8BitDo’s NES-themed mechanical keyboard comes with truly large A and B ‘super buttons’

techcrunch.com:

It can be difficult to differentiate oneself in the crowded mechanical keyboard market. The variety of providers and customization options means there’s something for everybody. But retro gaming controller outfit 8BitDo has created something original, and highly alluring to nostalgia fiends like yours truly.

You might recognize 8BitDo’s name from their reimagined versions of controllers from the 80s and 90s, which can be used with modern consoles, PCs, and phones alike. But this keyboard is something else entirely.

As a wireless mechanical, its closest competitor is probably Keychron’s well-known boards, but this is a fully custom PCB and style made purely for fans of the NES and Famicom 8-bit game consoles. Although the two styles are functionally the same, aesthetically the Famicom version is primarily for the Japanese market, with kanji and the color scheme that went with their version of the legendary console.

The 87-key board is a familiar full-size TKL layout with some interesting additions. There are two dials in the top left there, one for selecting the wireless mode (Bluetooth or 2.4GHz wireless), and a sweet little volume dial. The little circles next to it are indicator lights.

8BitDo’s NES- and Famicom-themed mechanical keyboards.

Then there are the big cherry-red A and B buttons between the right ctrl and alt. These (like the rest of the keyboard) are fully customizable with macros or functions, for instance play/pause and “launch NES emulator.” You set them via dedicated keyboard mapper software.

But the keyboard also comes with a unique add-on peripheral: a pair of “superbuttons” that perform the A and B functions while being… well, entertainingly huge. They’re not touchpads or analog or anything. Just gigantic