8BitDo makes a great many accessories for gamers, like controllers, and now you can toss a mechanical keyboard into the mix. The keyboard will come in two different flavors to mark the era. The N Edition and the Fami Edition.
As you may have already guessed, the N Edition design is inspired by the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System), while the Fami Edition is inspired by the Famicom, Japan’s version of the original Nintendo console. These inspired designs even feature the colors of those consoles which they represent. The color scheme of course isn’t the only thing that’s different about these keyboards. The Fami Edition features both English and Japanese characters for example.
There are a few other small details that make each keyboard unique too. Like the A and B buttons on the right side of the space bar, and the design of the branding across the top. Each keyboard also comes with a separate set of A and B buttons that are rather large. These super buttons as 8BitDo calls them can be mapped to keys for games like a set of macros. Giving you a couple of extra buttons for gameplay. Even better is that you can map anything to them and you don’t need software to do it. Something which you generally do need for mapping keys on most peripherals.
The 8BitDo retro mechanical keyboard is available for pre-order
If your setup could use a touch of retro style or if you just like collecting keyboards, 8BitDo will launch these towards the end of September. But you can pre-order them now if you wanted to secure your unit. They go for $99.99 each and are compatible with both Windows 10 and up, and Android 9.0 and up.
They feature three different modes of connection so they should be pretty versatile too. You can plug them in and use them wired, or you can go wireless with Bluetooth or a 2.4GHz dongle. Obviously, Bluetooth will be perfect for phones and tablets. While the dongle is great for PC use along with the wired connection.
You can snag either keyboard from Amazon or 8BitDo directly. And Amazon says these should be released on September 20.