If you want to give your PC-gaming rig a more 16-bit feel, Hyperkin may have a keyboard for you.
Above: They’re like brothers.
The hardware manufacturer is now selling the Hyper Clack Tactile Mechanical Keyboard that features the Super Nintendo’s color scheme. This $100 keyboard features Gaote Blue mechanical switches that are compatible with keycaps for the popular Cherry MX switches. That means you can customize this keyboard however you want.
But it’s obvious that Hyperkin is selling this for people who want a keyboard that is reminiscent of the Super Nintendo. It comes with keys that use the same colors as the buttons on an SNES gamepad. There’s that dark purple that Nintendo used for the A and B buttons, and then there’s the pale purple for the X and Y. Hyperkin also includes keys and a chassis that matches the various shades of gray that Nintendo used for the D-pad, the SNES logo, and the background of the buttons. The box even uses a typeface that looks like the Super Nintendo branding.
This isn’t an officially licensed Nintendo product, but it’s hard to mistake what Hyperkin is going for. It even points out that this keyboard features an “iconic retro-style color scheme” on the packaging for the device.
Keyboards is a market segment that is getting a lot of competition. Just about any hardware company with a gaming division is introducing their own mechanical keyboard in the $100 range. Creative, HyperX, and more have all launched their own this year. To stand out from that crowd, you may need to try something extreme: like tying yourself to one of the most beloved retro consoles ever made.