Tuesday’s big Pokémon Presents showcase was a dud, but one good thing that did come out alongside it is a new Switch 2 bundle that swaps out Mario Kart World for Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It’s $500 and ships when the game comes out on October 16.
It’s another pre-order situation, and Nintendo is calling the bundle “limited quantity” and only “available while supplies last,” so we’ll see how many people can actually grab one. Pokémon Legends: Z-A will be sold separately for $70, so anyone buying the bundle will save $20 off the price of getting both separately. I hope for Pokémon fans’ sakes Nintendo made a lot of them.
Of course, you don’t actually need a Switch 2 to play Pokémon Legends: Z-A. The latest entry in the franchise will also be available on the old Switch, though given the performance issues around 2023's Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, who knows how playable it will actually look and feel on the old hardware?
But while the Switch 2 was harder to recommend at launch in June when Mario Kart World was the only real thing going for it, the case for it will be much easier to make come the fall. The excellent Donkey Kong Bananza landed last week, and the Switch 2 edition of Metroid Prime 4 will be available later this year as well. My guess is it lands in September, followed by Kirby Air Riders (a Switch 2 exclusive) in November, but Nintendo still hasn’t confirmed exact dates.
Regardless, the new hardware should have a better library by then, especially if other third-party ports like Borderlands 4 are able to land before the end of the year.
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