Pokémon: Sword and Shield-edition Switch Lite at the top of Nintendo's more stylish offerings.
If any first-party Nintendo fanbase deserves a new special edition console, it's Animal Crossing fans. Announced with little fanfare or so much as the New Horizons subtitle back in 2018, the Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, an uncomfortably avaricious mobile tie-in, to tide them over all this time.
Priced at $299, the Animal Crossing: New Horizons-themed Nintendo Switch comes with unique pastel green and blue joy-cons and a charming island-themed dock featuring fan-favorites Timmy, Tommy, and Tom Nook. As pictured below in Nintendo's surprise Twitter announcement, the backs of the joy-cons are white, as are the main plastic pieces of their corresponding wrist straps. On the back of the console are detailed engravings of waves, animal silhouettes, and other aptly cute icons belonging to the series installment. Presumably sold separately will be a matching "Aloha Edition" Switch carrying case and screen protector. Both the special edition console and carrying case bundle will be made available on March 13, exactly one week before Animal Crossing: New Horizons hits store shelves.
Nintendo has been disappointingly stingy with first-party accessories since the Switch's launch, often leaving fans of left-out franchises to their own devices if they want the Switch accessories and joy-cons that they deserve. In fairness, Nintendo did enlist the help of Hori to design a series of Animal Crossing-inspired carrying cases, covers, and stands earlier this January, but their simple nature just can't compare to the Nintendo's handiwork on the Animal Crossing: New Horizons accessories and console. Although the Switch hasn't yet gotten a long-awaited price drop, it's a mild surprise that Nintendo would sell a special version of the hybrid console at the same retail price as it's vanilla counterpart.
All of the waiting is at last paying off for Animal Crossing fans, and it won't be long now until they'll be having the wholesome island experiences of their fantasies on brand-new devices. For those Switch players who can only afford to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons on their current consoles, a certain sweater vest-wearing raccoon would probably be more than happy to loan them the bells they need.
Source: Twitter
