8BitDo Retro R8 mouse: retro looks, charging dock and up to 8,000 Hz polling

The 8BitDo Retro R8 blends a throwback aesthetic with budget-friendly hardware, arriving with a charging dock and retailing for just under $32 on Amazon.

The dock doubles as a wireless receiver, and the mouse can run up to 100 hours on Bluetooth. Battery life drops over a 2.4 GHz connection, varying between 26 and 105 hours depending on polling rate.

Performance chops include up to an 8,000 Hz polling rate wired (up to 4,000 Hz wirelessly) and a PAW 3395 optical sensor with a maximum 26,000 DPI. In testing it felt responsive in twitchy shooters, maintained a solid connection to the stand, and proved comfortable if not quite a top-tier competitive option.

Design-wise it’s ambidextrous with symmetrical programmable side buttons and weighs 77 g, so it should suit either hand without much fuss.

8bitdo, retro r8, charging dock, wireless receiver, bluetooth, 2.4 ghz, 8,000 hz, paw 3395, 26,000 dpi, ambidextrous