Key Takeaways
- 8bitdo has revealed the next mechanical keyboard in its retro collection is an officially licensed Xbox one.
- The keyboard is Xbox green with cursor keys colored to look like the console controller’s face buttons.
- Pre-orders for the keyboard are available now on Amazon ready for its release in January, 2025.
8bitdo has a range of mechanical keyboards modeled after some of the most iconic consoles in gaming history. It has typically stuck to consoles that were a big deal in the 1980s but with the NES and the Commodore 64 among its prior offerings, but has taken a big leap forward in time for its next project. A mechanical keyboard designed alongside Xbox which has been made to look like an accessory for the original green and black console.
8bitdo revealed the latest addition to its retro console keyboard collection on Thursday and pre-orders for it are already open, in the US at least. You can pre-order the officially licensed Xbox Edition of the keyboard on Amazon through the link in the box below. It’s $119.99 and although it’s a pre-order, the wait for your keyboard won’t be a long one with an expected release date of January 16, 2025.
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As or what makes the Xbox Edition of 8bitdo’s mechanical keyboard different from the others to have come before it, for starters, it’s green. Not just any green, but a shade of green that gamers will immediately associate with Xbox. Not just any Xbox either, but the OG console released 23 years ago.
8bito Unveils The Xbox Edition Of Its Mechanical Keyboard
Not Compatible With Any Actual Xbox, But I Only Want To Stare At It Anyway
If the shade of green alone wasn’t enough to give away that this latest 8bitdo offering is an homage to the original Xbox, the cursor keys on the right are a dead giveaway. The one break from the keyboard’s otherwise all-green design, the arrow keys have been made to look like the colorful buttons that had adorned Xbox controllers for almost 25 years. Yellow, blue, red, and a lighter shade of green than the rest of the keyboard, and in the same formation you’d find them in on an Xbox controller.
Even though the keyboard is Xbox-themed, and Xbox played a role in its creation, it’s not compatible with any Xbox consoles. Just PCs using Windows 10 or above, or phones running Android 9.0 or newer. It also comes with a free month of PC Game Pass should its connection to Xbox inspire you to sign up. Or if you already have Game Pass, and I’m assuming people tempted by this design probably do, I’m assuming the free month can be tacked onto your current subscription.
8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard – Xbox Edition
8bitdo’s retro mechanical keyboard is available in various designs, some of which are inspired by classic consoles including the NES and the Famicom. It connects to PCs using Windows 10 and above via Bluetooth and the two big buttons it comes with can be programmed to mimic the key of your choice.
The 8bitdo Xbox keyboard isn’t on sale for Black Friday, of course, since it hasn’t even been released yet. There are plenty of other places offering Xbox deals this weekend, though. Best Buy is giving gift cards to anyone who buys the new Galaxy Black Series X, and there are a lot of games available for less in the Xbox Store’s Black Friday sale.
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