When buying a keyboard, we can find 3 different designs on the market: complete with a number block, without a number block known as TKL, and compact that eliminates the scroll arrows and the top row. Both the TKL and compact keyboards are focused on a very specific audience, the gaming.
If we spend many hours in front of the computer, working or studying and, in addition, we also play the occasional game, it is not necessary to give up the features that we can find in gaming keyboards. If, in addition, we also like retro, the keyboard that satisfies all these needs has just been presented by the manufacturer of peripherals for PCs and consoles 8BitDo.
8BitDo 108 Retro Mechanical Keyboard
The new 8BitDo Retro 108 keyboard is the evolution of the TKL-type model that this manufacturer presented a few months ago. This model, as we can see in the images, is inspired by the NES from Nintendo like many of the control controllers it offers on the market. It seems that Nintendo likes to be inspired by its products because this manufacturer has been using them for several years without problems.
If we talk about the switches of the 8BitDo Retro 108, we talk about the Kailh Box White V2switches that we can hot swap without having to turn off the equipment to which it is connected. On the right side of the keyboard, above the number pad, there is a button to access the calculator, lock the Windows session, a button to silence the computer and an Fn key to access the additional functions found on the keys. F1-F4.
In the upper left corner, we find two dials. The first allows you to select between Bluetooth or wireless connectivity through a 2.4 GHz receiver or disconnect both and use the supplied cable. The second allows us to regulate the volume level. Both dials have a design inspired by the 80s and 90s.
It also has 3 additional buttons whose operation we can customize using the manufacturer’s application. In the upper right corner, there is an LED that lights up red when the keyboard is on.
In addition to the keyboard, it also includes two large buttons that connect to the keyboard and whose operation we can also customize through the 8BitDo Ultimate Software application. If we see use for these buttons, we can add up to 3 packs of 2 additional buttons by purchasing them independently.
Price and availability
This keyboard will be available through Amazon in the United States starting on December 12 and will be priced at $119.99. Although it is already listed on the Amazon website in the United States, at the moment it is not available in any of Amazon’s online stores in Europe.
This keyboard, like all the models that this manufacturer has on the market, are only compatible with Windows and with Android. If we connect it to a Mac we should not have any problem getting it to work, however, since there is no application for Mac, it is impossible to customize the operation of the keys that we can program.
