Nintendo’s remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time arrives Thursday exclusively on the Switch 2, 28 years after the original game (Wired). Wired describes it as a fully redone version of the game (Wired). Tom’s Hardware reports that the launch has sparked nostalgia unlike any other Switch 2 game launch (Tom’s Hardware).
Key Facts
| Item | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Exclusively on the Switch 2 | Wired |
| Release | Thursday | Wired |
| Upscaling | Nintendo confirmed AMD FSR | Wired |
| Switch 2 internal storage | 256GB | Tom’s Hardware |
| Switch 2 price at Amazon | $499 | Tom’s Hardware |
Timeline
- 2026-11-05: Wired reports that the remake arrives Thursday exclusively on the Switch 2 (Wired).
- 2026-11-05: Tom’s Hardware lists microSD Express card deals for Switch 2 owners who need room to install the game (Tom’s Hardware).
Details (as Reported)
Wired reports that child Link, the character players control at the start of the game in Kokiri Forest, has received aesthetic upgrades including curled eyelashes, laminated eyebrows and douyin lipstick (Wired). Fans compared the design to Renesmee from Twilight and the Gerber Baby (Wired). The background nonplayer characters remain simpler and closer to the original game’s designs (Wired).
The original game was limited to minimal polygonal shapes and textures by the small storage capacity of N64 cartridges (Wired). Wired reports that the Switch 2’s larger storage capacity and higher memory bus speed let designers add detail to Link and the other main characters (Wired).
Wired reports that the 2026 remake is a complete overhaul, unlike the 2011 Zelda remake for the 3DS, which uses the same underlying geometries as the original (Wired). Clayton Lundgren, a streamer and former quality assurance tester for Naughty Dog, predicts that in two years fans will think the new look is great (Wired).
On storage, Tom’s Hardware notes that the Switch 2 comes with 256GB of internal storage and that players with a full library may need a microSD Express card (Tom’s Hardware). It lists the Samsung P9 512GB at its original MSRP of $99.99, and the same card with half the storage at $47.99 (Tom’s Hardware). The outlet expects Switch 2 consoles to be in short supply over the holidays, with possible stock shortages (Tom’s Hardware).
What Is Not Yet Confirmed
- Nintendo declined to comment when Wired asked whether generative AI tools were used in the character design process for the new game (Wired).
- Some fans question whether the designs were run through DLSS 5, which Wired describes as an animation upscaling tool that uses generative AI, while Nintendo has confirmed only AMD FSR (Wired).