Technologies

This Retro Gaming Keyboard Hits All the Right Nostalgia Vibes and It’s a Great Keyboard

8BitDo’s Retro keyboard is wonderful to type on and look at.

As a child of the ’90s few things get my nerd brain tingling like good ol’ Super Mario. Even hearing my best friend’s Mario-themed phone notifications take me back to a simpler time. So it’s no surprise that I completely nerded out when I saw 8BitDo’s Retro Mechanical Keyboard decked out in Mario colors. A solid mechanical keyboard with a heavy dose of nostalgia? Count me in.

If the Mario theme isn’t up your alley, the Retro is available in a few different versions, each pulling something from the gaming and computing archives. I love seeing something a bit (pun intended) different out of keyboard designs rather than just fancy lighting. Best of all, the Retro has the hardware to back up its great looks.

What I like about the 8BitDo Retro mechanical keyboard

The fun theme is far from the only original thing about these Retro keyboards. 8BitDo makes three different accessories for the keyboards that will set your inner nerd-child’s heart racing. There are four Super Buttons — a set of two comes in the box — each meant to act as a single «A,» «B,» «X» or «Y» button from the consoles of yesteryear. They’re color matched to the theme as well being available in bright yellow, green or blue. If you’d rather not break out the Super Buttons, there are two large «A» and «B» buttons on the bottom of the keyboard you can use

There are also a Super Joystick and Super ABXY accessories. The former matches the retro style of the keyboard, of course. The latter has four keyboard keys colored and labeled to match «ABXY» buttons from a controller. Not only are these fun to use, they can be customized with whatever macros you choose, aside from just gaming. The Super Buttons are $10 each and the Super Stick and ABXY are $15, though there are some packages that include one more of these accessories with the keyboard.

It types great too

If the design alone wasn’t enough to sell you, it also types great. The Kailh Box White V2 switches offer plenty of tactility and responsiveness. Best of all, the board is hot-swappable, so you can quickly change out the switches for others if you desire. The keycaps are Dye-Sub PBT which gives them a solid feel and means they should last quite a long time before showing any wear. Overall, I enjoyed typing on it.

Everything else you’d expect from a good mechanical keyboard is here too, like Bluetooth and 2.5GHz wireless connectivity, solid battery life and robust software support. There’s also an optional external numpad that matches the aesthetic of your keyboard for about $45. Or if you want to have it built in, 8BitDo has full 108-key versions of the N and Fami Editions for $120.

What I don’t like about the 8BitDo Retro mechanical keyboard

There’s not much I don’t like about the 8BitDo Retro keyboard. The design is awesome, the build quality is superb and the functionality is useful and fun. If I had to be picky, I do wish the included cable had some sort of retro theming as well. The 2.4GHz dongle does, so it would make sense for the cable to as well.

The same goes for the cable attached to the Super Buttons. It would be cool if it somehow matched the aesthetic of the keyboard, especially as it might clutter up your desk if most of your other peripherals are wireless. I might end up switching out the Kalih switches, but that’s purely personal preference. That said, having at least a few different switch options at checkout would be nice.

Should I buy the 8BitDo Retro mechanical keyboard?

Yes. The build quality is solid, the design is one of the best retro-themed ones I’ve seen on a keyboard, and the added functionality adds a lot of fun.

Most importantly, the price is great. This version retails for $100, but I’ve often seen it on sale for $90. There’s also the The Fami version, which has a maroon Famicom computer aesthetic, and a brown-on-brown «Commodore 64» C64 version. The most expensive version is the green officially-licensed Xbox one, but at $120 it’s not that much more than the others.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, June 28

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for June 28.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It’s Saturday, so it’s extra-long, and might take you a while. Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Detachable parts of a dress form
Answer: ARMS

5A clue: Catering container containing caffeine
Answer: TEARUN

8A clue: Climbing structure offered in pet stores
Answer: CATTREE

9A clue: Gets into town
Answer: ARRIVES

10A clue: Frédéric Chopin or Ray Charles, notably
Answer: PIANIST

11A clue: They don’t hold water
Answer: SIEVES

12A clue: ___-jerk reaction
Answer: KNEE

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: With some chance of failure
Answer: ATARISK

