Tuesday’s Nintendo Direct felt like a pivotal moment for Switch 2, especially as a price hike makes the console more expensive during its second holiday season. But the spotlight on two major Switch 2 exclusives—both remakes from the Nintendo 64 era—left many
Tuesday’s Nintendo Direct had the air of an important reckoning. The Switch 2 is heading into its second holiday season, and this year the hardware will be even more expensive thanks to a price hike. For Nintendo, it was a chance to sell new audiences on the next step in its console story.
What arrived instead was a lineup that looked impressive, but didn’t quite feel fresh. The biggest Switch 2 exclusives that will close out the 2026 calendar are both remakes—pulled straight from the Nintendo 64 era.
The final reveal of the showcase made that point impossible to miss. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is coming to Switch 2 as a remake. Nintendo didn’t give a firm launch date, but it says the game will be out this year. The teaser was brief and didn’t show much of what the remake will look like. or what will change compared with the original N64 version. The implication is clear: you can expect more Ocarina-focused updates in the months ahead. even if exactly what they’ll include still isn’t known.
That remake is also not arriving alone. Nintendo will roll out the Star Fox remake before it, with that game launching later this month. The company is positioning the project as an effort to revitalize its long-dormant sci-fi series for modern audiences.
Nintendo has remade and rereleased games before. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Switch is the clearest example: it’s a port of a Wii U title. and it became the best-selling non-pack-in game of all time on the platform. Still. seeing the Switch 2 schedule dominated by a pair of remakes—especially with neither Zelda nor Super Mario delivering an original game on the console. at least for now—lands differently this time.
The worry isn’t that Nintendo can’t do remakes well. It’s that the strategy may be getting too comfortable when the industry doesn’t leave much room for comfort. 2026 is already shaping up to be a year where nearly every major video game company is struggling to manage a chaotic state of the market. and there aren’t many guarantees anywhere.
The balancing act is familiar for Nintendo: be conservative when it needs to be. but still take enough risks to keep things moving. Right now. the Switch 2 needs more daring ideas to shift momentum back in the right direction—because relying on the safest kind of bet. even a beloved one. could start to feel like complacency instead of confidence.
Nintendo Nintendo Direct Switch 2 Ocarina of Time remake Star Fox remake Zelda Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Nintendo 64 remakes gaming industry price hike
Switch 2 is already a joke if they just keep remaking N64 stuff.
So they’re raising the price AND giving us remakes again? Nintendo really said “y’all want Zelda but make it older” lol.
I mean Ocarina of Time is coming out this year right? If it’s a remake then it should be like the exact same game but prettier. Not sure why everyone’s mad. Also Star Fox “later this month” sounds fake.
Nintendo always does this though… like Mario Kart 8 is “deluxe” but it’s basically still the same game right? So maybe they’re trying to sell people who missed N64 when they actually should be fixing the Switch 2 controller lag or whatever. And the article said the lineup looks impressive but not fresh… that’s exactly what it feels like. If the price hike is real, I’m not buying unless there’s an actually new Mario or something.