Viewing topic 8BitDo introducing NES and Famicom-style mechanical keyboards

8BitDo introducing NES and Famicom-style mechanical keyboards

Pengling Aug 1, 2023

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I just saw this and figured that there are probably enough retro-gaming fans here on GOL for it to be worth posting about.

8BitDo has unveiled their Retro Mechanical Keyboard - an 87-key keyboard using Kailh Box White V2 switches (clicky, with an actuation-force of 45g), which is available in designs fashioned after the Nintendo Famicom, and its Western equivalent the Nintendo Entertainment System. It can be connected via USB, 2.4GHz wireless, or Bluetooth, and contains a 2000mAh lithium-ion battery with an estimated 200 hours of battery-life per charge, and a 4-hour recharging time.

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The Famicom-style version is somewhat reminiscent of the Family BASIC keyboard that was available for that console in the early 1980s, and, likewise, the NES-style version slightly resembles the never-released Nintendo Advanced Video System, which was a home-computer-styled NES prototype.

Aside from looking nice, they're both supplied with "Dual Super Buttons" - a separate device bearing two programmable keys that resemble oversized gamepad buttons. However, I'm unsure how or if these would be usable under Linux, as the official web-page only mentions compatibility with Microsoft Windows and Android, and it appears that the "PC" software for customising the functions of the keyboard is Windows-only.

Anyway, hopefully someone out there enjoys these!

Last edited by Pengling on 2 August 2023 at 12:29 am UTC

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StoneColdSpider Aug 1, 2023

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That would go well with their mouse.......

Last edited by StoneColdSpider on 1 August 2023 at 10:04 pm UTC

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Grogan Aug 1, 2023

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You can pry my big old IBM clickety clack keyboard from my stiff, dead hands. One of the first PS/2 keyboards from the 80's, I snagged it from an old pharmacy computer that was going to the dump. I've been using it for 30 years.

I'm not sure if it will be practical to get a motherboard with a PS/2 port so I might have to get a new one when I finally get around to upgrading. Last I checked you could still get boards with one PS/2 port (autodetecting keyboard or mouse for IRQ assignment) but that wasn't recently.

I hate cheap membrane keyboards. They make too many typing mistakes :-)

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StoneColdSpider Aug 2, 2023

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Quoting: GroganYou can pry my big old IBM clickety clack keyboard from my stiff, dead hands.

Im the same..... Though mines a much newer Unicomp Model M.......

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wvstolzing Aug 2, 2023

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My Unicomp died on me, so I was bereft of a decent mechanical keyboard for a few years. They aren't available where I live, so I had to get something else eventually, with 'brown' key switches. They're *entirely* unlike buckling spring switches; but I really like them so far.

Quoting: GroganI hate cheap membrane keyboards. They make too many typing mistakes :-)

Mushy membrane keyboards, 'chiclet keys', etc. etc., hurt my fingers after extensive use.

By the way, these 8bitdo keyboards appear to have mechanical switches as well.

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Cybolic Aug 2, 2023

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While I quite like the look of this, I'm still waiting on 8BitDo to let me update the firmware on my Pro 2 controller. Seeing as that used to be possible with their older controllers and they've since removed any possibility to do so outside of using Mac or Windows, they'll have to start doing better by their consumers before I consider purchasing any of their products again.

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