Nintendo is back at it again with a special edition console that will make you regret buying the regular one. The 2DSXL is going to come in a Hylian Shield Edition, modeled after Link’s trusty blue shield. This special handled will also come bundled with The Legend Of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. This sounds like every Zelda fan’s dream, but there’s one catch: this limited item will only be available at GameStop.
Nintendo of America revealed the bundle on its official Twitter. There, it gave details of the release. The Hylian Shield Edition will release on July 2nd for $159.99. It will come with A Link Between Worlds pre-installed on the machine. Finally, the bundle is a GameStop exclusive affair.
The GameStop-exclusivity is a particularly sore spot for Nintendo fans. Back when Amiibo were rare and sought after, GameStop made collecting them even more frustrating. Stores would only order enough to fill pre-orders, as is their custom, but also made pre-ordering impossible as the entire GameStop system would crash on pre-order days. From then on, you can hear the collective groan from Nintendo fans whenever an item is announced to be GameStop exclusive.
Another group that seems to be out of luck are Nintendo enthusiasts who live outside North America. As the bundle has only been announced by Nintendo of America, it looks as though only customers in North America will have a chance to purchase it.
As a business move, it does speak to a rather interesting viewpoint by Nintendo. The Switch made some impressive sales numbers and has been bringing back the 3rd party attention that the Wii U lacked. And that's to say nothing of the way the Switch really inserted itself into the cultural zeitgeist over the past year. With all that going for it, it seems only obvious that Nintendo should drop DS support in favor of the Switch. With E3 fast approaching, Nintendo's most anticipated announcements are the new Super Smash Bros, a rumored Star Fox racing game, and Metroid Prime 4. All of which will likely be on Switch. However, this enticing bundle shows that we can't count the DS out yet.