Special edition Switch celebrates ‘Animal Crossing: New Horizons’

Nintendo is preparing a special version of the Switch games console that is themed after March 2020’s gentle community life sim “Animal Crossing: New Horizons”.

A pale blue and green controller pair, a trio of friendly raccoon dogs waving out from the console’s TV dock and island life motifs sprinkled over the console’s rear facade. These features distinguish the Nintendo Switch’s “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” edition from its standard appearance.

The special treatment is to celebrate the March 20, 2020 launch of the small community life sim, which is shaping up to be one of Nintendo’s most significant releases for the first half of the year if not the year as a whole.

Players can expect to make a new home on a getaway island, populated by talkative animals from the franchise’s history as well as their own friends, should they choose.

The special edition package will get to retail in North America on March 13, priced at $299 (around P15,200) by Nintendo of America, without the game included.

A European edition does include a download code for the game, and as a result will be released alongside “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” from March 20.

Then, just as two styles of “Animal Crossing” console carry case will be available separately on an international basis, Nintendo of Japan is also offering the “Animal Crossing” controllers and TV dock as part of a console bundle, or separately as just the controller pair or just the TV dock.

All this special treatment is for the Nintendo Switch’s original model, the version that has detachable controllers as well as the TV dock. By contrast, the more recent Nintendo Switch Lite is an all-in-one unit with built-in controllers and no TV output.

Nintendo’s official “Animal Crossing” Switch edition adds to a haul of licensed accessories, which includes carry cases from Hori, protective pouches and covers from Keys Factory and themed gamepads from Nintendo itself. RGA

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