8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard review (C64 Edition)

Looks can be deceiving in hardware. The notion that mediocre gear is sometimes propelled forward by pretty RGB or flashy marketing isn't exactly revelatory so, when I first got a look at the 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard, I felt equal measures of curiosity and scepticism. Though it has some quirks, I can happily say that the looks of the 8BitDo Retro don't feel like a distraction and just feel like a cherry on top of a decently priced, well-performing mechanical keyboard.

The version I have for review is modelled after a Commodore 64, and it absolutely nails the aesthetic. Unboxing this at the office resulted in a small choir of 'oooh' and 'ahhh'. Admittedly, this room is filled with more hardware geeks and nostalgia heads than most but it's still a testament to its prettiness in person.

The keyboard is made up of a collection of warm greys, muted browns, and then a few accents alongside them. The volume and connection dials on the top left have red accenting, the power-on indicator is a retro-themed red light, and the 8BitDo logo on the front is a rainbow-themed homage to the C64's iconography. If you're nostalgic, you will probably swoon over the aesthetic and I, as someone who only holds second-hand nostalgia for the C64, found myself adoring it too.

The original C64 has a much more streamlined keyboard than this, without the fancy media controls, programmable buttons, and function keys. Yet 8BitDo manages to approximate the feel of the C64, even if it's not a one-to-one rendition. The rainbow of the C64 logo is in a different place, and the placement of keys are much closer to a modern gaming keyboard than the original computer keyboard from 198,2 but it's noticeably a C64 theme without having to state it on the keyboard itself, and this is a testament to its design. 8BitDo has made compromises to not entirely alienate a modern typist or gamer, whilst committing to its theming well.

In this same sense, much of what one might dislike about this keyboard is actually what will make others feel nostalgic. Take those dye-sub PBT keycaps, for one. Without a stand on the bottom of the keyboard to prop it up, all keys are curved a tad to face you. They are also very tall, with the bottoms of them hidden away under the plastic of the front plate of the keyboard. This means that, while they are technically hot-swappable, it's actually a little difficult to even take off the top caps without using a specific tool. However, this sunken keycap shape is one that also existed in the original C64.

The keycaps are curved in the very middle, with a notable dent being particularly prominent in the centre of the keyboard. The curvature on keys like F, G, H, and J are most pronounced and certainly feel like a 'you'll love it or hate it' kind of choice. This takes a moment to get used t,o but actually ended up helping me find my place on the keyboard when I wasn't looking. There's a height difference between the top of the function keycaps and the number caps, thanks to the length of the keys so it becomes easy to reorient when your hand slips.

These extra keycap clues to help orient yourself offset the fact that the keyboard has almost no RGB or backlighting to find your key in the dark. Lights indicate when you've hit the caps lock or scroll lock, as well as programmable buttons and profiles, but everything else was mostly lit by the dull glow of my monitor. Keys are pronounced and lettering, while a tad quirky, especially in numbers, is clean and legible.

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As well as having extra programmable keys down the bottom right of the keyboard, the C64 version of the 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard comes with two Super Buttons and a Super Stick. The former are two big red buttons that can be programmed to do a certain action or sequence of actions. The latter is similar, except it's an arcade-style stick that can have custom actions assigned to up to four directions. These feel a tad gimmicky but certainly fit the theme, given the other 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboards come with Super Buttons and the original C64 is joystick compatible.

The box for the keyboard comes with cute stickers you can slap onto those buttons, too, which can help keep track of their purpose. It's a cute touch on an already very cute bit of kit.

Generally speaking, most won't get a huge amount out of these buttons, as they are fairly niche, and you already have two spare programmable keys on the keyboard itself. However, as someone who constantly records my own game footage, I set the right button to be the command 'Windows + Alt + G' to record the last thirty seconds of gameplay and the right one to 'Windows + Alt + R' to start or stop a long-form recording. In the heat of the moment, three seconds after getting a cool kill, I could smash the right button to avoid the embarrassing mistake of forgetting the combination of keys to capture the last thirty seconds and fumbling a good game clip. They're also pretty simple to program. You simply click a dedicated program button at the top of the keyboard, hit the sequence of keys you want, then click the programmable button you want to map them to. You can also do this via the software but we'll get to that later.

