8bitdo Retro 87 Mechanical Keyboard (Mecha BREAK edition)

[Harrison]

I've been looking at getting a new keyboard for some time. I really wanted to get a mechanical one but they are quite expensive for most with good reviews. I quite liked the Logitech MX ones. I tried them out in a store and really liked the feel. But they have mixed reviews which put me off a bit,

I've also been quite interested in the recent 8bitdo Retro style mechanical keyboards. They released the Nintendo NES style one that looks really cool and a Commodore 64 style one which again goods great. They both had really good reviews but I wouldn't want either as my main keyboard due to the colour scheme. Then I discovered their Retro 87 Mecha Break edition.

Here are the details:

The 8BitDo Retro 87 Mechanical Keyboard (Mecha BREAK Edition) is a highly-regarded, stylised 87-key TKL mechanical keyboard featuring a themed black/orange aesthetic and creamy-sounding Kailh linear switches. It boasts hot-swappable switches, triple-mode connectivity (2.4G, Bluetooth, wired), and unique, programmable "Super Buttons". While the build quality is premium.

Key Features & Performance

• Design & Theme: Inspired by the Mecha BREAK game, it features a unique dark, transparent, and orange aesthetic with custom, swappable key-caps.
• Build Quality: Despite being made of plastic, it has significant weight, a solid feel, and a Top Mount structure.
• Sound & Switches: Equipped with Kailh Glaze Jellyfish Pro Linear switches, producing a "creamy" sound, often considered superior to many keyboards at this price point.
• Connectivity: Supports wireless 2.4 GHz (with a magnetically stored dongle), Bluetooth, and USB-C wired connections.
• Super Buttons: Included oversized, programmable buttons are useful for macros in gaming or productivity.

After reading and watching a few reviews I decided to go for it. It arrived yesterday and I've been playing around with it today. The keys have a really nice mechanical feel. I might need to get a wrist wrest but other than that I'm very happy with it. And I'm not sure how they can sell it at just ?65 as it easily rivals far more expensive keyboards.

The RGB lighting is always a bit of a gimmick, but it's highly configurable. By default it lights up as you hit each key and then pulse fades across the keyboard, which is a cool effect but will get annoying over time. You can play around and change colours however you like per key or region. Once set it stores the settings in the keyboard's own memory so doesn't need the software running to keep the setting. The same is true for the keyboard macros. You have dedicated macro setup buttons on the keyboard, so can set this up on the keyboard without using the software at all.

You also have every connectivity option. You can plug it in via USB-C with the included cable, or you can connect it via Bluetooth or for faster response times for gaming via a dedicated 2.4GHz dongle that's hidden in the base. The keyboard has a 2000mAh battery built in so wirelessly it can last 200-400 hours before needing a 4-8 hour recharge. Wired it doesn't need to.

You also get a set of alternative keys to swap over if you want to change the theme a bit. The default ones are now conservative dark grey/blue with blue text that are semi transparent so they light up. The replacement key set has orange designs on them. You also get a key extractor to remove them easily.

I'm really impressed with this keyboard. For a mechanical keyboard with fully customisable RGB lighting it's an amazing price that really does feel premium quality. Some have commented on the software not being as good as some other makes but that doesn't bother me much. I've not tested it yet as I've only been testing it with Linux Mint and the official 8bitdo software is Windows only so i will test that when I connect it up to my other system, but as mentioned once the RGB settings are saved it stores them in the keyboard memory so will then act as set in Linux too.

So if you are thinking of a new keyboard this is worth a look at this price, Bargain.

I am considering also buying with the NES or C64 version for use with my emulation PC,

One final mention. As this is from 8bitdo, and they are retro gaming orientated, it also comes with 2 really large gaming buttons. They plug into the rear of the keyboard in a 3.5mm jack, and it has 4 of these so you can add up to 8 of these buttons. You can map them to any key you like. I'm not really sure what I would use them for yet so haven't even tried them or unpacked them yet. Any ideas? 8bitsdo also sell a joystick and smaller 4 button cluster that uses the same interface and they magnetically join together. Interesting idea for a little portable arcade control setup.