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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Slated for Spring on Wii U/Switch
posted on by Jennifer Sherman
The February issue of Bessatsu Coro Coro Comic magazine revealed on December 29 that the The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild game will ship for the Wii U and Nintendo Switch in Japan in spring.
Images of advertising in North American stores for Switch and the game were posted online last week. The images list a March 2017 release for both the Switch and the Wii U version of the game. The advertising confirms that the game is also slated for release for the Switch. Nintendo previously stated that it was planning to release the two versions of the game simultaneously.
Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé demonstrated the game on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon in December. Fils-Aimé demonstrated the game for the first time on Nintendo's hybrid home/handheld game system Switch. Nintendo began streaming a trailer and gameplay video in December.
Nintendo revealed the game was in development in 2013, and revealed the first gameplay footage in 2014. Nintendo originally planned to release the game in 2015, but then the company pushed the game back to 2016, and then delayed it again to 2017. While originally slated for release only for Nintendo's Wii U console, the game is now slated for simultaneous launch for both the Wii U and newly revealed Switch platform.
The Nintendo Switch offers a custom NVIDIA Tegra processor with an NVIDIA GPU, a built-in high-definition display, detachable Joy-Con controllers, and the Nintendo Switch Dock for connecting the system to a television.
A user can play games several ways: 1) hold a detached Joy-Con controller in each hand, 2) use two controllers when they are attached directly to the main Switch device, 3) split the two controllers with a second player, or 4) attach the controllers to a Joy-Con Grip accessory. The player can also use an optional Nintendo Switch Pro Controller instead of the Joy-Con controllers. In addition, groups can "bring their Nintendo Switch systems together to enjoy local multiplayer face-to-face competition."
Nintendo previously announced 48 publishers, developers and middleware partners who are supporting the system. Nintendo said that the Switch is not compatible with Wii U game discs or Nintendo 3DS cards, and added that the Nintendo Switch is not designed to be the successor to either earlier system. However, Nintendo did not confirm or deny the Switch's ability to play earlier systems' games via digital download or emulation.
Toys "R" Us Canada posted but later removed a page for the Nintendo Switch with a listed price of CAD$329.99 (about US$243.30).
Nintendo is planning to announce the system's launch date, list of launch window titles, price, and other specifics during a livestream presentation in Tokyo on January 12.
Source: WCCF Tech via Hachima Kikō
