8BitDo’s new collection celebrates the NES’s 40th anniversary

As portion of its NES40 collection, 8BitDo’s Ultimate 2 controller is getting its astir melodramatic makeover yet. | Image: 8BitDo

Forty years agone today, the Nintendo Entertainment System launched successful North America, and to assistance observe the anniversary, 8BitDo has announced a caller NES40 collection. It features updated versions of 3 of 8BitDo’s existing products, including its Ultimate 2 wireless controller, Retro 87 Keyboard N Edition, and Retro Cube Speaker.

The updates made to the N40 mentation of 8BitDo’s Ultimate 2 controller are mostly cosmetic, but it present features a black-and-gray plan with agleam reddish buttons and a charging dock that matches the aesthetics of the NES console. The controller volition besides see 4 swappable joystick caps portion its grips are printed with dates that correlate to launches of notable Nintendo and 8BitDo products.

Functionality is the aforesaid arsenic the archetypal mentation of the Ultimate 2, including the TMR joysticks, Hall effect triggers, a ringing of color-changing LEDs astir the basal of each joystick, reprogrammable bumper buttons, an other brace of buttons connected the back, and compatibility with the Switch, Switch 2, and Windows devices. The 8BitDo Ultimate 2 Bluetooth Controller – N40 is disposable for preorder starting contiguous for $79.99 and comes with 8BitDo’s Retro Receiver for wirelessly connecting it to an archetypal NES, and a 2.4GHz adapter providing a faster wireless transportation for gaming. It volition beryllium released connected November 15th, 2025, but volition beryllium constricted to lone 1,985 units.

For the caller 8BitDo Retro 68 Keyboard N40, the updates are the opposite. Despite being a small much compact than 8BitDo’s archetypal mechanical keyboard due to the fact that it features a 68-key layout alternatively of 87, the caller N40 mentation looks precise akin to the archetypal but includes immoderate important hardware upgrades. The full keyboard, including the shell, keycaps, and buttons, is made from aluminum alloy, and 8BitDo has switched from Kailh’s clicky Box White V2 switches to its linear Box Ice Cream Pro Max switches. The Retro 68 besides includes a overmuch larger 6,500mAh artillery boosting usage to up to 300 hours betwixt charges, and it comes with the original’s oversized programmable Super Buttons accessories that present wirelessly link to the keyboard alternatively of being tethered by a 3.5mm cable.

The Retro 68 N40 keyboard is much than doubly arsenic dense arsenic the original, weighing successful astatine a beefy 2,200 grams, and considerably much expensive. The Retro 87 debuted astatine $99.99 successful 2023, but the caller Retro 68 volition beryllium disposable for preorder starting contiguous for $499.99 and is expected to vessel sometime successful January 2026.

The 8BitDo Retro Cube 2 Speaker N Edition besides looks astir identical to 8BitDo’s Retro Cube Speaker that has been NES-themed since it archetypal launched successful 2016. But the caller mentation introduces dual stereo speakers with euphony and gaming modes, a built-in microphone, a larger 2,000mAh artillery offering up to 30 hours of playtime connected a afloat charge, and the enactment to power to a 2.4GHz transportation alternatively of Bluetooth utilizing a bundled dongle. Its USB larboard has been upgraded from Micro USB to USB-C, but the talker tin beryllium charged by simply placing it connected a caller wireless dock that’s included.

The archetypal mentation launched astir a decennary agone for $35, portion the caller Retro Cube 2 talker is disposable for preorder starting contiguous for $49.99 and is expected to beryllium released connected December 8th, 2025.