After years of beseeching Nintendo to bring fan-favourite The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker to the Nintendo Switch, the Japanese company has relented in the case of the incoming Nintendo Switch 2. Kinda.
GameCube The Wind Waker is back, baby
Rather than simply port over The Wind Waker HD, which debuted on the Wii U featuring visual upgrades and plenty of quality of life features, Nintendo has instead announced that the Switch 2 console will offer players access to a new GameCube emulator, forcing the purchase of a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion subscription to play the game alongside a few others from the early 2000s era. We’re not complaining. Much.
The news that the iconic GameCube console, first released in 2001, will get a second life on the Switch 2 a big win for consumers everywhere, not least due to the return of the Super Smash. Bros controller, now featuring wireless capabilities and the new “C” button Ninty showed off during the Direct yesterday.
Unfortunately, this is Nintendo we’re talking about, so the library of games (now rebranded as “Nintendo Classics”) is looking a little dire at the time of writing. Right off the bat, Nintendo confirmed three games: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, F-Zero GX, and Soulcalibur II, “with more games coming in the future.”
Read More: The Nintendo Switch 2 is bigger and better than ever, and it’s coming out this June
There’s no timeline for when fans will get access to the GameCube’s most iconic titles like Super Smash. Bros Melee, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, or even Mario Kart Double Dash. This was obviously done to keep customers coming back for more. A year’s subscription will set Saffas back R630. We should note that a regular Switch online subscription will not cut it and excludes access to Nintendo’s other emulators.
It’s not all bad news. Picking up a Switch Online + Expansion pack will also unlock “free” Switch 2 upgrade packs for both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, introducing enhanced visuals and higher frame rates. Customers without a subscription looking to take advantage of upgrade packs will have to pay a yet-to-be-determined price for the Switch 2 upgrade.
Better yet, those who do decide the + Expansion Pack is right for them can enjoy the library of games with “clearer image quality and higher resolution than the original releases.” Nintendo is also offering the ability to remap the controls to suit your choice of controller, whether it be the classic GameCube, Pro, or Joy-Con controllers. This also means fans won’t have to deal with The Wind Waker’s janky inverted controls. And for multiplayer games like F-Zero? Players can play with up to four friends locally or online.
