8BitDo marks Nintendo 64's 30th birthday with new hardware

8BitDo marked the Nintendo 64’s 30th birthday with two Clear Blue peripherals built to celebrate the console and fit into modern setups. The company’s N64 30th Collection pairs the Ultimate 2 Wireless Controller Clear Blue, listed at $59.99 and available now in the United States, with the Retro 87 Keyboard Clear Blue, listed at $99.99 and set to ship starting August 14, 2026.

The timing landed squarely on the anniversary Nintendo fans actually care about: the N64 first launched in Japan on June 23, 1996, then reached North America on September 29, 1996, and Europe and Australia on March 1, 1997. 8BitDo tied the release to “1996 to 2026” and “30 years of play,” turning the console’s birthday into a product drop that reads as both tribute and desk gear.

For retro game emulation players, that split matters. N64 games live or die on controller feel, from the analog stick to the shoulder buttons and the long sessions that expose bad ergonomics fast. 8BitDo has already made its case in that lane with the 64 Bluetooth Controller, which revives the N64 layout in an updated body and pairs a hall-effect joystick with the original gate, a concave rubber cap, vibration support, and compatibility with Analogue 3D, Switch, Windows, and Android.

The new Clear Blue hardware leans harder into the look of the era, but it still sits inside that same practical ecosystem. The keyboard’s yellow arrow keys nod to the N64’s C-buttons, while both pieces use N64-inspired button colors and a translucent Clear Blue finish that echoes Nintendo’s 1999 Funtastic family, especially the Ice Blue hardware that collectors still chase.

That is what gives the announcement its appeal beyond pure nostalgia. The controller is easy to see as a usable upgrade for modern retro play on PC or handheld setups, while the keyboard feels like the sort of matching piece that finishes a themed desk without pretending the 1990s never ended. In a hobby where the right input device can change how an old game feels immediately, 8BitDo chose a birthday look that still knows how to work.