Nintendo’s first special-colored Switch 2 is built for longtime Legend of Zelda fans—or for if you just really love the look of green and gold. The default Switch 2 look, with its black body and controller accents, now suddenly seems like the duller version of what could be a much more colorful and thematic console.
During Tuesday’s massive Nintendo Direct, the company gave us the full, clear picture of its The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition Switch 2 and similarly stylized Switch 2 Pro Controller. The last time we saw images of these epic emerald green handhelds and controllers was in blurry leaked images. The console now comes with a green veneer with gold accents surrounding each JoyCon 2 thumbstick. The magnetic connecting ports for each console and their cover attachments also now shine with a TriForce gold. Nintendo opted to not color code the left and right JoyCons for this special edition.
In addition, the Switch 2 dock now features a cool TriForce emblem and checkerboarded triangles on the front. It means you will feel pretty bad if you plan to cover up your console front with an accessory like one of those Retro Fighters Battle Dock to plug in all your GameCube controllers. Nintendo will also sell a special edition of the Switch 2 carrying case and screen protector with the same Triforce design on the front.
I can’t fault the look of the new Switch 2 Pro controller’s black, gold, and green color scheme, either. The only problem with that version is that it will only be available online or in Nintendo’s New York or San Francisco brick-and-mortar shops.
The announcement reminds me just how much I’ve been jonesing for Nintendo to sell a more colorful Joy-Con 2. So far, Nintendo has been content launching controllers with blue and yellow accents in the lead-up to Splatoon Raiders and a special mint and lavender-toned pair in time for Mario Tennis Fever. I was merely waiting for Nintendo to produce super bright controllers that I can attach to my Switch 2 and remind myself I’m playing the “fun” console. The new special edition should be available Oct. 29, and we don’t know if it will demand anything more than the current $500 price point of the Switch 2.
Nintendo’s long-awaited remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will release on Nov. 5 (and it seems to be one of only a few games willing to combat Grand Theft Auto VI launching that same month). The game looks pleasing in an overtly more cartoonish way that is geared to tug at the heartstrings of players who remember a more light-hearted time of the series’ past. Nintendo is also planning to sell two new Amiibos alongside the game and a special ocarina. Nintendo promises you’ll be able to either hum into your controller or use the ocarina itself to play the tunes of Link’s in-game instrument.
Leave it to Nintendo to make such an innocuous feature seem like the weirdest and somehow most joyful way to play its game. Maybe, just maybe, Nintendo will finally get you to learn how to play the instrument it epitomized nearly 30 years ago.
