8BitDo’s Clear Blue N64 Keyboard Costs $99.99 and Ships August 14

8BitDo marked 30 years of the Nintendo 64 on Tuesday with a Clear Blue release of its Ultimate 2 Wireless Controller and Retro 87 Mechanical Keyboard, both finished in the translucent shell from Nintendo’s Y2K Funtastic line. The controller is already on shelves at $59.99.

The Retro 87 Mechanical Keyboard opens for pre-order on 8BitDo’s worldwide eShop ahead of an August 14 ship date at $99.99.

What 8BitDo Just Unveiled for the N64

The N64 launched in Japan on June 23, 1996, and its 30th birthday brought a coordinated 8BitDo release. The package pairs the Ultimate 2 Wireless Controller in Clear Blue with the Retro 87 Mechanical Keyboard in the same translucent finish. Both products are designed as visual tributes to the console’s Funtastic color palette.

The keyboard sells for $99.99 in the US on the 8BitDo N64 30th Collection page. The controller is “available now,” Forbes’ Mitch Wallace reported on June 23. The keyboard opens for pre-order on 8BitDo’s worldwide eShop. The launch followed earlier leaks on China’s IT Tome portal and coverage by Retro Dodo, both of which surfaced the products days before the official confirmation. The Clear Blue case maps to the Ice Blue shell Nintendo sold on the N64 in 1999 as part of its Funtastic limited-edition series.

The Retro 87 Keyboard Is the Bigger Reveal

The keyboard is the more revealing of the two products. While the Ultimate 2 controller has shipped in multiple special editions tied to specific games, this is the first 8BitDo release themed around a console anniversary, Notebookcheck notes. The Retro 87 N64 Edition runs on an aluminum plate with a hot-swappable PCB and 8BitDo’s Cloud Gray Linear switches, which the company co-developed with switch maker HUANO. The package includes two programmable Super Buttons in matching Clear Blue, though unlike the wireless Super Buttons on 8BitDo’s Retro 68 keyboard, these plug into the board via cable.

Button colors on both products map the same way. Yellow arrow keys on the keyboard mirror the C buttons on the original gray N64 controller, the A and B keys borrow the N64’s blue and green face button colors, and the keyboard’s red Ctrl key pays homage to the console’s red Start button. The remaining keys carry the same translucent blue as the case.

At $99.99, the Retro 87 N64 Edition sits at the top of 8BitDo’s keyboard line. It supports Bluetooth, 2.4GHz wireless, and wired USB connections, plus N-key rollover and the 8BitDo Ultimate Software V2 for remapping. A dedicated button on the top right corner calls up the Xbox Game Bar in Windows, a fitting detail for a keyboard wearing an Xbox ABXY color scheme. Pre-orders are open on 8BitDo’s Retro 87 product page ahead of the August 14 release.

The Ultimate 2 Controller Ships Right Now

The controller is the faster half of the launch. The Ultimate 2 Wireless Controller is “available now” in Clear Blue at $59.99, the company confirmed Tuesday.

The N64 Edition shares its internals with the standard Ultimate 2. It uses TMR joysticks, the first 8BitDo pad to do so, with a 12-bit ADC sampling chip for higher precision and lower power draw, all detailed on 8BitDo’s Ultimate 2 product page. The triggers are Hall Effect units that switch between linear and tactile modes depending on the game. A 1000Hz polling rate over the 2.4GHz and wired connections keeps input lag low, and a small RGB ring around each stick is the only flash of color beyond the case itself.

Motion control, button mapping, stick sensitivity, trigger ranges, vibration, and macros are configurable through the 8BitDo Ultimate Software. The Xbox ABXY arrangement is the chosen layout, suiting a controller aimed at PC and mobile.

The same Xbox-derived layout is on every other Ultimate 2 colorway 8BitDo shipped in 2026, including the Wuchang: Fallen Feathers and Honkai: Star Rail editions. The face buttons carry the same color story as the keyboard’s A and B keys, with a translucent white D-pad and gray thumbsticks. Two blue back buttons round out the N64 color cues on the rear. A charging dock ships in the box and re-pairs automatically when the controller is lifted.

An Xbox Layout Cuts Out Switch Owners

The Xbox ABXY layout is the line 8BitDo chose not to cross. The face buttons follow Microsoft’s A-B-X-Y mapping, so muscle memory from a Switch controller won’t translate cleanly. For a 30th-anniversary product themed around a Nintendo console, that choice is worth noting.

The trade-off buys broader PC and Xbox reach. Windows, Android, SteamOS, and Apple’s mobile and desktop platforms at version 26 and up are all on the support list, with the controller marketed as officially Apple-supported on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Vision Pro. The keyboard, by contrast, is built around Windows and Android connections and ships with a dedicated button to summon the Xbox Game Bar. The keyboard does not need to make the same layout call, since it uses standard keycaps regardless of platform.

