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Magyar4 retro gaming accessories that support a blast to the past
1. 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard
8BitDo is known for its excellent retro-themed game controllers, but the brand has recently decided to enter the keyboard game with the highly-customisable, versatile, and creatively-named Retro Mechanical Keyboard. This 87-key (tenkeyless) mechanical board comes in two colourways — the N Edition pays homage to the Nintendo Entertainment System, and the Fami Edition is reminiscent of the Famicom. Both colour options look like they came right out of the 1980s in the best way possible.
The Retro Mechanical Keyboard has just about everything you'd expect from a high-end mechanical keyboard, including hot-swap key switches, high-quality Kailh Box White switches, and die-sublimated PBT keycaps. However, it's the knobs, shortcut buttons, and add-ons that make the 8BitDo keyboard special.
The keyboard has two customisable shortcut keys located next to the space bar, but it also has four 3.5 mm inputs on the back of the board that are used to connect Super buttons. These supersized programmable buttons are styled after the A and B buttons from the original NES controller, and they act as shortcut keys or in-game controls.
Buy the 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard on Amazon for US$99.99.
2. Retroid Pocket Flip handheld gaming console
The Retroid Pocket Flip is an Android-based handheld game console that blends the form factor of the Nintendo 3DS and Game Boy Advanced SP. The quirky little device features a 450-nit, 4.7-inch, 750×1334, 60 Hz touchscreen, analogue triggers, and hall-effect sliders (low-profile joysticks).
The processor and internal specifications of the Retroid Pocket Flip are rather modest, with a Unisoc Tiger T618 SoC and 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM deliver decidedly mid-range performance, although performance isn't the point here. The Retroid Pocket Flip is an emulation box with a custom Android 11 skin and game launcher that runs retro games via ROMs that can be loaded on the microSD expansion slot.
The Retroid Pocket Flip comes in five colourways, with two of those being the decidedly-retro Watermelon (a transparent bright red) and 16BitUS (a creamy grey body with purple and darker grey trim and buttons). At only US$169.99, the Retroid Pocket Flip is a solid pocketable gaming device for on-the-go gaming.
3. JSAUX Transparent Shell Series for Steam Deck
If you have a Steam Deck, but you yearn for the days of the glorious purple transparent Game Boy Color, JSAUX has a solution in its US$49.99 (currently US$30 on Amazon) Transparent Shell Series for Steam Deck. Not only does JSAUX make the backplate in multiple colours, including an epic purple, the backplate also comes with three different rear button height options.
Along with a transparent backplate, JSAUX also offers a transparent front cover for the Steam Deck that completes the look.
The transparent backplate also features an aluminium dissipation plate that reportedly actually does a good job of cooling the Steam Deck down and helping it run more quietly. This product does, however, require a bit of disassembly know-how, but if the transparent Game Boy vibes are your thing, it's surely worth the hour spent completing the mod.
Buy a JSAUX Transparent Case Set with Front Cover and Back Plate for Steam Deck on Amazon.
4. 8BitDo N30 2.4 GHz Wireless Mouse
The N30 Mouse is kind of what would happen if 8BitDo, the retro controller company, saw a Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse and decided to one-up it. The N30 Mouse features left- and right-click buttons reminiscent of the A and B buttons on an NES controller, as well as a familiar D-pad on the left side of the mouse for navigation.
The retro aesthetics of the N30 mouse mean it has a rather simple profile with flat sides and a swooping top that doesn't have much going on by way of ergonomic contours. You'll also notice that this peculiar wireless mouse lacks a scroll wheel, with a touch-sensitive area in its place.
The 8BitDo N30 Mouse isn't about practicality, though. It's about style and fun — both of which it offers in spades.
