What you need to know
- 8BitDo are launching a keyboard and mouse themed around the original 2004 transparent green Xbox.
- The keyboard will be $119.99 and the mouse $59.99.
- Both can be preordered now for launch on 16 January, 2025.
Specialists in retro recreations of gaming gear, 8Bitdo have just dropped an announcement so good it made us pause our Black Friday deals coverage, fans of the original Xbox and its green crystal transparent design will be rushing to grab this frankly stunning keyboard and mouse that are an ode to the 2004 model.
Feast your eyes on the 8BitDo Retro 87 Mechanical Keyboard Xbox Edition, which is officially licensed by Xbox, for $119.99 and the 8BitDo Retro R8 Mouse for $59.99. Both items are available for preorder and ship on January 16, 2025.
Everything we know about the 8Bitdo Xbox range
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Now, before you get too carried away, it’s worth noting that the listing for this Xbox keyboard explicitly states it’s not compatible with Xbox consoles. However, given Xbox’s recent stance that everything is an Xbox, you could make an argument otherwise. What it does feature is an integrated Xbox home button, just like the one on your controller, which activates the Xbox Game Bar. Inspired by the transparent green edition of the original Xbox, the keyboard also boasts RGB lighting, Kailh Jellyfish X switches, a hot-swappable PCB, and arrow buttons that match the iconic OG ABXY colors. It’s truly a thing of beauty.
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The matching 8BitDo Retro R8 Mouse is $69.99 and while it’s listed on Amazon it’s not currently available there for preorder like the keyboard, though we expect that to change soon. If you can’t wait, you can preorder directly through 8Bitdo.
The mouse features three connection modes: Bluetooth, 2.4G wireless, and wired USB-C, and it comes with a charging dock. According to the specs, you’ll get up to 100 hours of battery life using Bluetooth, and anywhere from 25 to 105 hours on 2.4GHz, depending on the selected polling rate. It’s equipped with Kailh Sword GM X micro switches, engineered to withstand up to 100 million clicks. Most importantly, it looks badass.
When PlayStation announced its 30th-anniversary version of the PS5 Pro console, I tweeted that Xbox needed to respond with a rendition of its OG console. While we’ll likely be waiting a while for anything that exciting, I’ll happily settle for this in the meantime.
🔥The hottest Black Friday deals🔥
🍁More great Black Friday deals🦃
- Best Buy: Big savings on video games, accessories, and more
- Walmart: Early savings on practically everything
- Target: Live deals on a huge range of products
- Dell: Top deals on laptops, gaming PCs, accessories, and more
- HP: Save big on laptops, desktops, accessories, and more
- Lenovo: Doorbuster deals on all Lenovo PCs, monitors, accessories, and more
- Newegg: Save on PC gaming accessories, components, and more
- Razer: Take advantage of free shipping for a limited time
- Samsung: Holiday deals on laptops, TVs, phones, and more are live
- Amazon: Constantly rotating sales on everything you can imagine
When is Black Friday?
Black Friday is technically on Nov. 29, 2024, but this sales event seems to start a little earlier each year. Retailers increasingly get more aggressive in terms of when discounts start in order to entice consumers ahead of the main event, so you can see early Black Friday deals as soon as October. Black Friday itself can feel overwhelming and be limited by stock shortages, so it’s often a great idea to take advantage of those early sales ahead of time.
When is Cyber Monday?
This year, Cyber Monday falls on Dec. 2, 2024. This continuation of the Black Friday weekend was once the online-version of the aforementioned sales event, but as more retailers go online it’s not uncommon to see Black Friday and Cyber Monday blend into one another. If you miss out on sales on Black Friday, you may have another chance on Cyber Monday. Better yet, though, is staying ahead of the curve and getting your holiday shopping done weeks in advance.
