Zelda Universe is turning 20! What an amazing achievement for any website, let alone one that is so well done. In celebration of the 20th anniversary, many of my colleagues have already shared their memories of the Legend of Zelda games, and I loved reading each and every one.
Some of the most exciting times for me is when the rumor mill starts up about a new Nintendo’s home console, and I love reading all the fan theories and mock-ups that the community comes up with. As such, I have put together a timeline of sorts on the development and reveal of the Nintendo Switch — or as it was once known, the “NX”.
What’s in a name?
Before we knew the official name of the latest Nintendo console, it was going by the development codename Nintendo NX. During this time, Nintendo was going through a crisis where the Nintendo Wii U failed to meet sales expectations and therefore had a major negative impact on the company’s financials. Many considered Nintendo’s future as a company in doubt.
Nintendo needed to make and release a console that was not just another evolution of the Wii, but something that would help create new experiences for players. The NX had to save Nintendo, and so the company put a lot of thought into creating a console that was unlike anything ever seen before.
Fanmade mockups
Back in 2016, I wrote an article that featured one of the best fanmade concepts I’d seen of the NX, by NeoGAF user Pittree. Based on the patent leaks from Nintendo, Pittree had designed an amazingly close rendition of Nintendo’s next console. One of my favorite parts of being a Zelda Universe subscriber is seeing the articles about fanmade concepts and letting my imagination run wild with the possibilities.
Although most were based on the patents and other rumors, there were some very interesting concepts that were being designed by fans. One of the craziest was a Tingle-shaped console where the wannabe green fairy’s feet are the controllers. Another had an Nvidia Shield-like device with a full-size gamepad and detachable screen. You can check them all out over on NeoGAF.
Switched: The reveal
After years of rampant speculation and mock-ups, the time had finally arrived for Nintendo to reveal the console and its official name. Usually, E3 had been the go-to destination for console reveals, but Nintendo had already begun a new trend of having its very own virtual presentation on their own schedule: Nintendo Direct. The latest installment on that schedule just happened to be on October 20, 2016, where Nintendo revealed the console and officially titled it the Nintendo Switch.
Fellow writer Phil Myth wrote an amazing article on the Switch reveal. The reveal itself hit all of the right notes from fans and set the hype train on overdrive. This paid off incredibly well for Nintendo as the Switch went on to be one of the best selling consoles of all time. The gamble worked for Nintendo and it’s one of the many reasons why I love this company. I can’t wait to see what they come up with next, and I’ll be sure to be reading Zelda Universe when they do.
Happy birthday, Zelda Universe! Here’s to 20 more!
Zelda Universe is now celebrating its 20th birthday! Be sure to check out more of our memories from the site’s two-decade history.
