Deal | Commodore 64 styled 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard drops to record-low price in sizeable Amazon deal including arcade macro buttons and Super Stick

The 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard is a TKL — 87-key — mechanical gaming keyboard with serious retro vibes, with everything from the cream-coloured case and vibrant colour strips to the clicky Kailh Box White V2 switches of the C64 variant screaming 80s. While the Retro Mechanical keyboard is usually a little pricey for what it offers, a current Amazon deal has the keyboard priced at $79.99, which is a steal, considering the fantastic vintage-computing looks and added features you get with it. 

The obvious main attraction of the Retro Mechanical Keyboard C64 Edition is the aesthetics, which rely on the almost-brown case and dark brown MDA-like keycaps to make the keyboard stand out. The C64 Edition Retro Mechanical Keyboard is meant to emulate the visual design of the Commodore 64, hence the “C64 Edition” naming.

8BitDo has opted for a top-mount design and an aluminium plate for the Retro Mechanical Keyboard, which won't deliver the same bouncy, cushioned typing feel as a gasket-mount keyboard — like the Epomaker Galaxy 100 we reviewed (curr. $119.99 on Amazon) — but it will feel responsive and let the clicky switches shine. The 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard also has a bunch of extra features that makes the current price worth it. 

For starters, the Retro Mechanical Keyboard has both wireless (2.4 GHz and Bluetooth LE, with a 2,000 mAh battery and claimed 200 hours of use) and USB type-C connectivity, with the 2.4 GHz and wired connections offering 1,000 Hz polling for reduced latency during games. The extra buttons, dials, and knobs on the 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard are also a stand-out, eliminating the need to remember shortcuts to switch connectivity or OS modes and adding to the retro look and feel. In addition to the built-in shortcut keys and knobs, the 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard also comes with two additional Super keys, which are giant programmable arcade-style macro buttons that plug directly into the keyboard, and a programmable Super Stick, an arcade joystick that works similarly. 

The whole shebang, keyboard, macro buttons, and joystick, is all programmable on Windows and macOS via the 8BitDo Ultimate Software V2. The software suite allows users to create different profiles, set up macros, rebind keys, and update keyboard firmware when needed.