8BitDo Retro 87 Keyboard (Clear Blue): Specs, Pros & Cons
Clear Blue is one finish of 8BitDo's Retro 87, and the color is the first thing you notice. Underneath is a hot-swappable tenkeyless keyboard with three ways to connect, a pair of dials on the case and an optional desk accessory that few other keyboards come with.
The layout is a standard TKL: full letters, the function row, arrows and a navigation cluster, and no number pad. It runs over a USB cable, a 2.4 GHz receiver or Bluetooth, which lets one keyboard move between a desktop, a laptop and an Android tablet. The switches are 8BitDo's own linears, and the hot-swap sockets mean they can be pulled and replaced with others without solder. RGB lighting shines through the keycaps, and a volume knob and a second dial handle media without a key combination. Every key can be reprogrammed, and n-key rollover means fast chords register in full.
The accessory is the Dual Super Buttons module, two oversized programmable keys in a separate block that sits beside the board. It is aimed at streamers, video editors and anyone who wants a large physical button for a single job.
Some things are missing. The board has none of the gaming-focused extras now common in this category: no rapid trigger, no adjustable actuation and no analog input. There is no USB passthrough either. Its 2,000 mAh battery is rated for 200 h, which means a charge a little more often than most rival wireless boards need. The biggest limit is software. 8BitDo supports Windows and Android, and its configuration tool runs on Windows only, so the Retro 87 suits a Windows desk far better than a Mac one.
Category strengths
Where the 8BitDo Retro 87 Keyboard (Clear Blue) trails the median
- Shorter battery life ?200 h vs 325 h (median)
How this VS Score was computed
Score 47: each known spec is measured against the median of all keyboards (101 products), then weighted; 50 means level with that median. In classes of six or more, a value beyond the class’s 10th–90th percentile range counts as that limit, so one extreme product cannot set the scale. 42% of the scoreable weight could be used; unknown values, features not applicable to this class and proxies (battery capacity where a rated life exists) add or remove nothing.
| Specification | This product | Cohort median | Score weight | Points moved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot-swappable | Yes | 61% of the class have it | 0.6 | +30.0 |
| Rapid trigger | No | 25% of the class have it | 0.5 | −24.0 |
| Adjustable actuation | No | 24% of the class have it | 0.4 | −19.2 |
| Battery life | 200 | 325 | 0.6 | −11.4 |
| Rotary knob | Yes | 53% of the class have it | 0.2 | +10.0 |
| Switch technology | Mechanical | Mechanical | 1 | +0.0 |
| Connection | 3 | 3 | 0.8 | +0.0 |
| Backlight | RGB | RGB | 0.3 | +0.0 |
Not scored: Actuation force (unknown: not scored); N-key rollover (standard for the class (85% have it)); Analog input (not applicable: only 14% of this class have it); Polling rate (unknown: not scored); Wired latency (unknown: not scored); Wireless latency (unknown: not scored); Front height (unknown: not scored); Bluetooth devices (unknown: not scored); Battery capacity (capacity is a proxy; the rated battery life is scored instead); USB passthrough (not applicable: only 4% of this class have it); Keycap material (unknown: not scored); Sound dampening (unknown: not scored); Programmable keys (standard for the class (99% have it)); Media controls (standard for the class (97% have it)); Onboard profiles (unknown: not scored); Configuration software (standard for the class (95% have it)).
Editor’s note
Most of the decision here comes down to whether you want the Dual Super Buttons. 8BitDo ships this keyboard with a separate module carrying two oversized programmable buttons that sit beside the board, and you can assign macros to them without opening any software. Streamers, editors and players who want a large physical button get a real feature at this price. Everyone else gets a chunk of desk space and a look that will not suit every office.
The board itself is more serious than the styling suggests. It is a hot-swappable 87-key TKL on an aluminum plate with a top-mount structure, running 8BitDo's own Cloud Gray linear switches co-developed with HUANO, with n-key rollover and RGB in eight modes shining through double-layered keycaps. Hot-swap is the part I would weigh most heavily: if you do not get on with the Cloud Gray linears, you change the switches and keep the keyboard. It connects three ways, and the chassis carries a volume knob and a second control dial.
The limitation that would stop me is platform support. 8BitDo lists Windows and Android, and Ultimate Software V2 is Windows-only, so a Mac buyer drawn in by the looks is buying a keyboard they cannot fully configure. There is also no published polling rate or latency figure, which matters if you are cross-shopping against boards advertising 8,000 Hz. And 8BitDo does not list gasket mounting, case foam or any sound dampening, so do not assume the muted typing sound that a top-mount aluminum build sometimes implies.
At its official price, just under a hundred dollars, it is fair value for a hot-swappable wireless TKL with real character. Buy it for the switches and the Super Buttons, not on the assumption that it behaves like a modern gasket-mounted enthusiast board.
Specifications
Quality bars show where each figure sits between the lowest and highest of the 101 keyboards this VS Score is measured against.
Switches & typing
Performance
Layout & size
Connectivity
Build & sound
Features
Sources and verification
Where the specifications come from
- Official product pageshop.8bitdo.com
- Datasheet or manualdownload.8bitdo.com
- Retailer listing (cross-check)amazon.com
Verification
- First published
- Specifications last checked
- Sheet completeness
- 23 of 34 specifications verified; the rest show as Unknown and are never estimated or scored
- Page type
- Product specification page — Compiled from the manufacturer’s published specifications and the cited sources; this is not a hands-on test.
- Basis
- Research-based: specifications and editorial text were compiled from the documents listed here and the manufacturer’s published data. We have not tested this unit ourselves; where independent measurements are mentioned they belong to the linked publication.
Where to buy
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Price history
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The bottom line
The 8BitDo Retro 87 Keyboard (Clear Blue) earns a VS Score of 47, below the median of the 101 keyboards it is measured against (a score of 50 is level with that median).
- Who it’s for
- Windows and Android owners who want a characterful, hot-swappable wireless TKL at a fair price and who will use two oversized programmable macro buttons.
- Who should look elsewhere
- Mac owners. 8BitDo lists Windows and Android only, and Ultimate Software V2 is Windows-only, so you could not remap the programmable keys. Also not for anyone who needs a numpad, or who wants published latency and polling figures before buying.
- The trade-off that matters
- Character and hot-swap against polish and disclosure: an aluminum plate, top-mount build and swappable Cloud Gray linears, but no stated polling rate or latency, no listed gasket mount or sound dampening, and a Super Buttons module that takes real desk space.
- The main alternative
- Keychron V3 Ultra 8K: the same hot-swappable triple-mode TKL formula from a keyboard-first brand, with its 8K polling rate published and full macOS support. It costs more and has none of the 8BitDo styling.
The VS Score is calculated from the weighted specifications above, each measured against the median of comparable keyboards — a shortlisting guide, not a substitute for your own priorities. See how we score.
