Good day, fellow Hyruleans! This morning has already been amazing as the Nintendo Switch 2, which has been rumored for at least the last 5 years, was fully revealed. And what a reveal it was. Showcasing many incredible games and the system’s various features, it was one heck of a ride. But amongst the many beautiful things shown, one of the biggest reveals was something that many Zelda fans have wanted for years. That’s right, a next-gen upgrade for two of the best Zelda games ever created, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, are set to launch alongside the new system.
Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are both getting a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition that offer a variety of visual and performance upgrades. The new versions will support enhanced resolution and frame rates as well as HDR, a feature many players have wanted since the games came out. The upgrades also offer significantly faster load times and the ability to transfer over your save files from the older Switch console. It even comes with more save file spaces, reminiscent of the older Zelda games, so you can restart the game at your leisure without losing all the progress you made on another save.
A huge new addition to the Nintendo Switch 2 Editions is a companion feature in the Nintendo Switch Online App (that is being renamed the Nintendo Switch App in May of this year), called Zelda Notes. This game-specific service offers a variety of different features such as Navigation. This will help guide players to new locales and objects, such as those pesky Koroks hiding around Hyrule. The navigation even has a voice guidance activation similar to Google Maps that gives directions on where to go as you are playing, so you don’t even have to look at your phone! This is a game changer for sure; as someone who has found all 900 Koroks three separate times in Breath of the Wild alone, I definitely could have used it the last two times.
Voice Memories is also a new feature available on Zelda Notes. Through the feature, the app gives players brand new audio memories from characters like Zelda and Rauru that will activate upon reaching a certain locale.
Another huge addition to the game will be the ability to share various Zonai builds with the Autobuild Sharing feature. This one in particular is exciting, especially since some players have created many different amazing builds, ranging from things like huge airplanes to Godzilla-sized robots, that most of us could only dream of making. Now, with this new option, the talented among us can share their builds with players around the world. The app allows you to create QR codes of your builds, which can be shared on the app and social media.
Item sharing will also be coming to the game. This allows players to share their collected items with others who may not have had the same luck in acquiring things. Got into a big fight and collected a giant claymore that someone can use? Well, now you can just send it on over. Item sharing in any game is a great addition, although very few games even allow this, let alone single-player ones. This is a game changer for Zelda, seeing how it will help to connect the community more intimately without the game having an actual multiplayer mode.
Zelda Notes will also add a Photo Studio mode that allows people to edit their in-game photos to their heart’s content, which will go hand in hand with the visual upgrades. Now, taking that perfect photo of a beautiful Hyrule sunset atop a floating island will be even more special.
The My Play Data feature will track your in-game progress and offer milestone rewards or achievements for various things, similar to game achievements on other consoles. Now, completionists will have more things to check off their lists, other than just Korok seeds. This is compiled with Global Play Data that seems to be a leaderboards, a first for a Zelda game of this size. It will be interesting to see how the leaderboard is implemented and how our Zelda skills fare compared to fans from all over the world. It will even show your in-game trends!
Daily Bonus allows you to spin for an in-game bonus effect, such as healing, to help you along your quest for that day.
Lastly, the ability to scan Amiibo is returning. However, this time around, the Zelda Notes will track your scans and, after a certain amount, will offer you the ability to receive more from a scan than you normally would for that day. That will make for a much more unique experience each day than ever before.
On a good note, it seems we won’t have to wait long to be able to enjoy these features, as they will be available on the same day of the console release, June 05, 2025. Plus, we are getting four brand new Amiibo characters based on the new designs for Tulin, Yunobo, Sidon, and Riju from Tears of the Kingdom, also available the same day. This is definitely a big win for Zelda fans who love these characters and were wondering why they did not receive an Amiibo yet.
The Nintendo Switch 2 Expansion Packs will be sold separately. However, for players who own the original games on the Switch along with the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership, the expansions will be free of charge. See you in Hyrule, warriors!
