Talking Point: What's Your Take on Franchise-Themed Console Designs?

Nintendo took roughly a year and a half to show off its first special edition Switch 2, and it turned out to be a Zelda one. Revealed during a recent Direct to mark the franchise's 40th anniversary, the console sports a Triforce design, patterned green and black Joy-Con, and a gold dock. Once the initial excitement settled, the staff at Nintendo Life found themselves debating a bigger question: are series-branded consoles actually a good idea? The Switch 1 received no fewer than 16 special editions, each bundled with a tie-in game, and it seems only a matter of time before the Switch 2 follows suit.

Wearing fandom proudly

Features Editor Jim Norman pre-ordered the 40th anniversary Zelda system the moment it went live, and he makes no apologies for it. Still, he admits Zelda is an exception for him. Playing Resident Evil on a Splatoon-themed machine, or Super Mario Odyssey on the Monster Hunter Rise Switch, would feel odd — like running the wrong game on a branded arcade cabinet. Zelda, however, gets a free pass, and he counts his Poké Ball New 2DS XL among his guilty pleasures too.

Not worth the money

Reviews Editor Ollie Reynolds sees it differently. Paying £400+ for a machine that looks different but functions identically no longer appeals to him. He was briefly tempted by the Zelda variant and stayed strong when the Metroid Ravenous Special Edition was announced soon after. His weakness, instead, is consoles themed after other consoles — he owns the SNES-themed New 3DS XL and once carried an NES-themed GBA SP, and Sony's 30th anniversary PlayStation hardware even convinced him to buy a PS Portal. Though he admits he has barely touched the Portal since.

"How perfectly vulgar"

Editor Gavin Lane, self-described owner of six GameCubes, loves colour variants but draws a hard line at franchise branding. Playing Resident Evil on a Triforce console — or Wind Waker on an RE GameCube — strikes him as deeply improper. Console-on-console themes are another story; he also owns a SNES-themed New 3DS XL despite not being a big SNES fan. His compromise: series-themed controllers are fine, and he's eyeing the upcoming Zelda Pro Controller as an upgrade from his Splatoon 2 pad. In his view, using a Zelda pad for anything is perfectly acceptable.

One day, maybe

Video Producer Mai Ladyman has never owned a special edition console, largely due to budget, though she's long coveted designs like the Animal Crossing and Zelda handhelds, Pokémon N64s, and the Final Fantasy XV Luna Edition PS4. To her, a themed machine is a proud little reflection of your favourite franchise.

Pre-orders for the Zelda Switch 2 are already open, and more themed hardware — including that Zelda Pro Controller — is on the way.

Source: Nintendo Life