Nintendo's Zelda 40th anniversary Switch 2 is made for collectors

Nintendo revealed The Legend of Zelda Switch 2 Special 40th Anniversary Edition on September 8. The console launches on October 29 for $519.99 in the US, which is only $20 more than a standard Switch 2.

The timing lines up perfectly with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which releases one week later on November 5. The game is not included, though, and the anniversary Pro Controller and carrying case are separate purchases as well.

That extra $20 gets you a new Zelda design across the console, dock and Joy-Con 2. There are no new hardware features or Zelda software in the box, so if you already own a Switch 2, the design itself has to be enough to justify buying another one.

Nintendo could easily have built the console around Ocarina of Time, which releases only seven days later. But instead, the hardware uses symbols that work across Zelda as a whole. 

The black dock has a large gold Triforce across the front, with more Zelda patterns covering the dock and the back of the console. The Joy-Con 2 switch to green and gold and carry additional decoration of their own.

It looks very different from the Tears of the Kingdom Switch OLED. That console was tied closely to one game, with its white-and-gold dock, green detailing and patterns taken from Tears of the Kingdom. You could identify exactly which Zelda it belonged to.

The 40th Anniversary Switch 2 is broader. The Triforce has been part of the series for decades, so the console does not look out of place next to something from Twilight Princess, Breath of the Wild or the original NES games.

Nintendo used a similar approach for the Zelda 25th Anniversary Nintendo 3DS in 2011. That black handheld also relied on gold decoration and familiar Hyrule imagery. The new Switch 2 adds much brighter Joy-Con, but the connection is easy to see.

The standard Switch 2 gives Nintendo a plain base to work from, which helps here. Even sitting in the dock with the screen off, the anniversary edition immediately looks like Zelda hardware.

If you have been waiting to buy a Switch 2, the extra $20 is easy to justify. You get the same hardware as the standard model, but with the Zelda-themed console, Joy-Con 2 and dock alongside the usual straps, grip, AC adapter and HDMI cable.

Nothing inside performs differently. Nintendo has not added more storage, changed the specifications or included a Zelda game. If you already own a Switch 2, that makes the decision much harder. You would be paying $519.99 for another console that runs the same games in exactly the same way.

Nintendo did something similar with the Tears of the Kingdom Switch OLED in 2023, which also launched without the game. This anniversary edition arrives in a slightly different situation, though, because Ocarina of Time follows only a week later.

Even a digital copy of Ocarina of Time or a discount on the game would have given existing owners something beyond the new design.

Some older Zelda consoles now sell for far more than they cost at launch. Complete or unopened editions of the A Link Between Worlds 3DS XL are a good example, especially when the original box and accessories are still included.

Recent Zelda hardware has not followed the same path. The Tears of the Kingdom Switch OLED launched for $359.99 in 2023, and sealed systems still sell around their original price.

The 40th Anniversary Switch 2 could become harder to find over time, but Nintendo has not announced a limited production run. How many are made, how long stores keep selling them and the condition of the console will all affect what collectors are willing to pay later.

If you still need a Switch 2, spending another $20 on the Zelda edition is easy to defend. Buying a second $519.99 console because you expect it to rise in value is much more speculative.

You can get much of the anniversary design without replacing the console. The Zelda 40th Anniversary Switch 2 Pro Controller launches on October 29 for $99.99 in the US. A standard Switch 2 Pro Controller costs $89.99, so you are paying another $10 for the Zelda version.

It uses the same anniversary styling as the console, with Zelda artwork and decorative patterns across the controller. Nintendo is also selling a $109.99 version with a custom display stand. The stand uses a map of Hyrule and lets you put the controller on display when you are finished playing. In the US, Nintendo says this version will be limited to Nintendo Store and its New York and San Francisco stores.

If you already own a Switch 2, spending around $100 on the anniversary controller makes more sense than buying another $520 console. You can use it with the system you already have, while the Zelda design still gives you something distinctive enough to display.

The $39.99 carrying case follows the same Triforce design and includes a screen protector. Nintendo sells that separately too. Buy the console, controller and case together and they look like one coordinated Zelda set. Nintendo simply does not sell them as one.

If you still need a Switch 2 and like Zelda, the extra $20 buys you a far more distinctive version of the same console. You are already spending $499.99, so the anniversary design adds relatively little to the total price.

The argument gets weaker once you already own the hardware. The Zelda edition runs the same games, adds no exclusive features and does not include Ocarina of Time. At that point, the $519.99 is almost entirely paying for the Triforce dock, decorated console and green-and-gold Joy-Con.

Older Zelda systems show that themed Nintendo hardware can become valuable, but that depends on more than the logo on the box. The Tears of the Kingdom Switch OLED has not seen the same kind of appreciation, and Nintendo has not announced a limited production run for this model.

Buying one now in the hope of selling it later is therefore a gamble on scarcity that may never arrive. If you already have a Switch 2, the anniversary Pro Controller gives you the same kind of Zelda display piece for far less money. If you do not own a Switch 2 yet, another $20 is unlikely to hurt. It gets you the version that looks and feels made for Zelda's 40th anniversary.