Contributing evidence stemming from Nintendo's recent announcements has fans persuaded the long-rumored The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom-themed Switch OLED is probably real. Nintendo is known to release custom consoles based on major game releases, with Zelda as a prime example. It may not be surprising that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will receive one. But evidence that a specific leak is accurate is raising eyebrows.This past week, the latest Nintendo Direct featured a new look at The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Additionally, Nintendo also opened pre-orders for the Nintendo Switch game and its newly unveiled Collector's Edition. While no Tears of the Kingdom Nintendo Switch bundle was announced, players did notice that certain graphics used on the Collector's Edition were familiar.In December 2022, images leaked online claiming to be of an unannounced The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom-themed Nintendo Switch OLED. The console featured golden JoyCons with custom green and white designs, a white Switch dock with gold designs, and further white paint designs on the body of the Switch console itself. While persuasive, the leak was treated as a rumor due to the lack of an official announcement from Nintendo.
The announcement of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's Collector's Edition has made the Switch OLED leak much more persuasive, however. The Collector's Edition boxes feature the same design elements as what's found on the leaked Nintendo Switch OLED. The overlapping circles found on the Collector's Edition main box are also found on the Switch OLED console body. The symbol found on the Collector's Edition pin set box is also found on the back of the Switch OLED's JoyCons.
Since the Nintendo Switch OLED leaks were published months before Nintendo unveiled The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's Collector's Edition, it seems unlikely the photographs were faked or doctored. That means that the leaked photos seem all but certain to be of an official, yet-to-be-announced Zelda Switch OLED.
When the Zelda Switch OLED could be announced is still unclear, but the timing lines up with Nintendo's past practices. Nintendo wants to open up pre-orders for physical copies of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom first. Once pre-orders are peaking, Nintendo will likely announce its The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Switch OLED, which is unlikely to be bundled with the game itself. Of course, this is assuming the leaked Switch OLED images are real, and there's still a chance that they may be fake, so fans should keep that in mind.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom releases May 12 on Nintendo Switch.
