For nostalgic Nintendo lovers who at some point in their past as gamers had an NES, the spectacular has just been revealed. 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard.
It is a gamer keyboard that in every detail of its design pays an emotional and nostalgic tribute to the original controller of the NES and even of famicom. An indispensable object of desire for fans of this Japanese company.
This would technically be the first keyboard sold by 8BitDo, a company with a long history of nostalgic products.
With its Retro Mechanical Keyboard we have an 87-key wireless device with a mechanical assembly on each key and a design totally inspired by the classic Nintendo Famicom and Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) consoles. But that is not all.
This is the 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard as a testament to Nintendo’s legacy
This keyboard ticks all the boxes for a neat tribute to the NES, but the biggest draw, by far, is that it comes with a unique accessory: two large, programmable “Super Buttons” that look like A/ buttons. B from the original NES controller.
So we are dealing with a wireless mechanical keyboard with tri-modal connectivity: 2.4 GHz wireless, Bluetooth and wired via USB-C.
One would think that it would have a backlight but it lacks it, just like the controls of the NES. But the good news is that this would help the autonomy of its battery, which would last for about 200 hours.
Although the keyboard is wireless, the Super Buttons are wired and connect via a 3.5mm jack. All for a price of USD $99.99.
The keyboard can already be reserved on the manufacturer’s site, although it will go on sale until September 20, 2023.
Why is a design inspired by the NES relevant?
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was a video game console released by Nintendo in 1985 that marked entire generations of gamers. It was a commercial and critical success. It helped revitalize the video game industry after the market collapse triggered by Atari and has largely marked our current present.
On the NES we saw the birth of Mario, Samus, Link, Zelda, Kirby and many iconic characters that prevail to this day. That is why we consider it one of the most important consoles in history.
While for its part the design of the NES controller was very important to its success, since it was easy to use and had a great variety of buttons for the standard of that time that was limited to one or two maximum, not four and a directional cross.
On top of that, it had a great ergonomic design, which made it comfortable to wear for long periods of time. So even the design of his controller also had a profound impact on popular culture, becoming a gaming icon seen in movies, TV shows, and comics.