8BitDo’s latest mechanical keyboard riffs on the ’80s computer with certainly one of the most iconic-looking keyboards of all time: the Commodore 64. 8BitDo’s Commodore 64 edition of the Retro Mechanical Keyboard series is available for pre-order today for $109.99 with plans to send it on May 26.
Beneath the beautiful, thick brown keycaps (ABS plastic with double-shot legends) and the Commodore-style rainbow logo is essentially the same peripheral as 8BitDo’s previous NES keyboard. It comes standard with Kailh Box White V2 clicky switches, but they’re hot-swappable in case you want to replace them with something just a little less noisy. It can connect to devices via USB, Bluetooth or a 2.4 GHz USB dongle; There is also a built-in volume knob in the upper left corner of the keyboard.
Returning from the NES keyboard are the programmable “Super Buttons”, which still appear to be the A and B buttons on the Nintendo Entertainment System controller. This time they’re joined by a small joystick called “Super Stick”. If the design of this keyboard is the same as the previous one, it’s best to expect each of those accessories to be wired and connected to the top of the keyboard via 3.5mm jacks. The entire keyboard has a keyless design that omits the numeric keypad, but otherwise retains a comparatively traditional layout and there is no RGB lighting to speak of.
Interestingly, while the original Commodore 64 has that chunky look that I normally associate with a clacking mechanical keyboard, it actually got here with Mitsumi hybrid switches, that are a cross between a rubber dome and a mechanical switch. Retro keyboard YouTuber Chyrosran22 did a review of the Commodore 64C (a brighter-colored variant of the Commodore 64) in case you want a better have a look at the within the original.
Credit : www.theverge.com