Mario's 35th anniversary is this year and along with releasing classic board games themed after the franchise, Nintendo is celebrating the milestone is with the release of two officially licensed Switch controllers.
Nintendo has partnered up with peripheral manufacturers HORI and PowerA for the controllers, which feature the iconic plumber, his nemesis, and sport some classic Mario Bros. colors. Both controllers will release early in September and have different intended audiences.
HORI, a company currently in the process of releasing its own Switch Split Pad Pro controllers, is releasing a mini game-pad intended for younger players or those with smaller hands. Featuring designs of both Mario and Bowser, the game-pad will have all the same buttons featured on a typical Switch controller with a 9-foot cable. The controller does noticeably lack rumble, gyro, and NFC compatibility, however.
The PowerA controller mostly resembles Nintendo's typical Pro Controller. The new design features a matte red finish, a golden M, and a button layout featuring classic Mario items and power-ups. The PowerA controller features an audio jack and a detachable cable for charging and portability.
Mario's 35th anniversary has been filled with all kinds of speculation regarding how the company will celebrate. One rumor suggested that the company would be remastering the entirety of Mario's 3D adventures including Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy, though nothing has been confirmed by Nintendo itself.
Another way Nintendo has celebrated Mario's 35th anniversary is with the company's collaboration with LEGO. The two companies announced the release of a LEGO Super Mario Set featuring Mario, some classic enemies, and power-ups. Releasing just over 2 weeks ago, the LEGO set has already sold considerably well on Amazon with incredibly high demand. In addition, a LEGO NES set was also released, featuring a mock NES and a LEGO box television with interactive components.
Meanwhile Nintendo is still facing a massive leak of assets of classic first party games from the original Nintendo console, Game Boy, and Nintendo 64. The leak has revealed some prototype designs of classic Nintendo characters including a more colorful look for Mario and some enemies in Super Mario World.
Both controllers will sell for $24.99 USD with the HORI controller releasing on September 1st and the PowerA releasing on September 4th. Pre-orders for both controllers are now available on Amazon.
