1985 was a hell of a year. Live Aid happened. Back to the Future hit cinemas. Windows 1.0 launched. The Internet Domain Name System was created, and the Titanic wreckage was discovered. But for gaming fans, there’s one historic event that shines through – the release of the Nintendo Entertainment System.
The NES, which gave us Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt, is celebrating the big four-oh. And now 8BitDo, one of our favourite gaming controller makers, is joining the party with a new line of NES-themed accessories.
The NES40 collection available to pre-order now, includes a NES-themed version of the Ultimate 2 Bluetooth controller, which includes a wireless bluetooth receiver to plug into that classic system, if you have one still running. That controller costs $80 and ships on November 18. Don’t worry, you can use it on both generations of the Switch console too.
There’s a Retro 68 Keyboard in the N40 edition with a free mouse (if you pre-order) that pays homage to the A and B buttons on an NES controller. That’ll set you back $500 though and will be shipping in January. Why so expensive? Well it’s completely made of an aluminium alloy for starters. It also offers 300 hours of usage from the 6500mAh battery pack.
There’s also a NES-inspired version of the company’s Retro Cube 2 Bluetooth speaker, which offers Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and USB connectivity with 30 hours of battery life. The D-Pad will help you with volume and pairing. That’s out on December 12 and costs $50. A perfect little stocking filler for the retro gamer in your life.
