All three of 8BitDo’s transparent green gaming peripherals licensed by Xbox are on sale for great prices this holiday season. The superb Retro 87 Mechanical Keyboard is up for grabs for only $70 (was $120) at Amazon-owned retailer Woot. You can also save on the tenkeyless wireless keyboard directly from Amazon, but the price is considerably higher ($96). The Retro 87 launched in January alongside the matching Retro R8 Mouse, which is on sale for only $48 (was $60) at Amazon. The wireless mouse is bundled with a magnetic charging dock.
To round out your transparent green collection, you can pick up the matching version of the 8BitDo Ultimate 3-Mode Controller for $50 (was $70). The transparent green Ultimate 3-Mode Controller works wirelessly on PC and mobile, but it only supports wired play on Xbox consoles. It is worth noting that there is a version of the Ultimate 3-Mode Controller that can sync wirelessly with your Xbox: the Rare 40th Anniversary Edition. Released in August, the eye-catching special-edition controller is bundled with a matching charging dock and is on sale for $72 (was $90) at Amazon.
8BitDo’s transparent green PC gaming gear pays homage to one of the original Xbox console’s most popular special editions.
8BitDo Retro 87 Wireless Mechanical Keyboard: Xbox Edition
$70 ($120) at Woot | $96 at Amazon | PC, Mac, Android
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The Retro 87 uses UV-coated ABS keycaps and Kailh Jellyfish X transparent switches, which feel and sound great–especially if you like clicky keyboards. Kailh’s box switches are dust- and splash-resistant and offer a stable, predictable typing experience. The Retro 87 has customizable RGB backlighting with eight unique light modes. Like all other 8BitDo keyboards, the Retro 87 has a hot-swappable PCB and comes with a detachable Super Button module. The two large microswitch buttons can be remapped on the fly, and the housing for the Retro 87’s Super Button module is transparent green, too.
The Xbox Guide button pulls up the Xbox overlay menu on PC. The four arrow keys match the colors of the face buttons on official Xbox controllers (green, red, blue, and yellow). You can customize keybindings, create macros, and tinker with the RGB lighting effects with 8BitDo’s Ultimate Software V2 on PC, Mac, and mobile.
The Retro 87 works on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Steam Deck, Asus ROG Xbox Ally, and other devices. You can sync to your devices wirelessly via 2.4GHz or Bluetooth; the keyboard also comes with a green, detachable USB-C charging cable that can be used for wired mode. The 4,000mAh rechargeable battery can power the Retro 87 for up to 300 hours between charges with the lighting effects turned off. With RGB backlighting on, I typically get around 25-30 hours between charges.
8BitDo Retro R8 Wireless Mouse + Charging Dock: Xbox Edition
$48 ($60) | PC, Mac, Android
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The Retro R8 sports an ambidextrous design with four additional programmable buttons–two on each side of the mouse. Like the Retro 87’s directional keys, the extra buttons match the colors of the Xbox controller’s face buttons. The Retro R8 uses Kailh Sword GM X microswitches and has a PAW 3395 26K DPI optical sensor and has six different sensitivity levels. You can adjust DPI and other settings with Ultimate Software V2.
The mouse can sync to PC, Mac, and Android devices over Bluetooth or 2.4GHz wireless via the included dongle. The USB-A dongle can be stored in either the mouse itself or the included magnetic charging dock. If you prefer a wired connection, the Retro R8, just like the keyboard, includes a green USB-C cable for charging and wired mode. The mouse can also be charged directly, so you don’t need to bring the dock with you when away from your desk. The Retro R8 has a max polling rate of 8,000Hz in wired mode and 4,000Hz with a 2.4GHz wireless connection.
In May, 8BitDo launched an NES-themed edition of the Retro R8 Mouse that’s on sale for $45 (was $50). The Retro R8 is 8BitDo’s second gaming mouse following the N30 2.4GHz Wireless Mouse, which has a D-pad instead of side buttons and a touch panel for scrolling. You can get the N30 $25 (was $30) at Amazon.
If you’d prefer a different retro-inspired design, several other 8BitDo wireless keyboards are on sale right now at Amazon. Nearly all 8BitDo keyboards are inspired by retro game consoles or computers, including the NES-inspired NEdition, Famicom-inspired Fami Edition, and the Commodore 64-themed C64 Edition.
Like the Xbox Edition, these models can connect wirelessly to PC, Mac, and mobile devices via 2.4GHz or Bluetooth. Each one comes with a Super Button module and has Ultimate Software integration for rebinding keys, creating macros, and adjusting other settings.
The C64 Edition includes the Super Stick–a detachable arcade stick–in addition to the Super Buttons. You can also get the Super Stick with the Best Buy-exclusive N Edition bundle for $70 (was $100).
All of the aforementioned models are tenkeyless (TKL), but 8BitDo has matching wireless numpads that double as calculators. Full-size editions of the NES and Fami models are also in stock at Amazon, and the NES-inspired model is $30 off.
