8Bitdo AP40 Game Controller Inspired by Apple ][ – Fulfilled!

You may have noticed that Kickstarter projects don’t get a lot of coverage here unless they truly stand out. Last September, Jeff Gamet wrote up an Apple themed game controller by 8Bitdo, makers of a variety of retro-looking game controllers. I took one look and fell in love, so I backed it immediately. It arrived today, and is possibly more amazing than I had hoped.

The Box

First, you have the packaging itself:

Delightfully old school!

When I posted this on Instagram it looked so accurate I got a comment about how floppy drives are pointless because floppies have deteriorated so badly by now…

The Inner Box

Then I get to the inner box which is equally wonderful:

It’s just floppies, all the way down…

Certify This

So I’m already in love, and I haven’t even made it to the thing I bought! Which is totally legit, as evidenced by my certificate:

It’s retro so I can get away with 2 Legit 2 Quit as a caption.

The Controller

And at last we come to the controller itself. Complete with green leaf plugin for the micro-USB charging port:

Behold! In six glorious colors!

The Stand!

But wait! There’s more! Since I backed the limited edition version I also got a stand for my controller:

It’s a solid metal model of a modern major general. Wait.

The Whole Shebang

This thing is heavy, it’s definitely not going anywhere. And on the keys it says “In Respect Of The One We Love” which is sweet. To look at it, it’s totally cute, and then you pick it up and realize it could also be a weapon.

Here’s my Kickstarter project, “fully assembled”:

Since the stand could be a weapon, this is weaponized cuteness. Beware staring for too long!

Most of the time this is going to live in a place of honor upon my desk, likely between Doctor Who and Miss Piggy.

Since I actually remember the Apple II, this is a wonderful piece of retro-made gear just on packaging alone, and I can’t wait to actually play some games with it.

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