Hot off the heels of 8BitDo releasing their Sega Saturn-inspired keyboard to celebrate 30 years of the iconic console being in our lives, they’ve announced another keyboard that every original XBOX needs in their lives. Just take a look at the picture above; based on the iconic translucent shell that takes me straight back to the days of playing Halo: Combat Evolved for hours on end and with RGB backlit keys that look like they’ve come straight from Master Chief’s command centre, it’s a perfect addition to any XBOX lovers games room or office. The main problem is that it’s going to make you want to go back and play Fable when you should be working!
Designed in conjunction with XBOX, there’s an XBOX button that activates the Windows Game Bar with a single press, as well as all of the usual buttons and dials that we’ve come to expect from the 8BitDo range of mechanical keyboards. Like the C64 Edition I use every day and reviewed here on the site, it has 87 keys, a hot-swappable PCB and supports n-key rollover. It uses ABS as opposed to PBT keycaps, but to most people that won’t make much difference whatsoever – they’re the same keys as my C64 keyboard and I love the sound and feel of them.
My favourite bit about this keyboard apart from the shell is the colours used for the arrow buttons, replicating the action buttons on the XBOX controller. It’s a really nice touch and one that makes me feel like a 12-year-old getting his hands on the console for the first time. The only way that I could be happier is if they also released a crystal version to go with our favourite OG XBOX shell – I think I’d just send them our credit card right there and then if that became a reality!
The 8BitDo Original XBOX-themed mechanical keyboard is available to pre-order on Amazon now. It’ll cost $119.99 and is set to ship on the 15th of January 2025!
