During the April Nintendo Direct, several enhancements were announced for Nintendo Switch titles in their Switch 2 version. These titles include The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. However, it was also confirmed that these Zelda “next-gen patches” will have an additional cost.
Thanks to an IGN interview with Bill Trinen, Vice President of Product and Player Experience at Nintendo of America, we now know that both the next-gen patch for Breath of the Wild and for Tears of the Kingdom will cost $10 USD each.
These Next-Gen patches will include improvements adapted to the features of the Switch 2. The improvements focus primarily on resolution, frame rate, and compatibility with the Zelda Notes app. Zelda Notes app adds additional functions through the use of the phone.
It should be noted that both patches will be included at no additional cost for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers.
Pay more for the same
Regarding the price of physical games in their edition for Switch 2 (which already include the next-gen patch), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will have a suggested price of $69.99 USD, while Tears of the Kingdom goes up to $79.99 USD.
This becomes quite questionable when we consider that Tears of the Kingdom, being the most expensive game on Switch, cost $70 USD, which implies that there is no savings in purchasing the already updated versions.
The issue of the price of games on Switch 2 has caused annoyance among fans. While some also consider that the console itself is expensive, I personally believe it is a suitable price if its capabilities are compared with other similar machines like the ROG Ally X.
However, the excessive price of games is not a debatable issue, but a fact. This become clear especially if we look at those $69.99 USD for Breath of the Wild. It’s a game that, despite its improvements, originally came out on Wii U.
Do you think Nintendo should include these improvements at no cost? Tell us in the comments if you would pay for these updates or if you think it’s an abuse.
Source: IGN.