2D clue: Prepare for a new job, maybe
Answer: RETRAIN

3D clue: Midday Broadway showing
Answer: MATINEE

4D clue: Goal of a noted reality show set on an island
Answer: SURVIVE

6D clue: Witherspoon who portrayed June Carter in «Walk the Line»
Answer: REESE

7D clue: Lodgings for larks
Answer: NESTS

8D clue: Souvenir from a baseball game
Answer: CAP

Technologies

Facing Billions in DMA Fines, Apple Lets EU iPhone Users Install Apps Outside the App Store

A last-minute rule change lets European iPhone owners download apps from rival stores and developer websites, while introducing new fees that Apple hopes will satisfy regulators in Brussels.

In a scramble to sidestep penalties that could soar into the billions, and with Brussels regulators watching closely, Apple has agreed to let Europeans download iPhone apps from outside its own App Store.

With just hours left before an EU compliance deadline, the company said residents of the 27-nation bloc will soon be able to grab apps from rival marketplaces or straight off a developer’s website. The change rolls out later this year with iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6, and also lets users set a different browser engine and choose a third-party wallet at checkout.

For everyday EU iPhone owners, that means the download button could pop up in more places than just Apple’s storefront. After you select the new setting, iOS shows a one-time permission sheet confirming you’re leaving Apple’s marketplace. The app then passes a quick notarization scan meant to weed out malware. Apple notes that off-store downloads work only inside the EU, and disappear if you stay outside the bloc for more than 30 days.

Cost to developers

Developers do gain fresh distribution freedom, but there’s a price tag. A new two-tier Store Services fee asks for 5% of outside sales in exchange for basic services like app reviews and support in what’s called Tier 1, or 13% for the full bundle of perks, including automatic updates and App Store promotions in Tier 2.

Apple will take a 5% «Core Technology Commission» on any purchase made outside its own payment system. That new cut will phase out the current €0.50-per-download fee and become the sole charge across the EU when a unified pricing model arrives on Jan. 1, 2026.

Apple insists «more than 99%» of devs will pay the same or less under the revamped math.

Why now?

In April, the European Commission fined Apple €500 million ($585 million) for blocking developers from steering users to cheaper payment options, and warned that daily penalties of up to 5% of global revenue could follow if it failed to comply.

Throughout the back-and-forth, Apple has accused the commission of «moving the goalposts» on what counts as compliance, with a spokesperson saying the company has invested «hundreds of thousands of hours» to meet the EU’s evolving demands.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney blasted the 5% tier as a «malicious compliance scheme» that «makes a mockery of fair competition.»

If regulators decide Apple still hasn’t gone far enough, the iPhone maker could face steeper sanctions, or even be forced to separate its App Store business.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for June 27, #1469

Here are hints — and the answer — for today’s Wordle No. 1,469 for June 27. Some players need a new starter word now.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Wordle puzzle isn’t too tough, but somehow, it has a starting letter I never seem to guess. Some posters on Reddit say it was one of their starter words, so now they’re in the market for a new way to begin the game. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

There are two vowels in today’s Wordle answer.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with P.

Wordle hint No. 4: Placement

The two vowels are next to each other.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can refer to something that is not decorated and is simple.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is PLAIN.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, June 26, No. 1468 was OFFER.

Recent Wordle answers

June 22, No. 1464: THRUM

June 23, No. 1465: ODDLY

June 24, No. 1466: ELITE

June 25, No. 1467: COMFY

Will Wordle run out of words?

When Wordle began, creator Josh Wardle used a list of five-letter words he’d shared with his partner, picking only the words they recognized. While that’s more than 2,000 words, more than half of them have already been used.

Wordle editor Tracy Bennett admitted that the game will eventually have to come to grips with the fact that the word list is not eternal.

«One possibility is that we could recycle old words at some point, like when we get close to the end,» Bennett told a Wordle player on TikTok.

She also said the editors might throw all the words back in and reuse them, or allow plurals, or past tense, something that’s not done now.