A matching Clear Blue number pad is “conspicuously missing,” Forbes notes, leaving the keyboard as an 87-key standalone. The two oversized Super Buttons included in the box do most of the desk-side visual work. The keyboard does not carry the same Switch caveat as the controller.

Tracing the Clear Blue Back to 1999

The color choice was deliberate. The translucent blue case is a direct lift from Nintendo’s Ice Blue edition of the N64, which shipped in 1999 as part of the Funtastic line of limited consoles sold through the early 2000s. Ice Blue was one of several Funtastic colors, alongside Fire Orange and Jungle Green. 8BitDo’s collection page frames the Clear Blue finish as a return to that transparent era of gaming hardware.

Button colors on both products map the same way. Yellow arrow keys on the keyboard mirror the C buttons on the original gray N64 controller, the A and B keys borrow the N64’s blue and green face button colors, and the keyboard’s red Ctrl key pays homage to the console’s red Start button. The remaining keys carry the same translucent blue as the case.

The translucent, water-hued aesthetics obviously call to mind Nintendo’s Ice Blue N64, which was part of the company’s Y2K Funtastic lineup of limited edition systems.

Forbes writer Mitch Wallace wrote that line on June 23 while reporting on the launch. Wallace also flagged the missing number pad, noting that the keyboard’s oversized Dual Super Buttons do most of the visual work without a matching companion piece. Forbes framed the launch alongside a wave of 30th-birthday coverage that recasts the N64 as part of a “groundbreaking year for gaming.” Wallace floated the prospect of Fire Orange or Jungle Green colorways arriving in the months ahead.

8BitDo’s own description is more measured. The collection page reads “Thirty years of play, design, and memories. A tribute to the moments that shaped a generation, celebrated in Clear Blue colorway.” That phrasing treats the launch as anniversary merchandise without any replica framing.

Where to Buy and When

The Ultimate 2 Wireless Controller in Clear Blue is on sale through 8BitDo’s store and Amazon US. The Retro 87 Mechanical Keyboard is open for pre-order on 8BitDo’s eShop for worldwide shipping. Amazon UK has separate listings, with the controller at £49.99 and the keyboard at £84.99. Retro Dodo reports shipping dates of August 28 for the controller and September 25 for the keyboard in the UK. Notebookcheck notes the US Amazon keyboard listing is currently unavailable.

The two products are also listed in China through 8BitDo’s regional channels. Notebookcheck reports the keyboard is priced at ¥529 (around $78 or €69) in China, with the controller at ¥269 (around $40 or €35). The China figures are lower than the US sticker prices.

• 8BitDo eShop (worldwide): $99.99 keyboard pre-order, ships August 14, 2026
• 8BitDo store (US): controller, available now
• Amazon US: $59.99 controller, keyboard listing unavailable as of publication
• Amazon UK: £49.99 controller, £84.99 keyboard (ships August 28 / September 25)
• 8BitDo China: ¥269 controller, ¥529 keyboard

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the 8BitDo N64 Retro 87 keyboard ship?

The Retro 87 Mechanical Keyboard in Clear Blue starts shipping from 8BitDo’s store on August 14, 2026, per the company’s June 23 confirmation. Pre-orders are open on the eShop for worldwide shipping. UK buyers should expect a later date; Retro Dodo reports a September 25 ship date for the keyboard through Amazon UK.

How much does the Clear Blue Ultimate 2 controller cost?

The controller is priced at $59.99 in the US and is available now through 8BitDo and Amazon. In the UK, the controller pre-orders at £49.99. Chinese pricing comes in lower at ¥269, per Notebookcheck’s coverage.

Will the 8BitDo N64 products work with the Nintendo Switch?

The Ultimate 2 controller will not work directly with the Switch because its face button layout follows the Xbox ABXY arrangement. The Retro 87 keyboard is a PC and Android device and does not target Nintendo platforms either. Neither product is designed as a Switch peripheral.

What’s different about the Clear Blue edition compared to standard 8BitDo products?

Functionally, almost nothing. The internals, switches, and connectivity match the standard models. The Clear Blue case, the yellow C-button arrow keys on the keyboard, the colored A and B buttons, and the red Ctrl key are the only differences. This is also the first 8BitDo product tied to a console anniversary, per Notebookcheck.

Where can I pre-order the 8BitDo N64 Retro 87 keyboard?

The Retro 87 keyboard pre-order is open on 8BitDo’s eShop for worldwide shipping, with US sales through the 8BitDo store. Amazon UK has a listing at £84.99, and Amazon US shows the product as currently unavailable. In China, the keyboard is listed at ¥529 through 8BitDo’s regional channels.