I don’t normally review things here but a few people expressed an interest in how I got on with this, especially as I was planning to use it with Ubuntu. So here we are.
Be warned, I know nothing about keyboards except how to go tippy-tap on them. And sometimes not even that. So don’t expect any deep insights.
Last year I decided to change up my desk setup. I was already using two screens, but to make things a more ergonomic I moved my laptop onto a separate swivel stand, got a USB hub to reduce the cabling and increase the number of ports. I also decided to get a new keyboard.
Out of what might is undoubtedly a mix of nostalgia and a burgeoning mid-life crisis, I decided what I wanted was a chunky retro-styled keyboard. Something that evoked “hacking the mainframe” using an old IBM terminal.
I then tripped over the 8BitDo mechanical keyboard and was sold. Compact. Wireless. Gave off the right vibes. And, inexplicably, has some extra big red buttons.
Let’s start with…
I’M SORRY?
…I said let’s start with discussing the…
WHAT?
…discussing the downsides.
OK!
It’s loud.
I love that, to be honest. Gives me more of those mainframe hacking vibes. But if I’m honest, that feature is less popular with everyone else in the house.
The other downside is that the occasionally I discover exxxxxxtra letttters. Not consistently enough for it to be an actual fault. But maybe once or twice a day?
I suspect it might be a bluetooth connectivity thing, but I’ve not used it enough when wired or using the wireless dongle to be sure. It’s slightly more common when I’ve paused for a while to read something. So might be related to the keyboard going to sleep.
The final issue is actually my own problem. This is an 87 key US layout. So fewer keys and no replaceable keycaps.
As a UK tippy-tapper I’m stuck with some mislabelled keys. I don’t really care about that as muscle memory guides my typing. But fewer keys means that a couple of frequently used programming characters, like | and \, are only available via an Alt key combo. I did consider remapping keys to try and work around that, but decide it was easier to just retrain that muscle memory a bit.
So not sure if I can unreservedly recommend this for programmers unless you’re comfortable with that. Or in the US.
What about the upsides?
WHAT?
I said let’s talk about the upsides.
Firstly, it works seamlessly with Ubuntu. Just worked. The included wireless dongle, and an easy switch between modes means I can easily flip between my laptop and PC desktop.
The macro programming software is for PC only. But you can do all of the key assignment directly on the keyboard itself. So I’ve just assigned keyboard shortcuts to the individual buttons and then mapped those shortcuts in Ubuntu. For example, at the moment, I’ve just got keys assigned to one tap mute my microphone and audio. Handy.
I’ll admit that, retro-stylings aside, my favourite feature is the volume knob. I now get to pump up the volume while waving my arm in the air like some DJ dropping a hot set. No really, it’s great and I’m sure the midlife crisis will pass eventually.
Despite the niggles, I have zero regrets with this as a purchase. If I were to duct tape this to my XPS 13 it’s probably as close as I’m going to get to that Ono-Sendai deck I’ve always wanted.
YMMV.
Lost Boy 