8bitdo Keyboard C64 Edition Review

This is my review of the 8bitdo Keyboard C64 Edition from a retro gaming perspective. In the video, I demonstrate programming the keyboard buttons and using the controllers in Vice64 & Stella emulators.

Amazon (USA) link:

Amazon (UK) link:

Chapters
00:00 Unboxing
04:41 Programming the keyboard
05:16 Vice 64 Example
08:33 Stella Atari 2600 example
09:34 Macro Example
11:07 Conclusion

Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

[shirokuro]

I got this last weekend and absolutely love it. I have the NES one on my gaming setup, and am using this one for work. I adore how it looks.

[ricky]

There is a num pad coming out from them soon that is in the form of all of the retro keyboards including this one and you can also use it as a calculator.

[Ancient_West]

If this had the PETSCII characters on it, it would make a WAY better Commander X16 keyboard than the official Commander X16 keyboard.

[joshuaabe]

I just got mine and it types so smoothy. This is (so far) the best keyboard i've had since an old Model M my grandmother used.

[impossiblescissors]

Many products have tried to tap into Commodore nostalgia, with mixed results. This one definitely seems like a winner.

[yizjlvt]

I wish there was an option with just the kb, the super buttons and joystick are cool I just don’t see myself using them much. I’m also usually prefer having the keypad, but I can always try tenkeyless. The controls on the top left are really nice additions as well. Overall it seems like a great keyboard.

[AlvinBrinson]

My first computer was a Vic 20 not a c64, but this is close enough. The color is slightly different (the vic 20 I had was lighter in color). But I do appreciate how they make the keycaps with the "cupped" shape that Commodore used back in the day.

[silver]

I wish it has some kind of back lighting. I work in the dark a lot.

[mariusmyhre]

For everybody who ever had to use their feet to press "space" in certain games, those buttons are godsent. And I gotta admit, it kinda looks flimsy in images, but it feels really good when I actually use it. Loving the clicking noises.

[williammckeever]

Just under $130 at Amazon CA, currently with 12% discount. A little too much for me but will keep an eye on this to see if it comes down at all.

[Omarshmallow]

Looks pretty cool but I wish it had the PETSCII characters on the keys.

[viJ]

Thanks for sharing your experience/insights! I somewhat like it, but the knobs/buttons on the top left look more at home in the Fami edition colors than the C64. Also, without the PETSCII chars, @ key, and other things that would truly make it a modern C64 keyboard for emulators... it's only a C64-colored keyboard, IMHO.

[stevenkennett]

This would have been more interesting with the petscii characters on the key caps. I'll wait until such a keyboard exists.

[josefjelinek]

IMHO if the numpad is really needed (personally I never use it and go for TKL keyboards), it would be better as a standalone one as most of the time it just takes up space and pushes mouse away from a more comfortable placement. I think that it would actually be a way more practical accessory than the provided joystick or even the buttons as those are better connected to the computer directly rather than wiring them all the way to the keyboard. I assume here that they are only practical on the floor for foot use.

[networkg]

Great review. Wonder if they will come out with a numeric keypad plug-in.

[gbraadnl]

From what I saw, the joystick uses the same mechanism as they have for their SNK (NeoGeo CD) gamepad, but instead of the thumstick with an actual stick. Perhaps in that case that horrible deadzone is not as obvious.

[BreakingPintMedia]

No mention of the bespoke Numpad being released on July 15th (alongside the one for the N, Fami, and M edition Numpads)?

[OldSkoolCoder]

Nice Keyboard, I do agree with you, when u have used a full size mechanical keyboard for day to day stuff, this one would not get used for that day to day stuff either for me. Looked Cool Though :)

[anyatheile]

Not sure if you've seen it but they released a numpad for their keyboards! It funtions as a standard numpad aswell as a regular calculator. I'd be curious to see if having that changes your opinion about the keyboard.

[jasoncorganbrown]

Does the programmable feature allow this to set up as a c64 keyboard layout? Does it have keycaps for that?