What you need to know
- Peripheral maker, 8BitDo, has revealed its newest retro-themed mechanical keyboard, and it's possibly the best one yet.
- Inspired by the legendary IBM Model M, often regarded as the best keyboard ever made, the M Edition will be shipping in July.
- It ships with a dual hardware button accessory, features hot swappable keycaps and absolutely drips with 80's nostalgia.
8BitDo has been on a winning run in recent times with its retro-themed mechanical keyboards, but its latest release is probably the best yet. The M Edition of its Retro Mechanical Keyboard lineup is inspired by the king, the IBM Model M, regarded by many as the greatest keyboard that has ever been made.
Enthusiasts still covet the IBM Model M to this day, and a good one will command a pretty penny on the used market. It's a keyboard I've always wanted to add to my collection, but for everyday use, I think I just found a worthy alternative.
The actual keyboard follows the same template from the already released C64, Famicom and NES-inspired editions, but with a more muted theme. As such, it isn't trying to replicate the physical design of the IBM Model M, which was much larger, but that's not necessarily a bad thing for the modern desk.
The paint job is pretty faithful to the original, with a combination of gray and white throughout, right down to the accurately recreated LED status panel in the right-hand corner. There are even two key caps with an IBM-inspired blue font on them. It's just tremendous.
The 8BitDo M Edition boasts wired and wireless connectivity via Bluetooth and a 2.4GHz dongle, an 87-key layout with Kailh Box Switch V2 White switches, and ships with its hardware "Super Buttons" which can have functions mapped to them without needing to use software.
There is, of course, a comprehensive companion app, too, for customizing profiles, assigning macros and such for more advanced users. It's also very well priced for all this nostalgic goodness, coming in at a few cents shy of $100. The bad news is that it isn't available just yet, you'll have to wait until July 15 for shipping to begin.
But you can get your preorders in right now, so form an orderly queue.
