Anticipation for the upcoming release of the Nintendo Switch Lite and the remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening has grown steadily in the last few months. Both are set to release on September 20, and recent information about the number of game copies provided to retailers indicates that Nintendo is betting on the pair selling strongly as together in a single purchase.
Currently, the day one shipment for Link’s Awakening is larger than what was provided to retailers for Super Mario Maker 2. Hopes are high that the two will be purchased at the same time, and it is not difficult to see why Nintendo would think that to be the case.
This should not come as too large of a surprise for those, following the first rumors of a new Switch console all the way to its formal announcement. The Switch Lite is a smaller, cheaper version of the original console with a significant price drop to $199 USD.
While some features are lacking when compared to the console, notable the inability to dock, the console appears to be a great addition to the Switch lineup and is an attractive option for those who want to play with games exclusively in hand-held mode, and is priced in a way that makes having more than one viable for a family household where there are children.
Link’s Awakening, meanwhile, has received the full remake treatment for what was already a classic game. The top-down perspective of the iconic Game Boy style of play has been replicated here, so pairing the game and the Switch Lite console makes perfect sense in this regard. Many are already comparing the new console to a form of replacement for the Nintendo Game Boy series, which has both officially and unofficially ended development of games for the various options available in its lineup.
The move may also be playing into the nostalgia factor for potential consumers who do not yet own a Nintendo Switch, but would love to give the remake of Link’s Awakening a try. If one were on the edge about making the leap to the console, now they could do so at an even cheaper price point than they might have first anticipated.
With only a short while left before the launch of both the game and the console, we'll soon see if the move pays off. There's little reason to believe that the launch of both will be anything less than a total success, though, especially when we consider how the Nintendo Switch has been dominating the market this year with its console sales.