The latest Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom trailer once again revealed very little about the actual game, but it may have inadvertently confirmed the existence of a leaked Switch OLED console.
The Nintendo Switch system in question leaked late last year and had us speculating that it was a photoshop job, rather than authentic images of a special edition console. It looks like we’ll have to eat crow on this one, as last week's Nintendo Direct premiered a new trailer for Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which may have confirmed the existence of the hardware.
Twitter user @Nintendeal noticed that the console has a symbol on one of the Joy-Cons, which also appears on the recently revealed Collector's Edition. The symbol – which looks like a pair of eyes with a flower bud above them and some wings – appears on the box containing the pin badges included in the Collector's Edition.
This symbol had not appeared in any official capacity before last week's Nintendo Direct showed off the Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: Collector's Edition, which lends this rumoured console a lot more credence.
Tears of the bank account
I’m not exactly shocked that there's a special Zelda-themed console on the way. I didn't write our original story debunking the rumour, but even if this design didn’t turn out to be true, I would be shocked if a Zelda Switch OLED isn’t on the way. Each Nintendo handheld since the Game Boy Advance SP has had a special Zelda-themed console; hell, the Nintendo 3DS alone had about six in total.
Considering that, frankly, less exciting games like Splatoon 3 and Pokemon Scarlet & Violet received their own special edition Switch OLED consoles, it only makes sense that what is arguably the most anticipated game of 2023 (having won most anticipated at both The Game Awards and the Golden Joystick Awards) would get its own system.
Not to mention, the design in question is absolutely gorgeous. Past Zelda special editions have amounted to a Triforce on a gold system (Game Boy Advance SP, Nintendo DS Lite, and Nintendo 3DS XL) or the Hylian Crest with gold lining on a black system (Nintendo 3DS, Wii U ) with a few variants here and there.
While the Nintendo Switch system in this bundle seems like a bog-standard Switch OLED the rest of the system looks great. The golden Joy-Cons each have specific patterns we’ve seen before in trailers for Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, with these patterns extending to the dock, which adorns a unique version of the Hylian Crest alongside the ouroboros motif seen in the logo for the game.
It isn’t enough for me personally to drop another few hundred on another Nintendo Switch OLED, but if mediocre redesigns like the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Switch system sold well, I’m sure this will fly off the shelves.
Obviously nothing is confirmed yet, but considering we still know next to nothing about Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, it’s safe to assume that we will get a Nintendo Direct dedicated to the game before its release on May 12, 2023, where a new console design will be revealed.
In the meantime, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom pre-orders are open for the game (both standard and Collector's Edition) and the accompanying Link amiibo.
