just singular power and status LEDs.
You'll find those extras at the top, with the power light on the right and controls on the left. It has three flat buttons for pairing, fast key mapping, and changing profiles, along with two dials – one for switching connection mode and the other for adjusting your volume.
The rest of the keyboard is a 75% design, cutting off the Numpad completely but keeping the arrow and home keys on the right side. It also swaps out the two bottom right keys for an A and B option instead of the Windows and right-click buttons. These can be customized to your liking through their software.
8Bitdo Retro Mechanical Keyboard box contents, Image by PC guide
8Bitdo Retro Mechanical Keyboard accessorry buttons, Image by PC guide
8Bitdo Retro Mechanical Keyboard AB extra buttons, Image by PC guide
8Bitdo Retro Mechanical Keyboard 3.5mm accessories connectors, Image by PC guide
8Bitdo Retro Mechanical Keyboard, Image by PC guide
8Bitdo Retro Mechanical Keyboard USB C port and dongle, Image by PC guide
8Bitdo Retro Mechanical Keyboard top left, Image by PC guide
8Bitdo Retro Mechanical Keyboard power light, Image by PC guide
8Bitdo Retro Mechanical Keyboard keyboard and buttons, Image by PC guide
8Bitdo Retro Mechanical Keyboard key switches, Image by PC guide
8Bitdo Retro Mechanical Keyboard in front of box, Image by PC guide
It's even interesting and different on the back connection area of the board, as you get an ingress to stow away the USB receiver and make sure you don't lose it. Along with the USB C port for connecting to your device, there are, more surprisingly, four 3.5mm ports. These are for the additional accessories 8Bitdo has to offer.
The Retro board has a dual button plate with A and B buttons that connect via one of those 3.5mm ports. These are programmable to do what ever you want. As it comes with stickers, you can also label them in case you want to remember what each does down the line. 8Bitdo sells even more keyboard extensions, such as joysticks or buttons, so you really go all-in and build a pretty impressive setup here.
Pricing
The 8Bitdo Retro mechanical keyboard is rather inexpensive, all things considered, coming in at $99.99/£90.46. It is impressive that it hits the sub-three-digit mark with all the features on board, especially as it is wireless and comes with extras. It’s surprising to see it for that price when plenty of other custom options can cost more.
If you're looking for other accessories, they range in price up to $44.99 for a mechanical numpad if you're missing one and want to match the colorway. The singular buttons are available for $10 each, or the ABXY and joystick for $15.
Performance
When it comes to using the keyboard itself, I found that the dye sub-PBT keycaps were very heavy and had a great feel to them. While the Kailh Box white switches offer great-sounding actuation, the top-mount style, and chassis give it a very low, in-depth sound when typing.
Setting up the software to utilize the keyboard to its full potential was pretty decent, although it only worked while plugged in and wouldn't appear in wireless mode. However, setting up profiles with different modes and functions is easy to program and switch between.
Using the dials is rather satisfying, as the wireless toggle has a good click between the three modes. Volume one has less sensitive steps but dials in the volume very well with a changeable step number for different increments. The A and B separate buttons on the side are rather squishy, however, which don’t offer quite the same satisfaction as the keyboard itself.
It could do with adjustable feet, and perhaps a more obvious battery status indicator, but in terms of overall performance and usage, I think it has everything more than covered.
Verdict
- Form factor: TKL – 87keys
- Key switches: Kailh Box White Switches V2
- Keycaps: Dye-sublimation PBT keycaps with MDA-like height
- Connectivity: Wireless 2.4G, Bluetooth, Wired
- Dimensions: Keyboard: 376.6×169.6×46.8mm
- Weight: 1050g
Overall, the 8Bitdo is one of those rare occasions when style meets substance, and delivers fully on nostalgia while being a fantastic keyboard in its own right. The potential to expand and customize is certainly there, with excellent accessories in-keeping with the NES console theme it captures so well. This is the type of keyboard that would look incredible in any setup, but especially one that features a few more retro touches. And all this for under $100? What a win.
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