8BitDo, a manufacturer known for making excellent controllers, fighting sticks and other gaming accessories, is making a breakthrough in mechanical keyboards with two models. One is inspired by the NESand the other borrows the color scheme from the Familycom. Both models cost $99.99 to pre-order from Amazon and ship on August 10.
Both keyboards, called the N Edition and Fami Edition, share identical specs, including support for Windows or Android devices via a wired USB-C connection, or wirelessly via Bluetooth or 2.4 GHz connectivity ( a dongle is included). Macros and other functions on each keyboard can be assigned as desired using 8BitDo’s Ultimate V2 software.
Image: 8BitDo
Each keyboard has a tenkeyless layout that ditches the numeric keypad, making them ideal for those with smaller desks (or who prefer smaller keyboards). However, it is not lacking in features. In the top left corner you’ll find dedicated toggles for adjusting volume and controlling playback, alongside power and connectivity. Both models are equipped with Kalih Box White switches, but the included PCB (printed circuit board) is hot-swappable, meaning you can easily replace the standard switches with your favorite model, be it Cherry silveror Kalih Box Black switches.
While the circuit board for the new 8BitDo keyboards doesn’t have any sort of RGB backlighting (a bit disappointing for me personally, though some people won’t mind this omission), two aesthetic choices I can appreciate are the ominous red power indicator LED in the top right corner and the inclusion of a pair of comically large A and B buttons that mimic the classic NES controller. It’s not a giant “Enter” key/pad, but they’ll do.
Image: 8BitDo