A Link Between Worlds Limited Edition Nintendo 3DS XL Announced

I miss the times, where they just release a Zelda game without any big limited stuff next to it. No big fuss, just the game... I don't want to buy a new console with every Zelda release (but I'm a collector, so it's hard to resist).

But it seems like Nintendo really, really wants all the money from Zelda fans this year. I'm not kidding, this already was the MOST EXPANSIVE year to be a Zelda fan, but now you can add 200€/$ to the equation. Hyrule Historia, the Symphony of the Goddesses, the Limited Edition Wii U, the Limited Edition The Wind Waker HD and now this. And from Prima Games there's the Zelda Box and one more Collector's Guide. The year of the 25th Anniversary was a cheap joke compared to this. You need a big wallet for all this stuff. That's 800€ spent for Zelda alone.

Well, I was flirting with the 3DS XL recently, so a part of me was hoping they would do this, because my rationality wouldn't let me buy one, since I already got the 3DS. But my love for Zelda outweights my rationality.

The problem with this thing is that there already has been a Zelda limited bundle for Ocarina of Time 3D. I even had to sell my previous 3DS to get it. And now it kind of looks like Nintendo is saying "Hey, Zelda fans! How do you like your 3DS? Want to buy a 3DS XL as well? Come on!"... Since the XL is a really different model, they might get away with this. However, I really hope they won't do the same for the Wii U. Like when the new Zelda game gets released, they release a fully golden Wii U or something. This would be terrible and a big kick into the balls of every Zelda then, who now bought the The Wind Waker HD bundle. I can have both a 3DS and a 3DS XL, many do, but buying two Wii Us is a differemt story. This thought scares me.

Of course they cleverly waited to announce this bundle until after the The Wind Waker HD bundle got released. Because now the message is "don't buy the remake bundles, the new games will get better looking ones". By now it's best to really wait many years before you buy a new Nintendo product. Really wait until the last minute. Otherwise they will find a way to punish you for early adopting.

The thing is that you can never know. It might as well be that they won't release a special bundle for the Zelda Wii U game and in this case you will regret not getting the The Wind Waker HD bundle. But in case they do release a better looking all golden Wii u system, you will regret buying the The Wind Waker HD bundle. As a Zelda fan you can't be sure anymore what to buy... it's frustrating. However, with Nintendo the safer bet now is that they probably will screw their early adopters. This has been the case for many years now. So, if history will repeat itself, you don't want to get a Wii U just now. You want to wait.

Of course the 3DS XL bundle is awesome for every Zelda fan, who missed the Ocarina of Time 3D bundle. I'm not saying anything against that. But all those bundles will have to backfire eventually. Nintendo is training their customers not to buy their products early.