To pair with this, the 8BitDo Retro has a great typing feel. It's definitely an acquired taste as the Kalih Box White Switches V2, combined with tall keycaps, make a loud thunk as you type. The extra pronounced key faces help to align the fingers, and though there's a light wobble to keys, they mostly feel satisfying to slam down in a creative flurry. The volume and connectivity wheels up the top right make a small yet satisfying click as you return, too.

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As for gaming, that loudness may put some off, but once I got used to it, the 8BitDo Retro performed admirably in all games tested. Avowed's focus on both movement controls with WASD, and spells with the number keys all functioned well. I rarely used the 'Super' functions in actual games, especially with macro keys banned in many games, but they were useful for recording clips, or tabbing out with shift and tab.

Counter-Strike 2 functioned well here, too, as the indentation of keys helped keep me in line when I was panicked, though I did notice the lack of backlighting if I kept my room dark enough. The white switches are very easy to press down, which not only helps in twitch shooters but can even be a boon to QTEs, thanks to the ability to rapidly mash them. It's not a competitive keyboard as it's missing features like rapid trigger (which you can get in the Keychron K2 HE for $30 more), and the latency is mostly just fine, but it bridges the gap between a satisfying typing experience and a good gaming experience well.

The 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard has three main connectivity modes: wireless Bluetooth, wireless via a 2.4 GHz connector that fits into the back of the keyboard and wired. Naturally, the most responsive mode is wired, but the 2.4 GHz mode was good enough for me not to notice a huge difference between the two. The Bluetooth mode is better for slower single-player games, though even then, latency isn't a huge issue. Paired with this is an impressive 200 hours of battery life, which can be charged in just four hours.

The build quality of the 8BitDo Retro is mostly fine. The top plate is a rather firm plastic, and the entire keyboard is fairly light as a result. There's no bend to any part of the keyboard, and it also feels cohesively designed in both aesthetic and feel. However, my review unit managed to get a couple of scratches on the back before it arrived. This worries me in regards to the keyboard's ability to stay scratch-free in the long term.

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Though the 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard has an MSRP of $110, it has regularly received near-permanent discounts on Amazon, hovering around $80 for the last few months. This is an incredibly reasonable price for everything you get here, and nearly the same price as the very solid Keychron K2 Version 2. Keychron's choice is a more no-nonsense choice but the Retro offers a lot for its price. In the UK, this keyboard launched at £85 and hasn't budged since.

However, it's worth noting that you are paying $10 extra at MSRP for the C64 edition than the standard N or Famicom Edition, and the central differences are the aesthetic and inclusion of the Super Stick. You still get the Super Buttons with the cheaper boards, so my money would be going there, if I like both aesthetics an equal amount and both were at MSRP. On sale as of the time of writing, the C64 edition is actually cheaper than the NES-themed one, so I'd hold out on a sale if you have your heart set on a specific model.

Rather smartly, this keyboard can be used without ever downloading software. You can make custom mapping for the 'Super' control with a built-in programming switch up the top left, though there is occasionally a clash between the software and the hardware. The 8BitDo Ultimate Software allows you to change things like how much the volume goes up and down when you move the dial, but it also allows you to create custom profiles. This means you can swap from a gaming to a typing mode, complete with specific controls with a single button press.

However, you can't use the programming button to change the 'Super' controls when in a specific profile and instead have to use the software. That software would not let me change the buttons to a sequence of keys without creating an entirely new macro, and would only let me choose a function like 'volume up' or 'launch calculator'. This barrier to use is just big enough to get in the way of use. You can also only customize the keyboard via the software when plugged in via USB-C. This software could be a real boon if correctly implemented, but right now, I feel the keyboard is mostly better without it.

The 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard may feel like a bit much to some, partially thanks to its 'Super' accessories. But if you're looking for a good typing experience that comes with a hit of nostalgia every time you decide to look down at your hands, this keyboard commits to the classic look with ease. It just so happens to have a satisfying feel, great battery life and connectivity, and a decent price point to match.