This Casio SCX-1 retro sampling keyboard is gorgeous and I need one right now

Quick Summary

Casio's latest creation, the SXC-1 portable sampler, is one of the coolest gadgets I've seen this year.

Inspired by the legendary 1985 SK-1 sampling keyboard, it wraps modern beat-making into a handheld device that somehow looks like a cross between a Game Boy, an MPC and a Teenage Engineering synth.

If you know your electronic music history, you'll know the Casio SK-1. Released in 1985, it became a cult classic thanks to its crunchy sampling and affordable price, finding its way into the hands of everyone from bedroom producers to professional musicians.

Now Casio has taken that icon and given it a modern makeover. The new SXC-1 portable sampler borrows plenty of visual cues from the SK-1, but this is a much more capable bit of kit, designed for today's music makers. It's compact enough to throw into a bag, yet packs the sort of features you'd expect from much larger desktop hardware.

Rather than recreating the SK-1, Casio has leaned into its heritage. The SXC-1 comes pre-loaded with more than 80 sample banks taken from classic Casio instruments, including the SK-1 itself, the SK-5, CZ-101 and MT-40, while also letting people record their own sounds using the built-in microphone, external inputs or USB-C. I think it's one of the best-looking pieces of music hardware I've seen this year.

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The design immediately grabs my attention. It manages to feel nostalgic without looking dated, mixing chunky physical controls with a bright pad layout and compact footprint that feels more like modern portable samplers than vintage keyboards.

Those 16 RGB performance pads are backed up by onboard sequencing, sample editing and a selection of creative effects including filters, flanger, phaser and bitcrusher.

Add battery power and a built-in speaker, and it looks like the sort of gadget that's designed to be used anywhere inspiration strikes, rather than sitting permanently in a home studio.

While there's no shortage of portable samplers these days, most lean towards minimalist industrial design. The SXC-1 feels like the opposite as playful, colourful and unmistakably Casio.

The bad news? You can't buy one here... yet

For now, the SXC-1 has only been announced for Japan, where it'll cost ¥39,930 – roughly £220 before local taxes and pricing. Casio hasn't confirmed an international launch, although given the affection the original SK-1 still enjoys around the world, it would be surprising if this remained a Japan-exclusive for long.

And if it does arrive in the UK at around the £250 mark, I suspect it'll sell out rather quickly.

Luke is a freelance writer for T3 with over two decades of experience covering tech, science and health. Among many things, Luke writes about health tech, software and apps, VPNs, TV, audio, smart home, antivirus, broadband, smartphones and cars. In his free time, Luke climbs mountains, swims outside and contorts his body into silly positions while breathing as calmly as possible.