Yesterday, Nintendo showed off its new Diablo III Switch bundle and it’s…okay.
A Nintendo Switch Diablo III: Eternal Collection Bundle is coming exclusively to @GameStop on 11/2 for $359.99 MSRP! Includes a Diablo III themed #NintendoSwitch console and dock, carrying case, and a download code for the game. https://t.co/8dNNKhA9v8 pic.twitter.com/Qmg5tYjzia
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) October 15, 2018
I’m sorry that I can’t muster any more excitement. Sure, it’s really cool that a beloved franchise like Diablo is finally making its way to a Nintendo console. Similarly, it’s cool that Diablo is getting its own dedicated bundle with a custom dock, carrying case, and console. But something about Nintendo’s Diablo III bundle seems all too vanilla — a far cry from the console manufacturer that used to regularly release translucent N64s and bright orange GameCubes.
This isn’t just the Diablo III bundle, either. All of the upcoming Switch bundles play it safe; each offering a quaint, modern touch on the original Switch design. While it’s 2018 and it’s cool to look professional on mass transit, I would prefer something much bolder, something much gaudier. I mean, come on: this is the company that gave us the Pikachu-encrusted N64, isn’t it?
Perhaps the most vanilla bundle in the bunch is the Nintendo Switch’s Fortnite bundle. Retailing for the standard Switch MSRP of $299.99, the Fortnite bundle doesn’t even come with any changes to the Switch console or dock. While buyers receive $10 worth of Fortnite‘s in-game currency and the game’s Helix cosmetic set, the console is entirely indistinguishable from the standard Switch console. Perhaps this doesn’t matter to the hundreds of thousands of parents that are probably going to buy these this holiday season, but come on man: what a missed opportunity!
It’s a bundle royale! A #NintendoSwitch #Fortnite bundle including special in-game items and 1,000 V-Bucks will make the jump into stores on 10/05. https://t.co/5049PRWbjr pic.twitter.com/qoraUQA5DO
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) September 18, 2018
Next is Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. Ultimate bundle. This bundle is fairly milquetoast in its own right: however, it happens to have a beautiful dock that I would love to have in my living room. Sure, the Switch’s Joy-Con contain an oddly elegant, minimalist rendering of the iconic Super Smash Bros. logo, but the real beauty here is definitely within the console’s dock. While this bundle is a must-have for any Switch-less Smash fan, it lacks the strange novelty of Nintendo’s older console variations.
#NintendoSwitch Super #SmashBros Ultimate edition hardware smashes in on 16/11! The dock features some famous fighters, Joy-Con controllers with a Super Smash Bros. design, and a download code that’ll let you play the game from 07/12. #NintendoDirect pic.twitter.com/lIrmJfR261
— Nintendo UK VS (@NintendoUKVS) September 13, 2018
Of course, not all of Nintendo’s upcoming bundles are as vanilla as the Fortnite Switch bundle nor as rigid as the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate bundle. The upcoming Switch bundles for Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! contain a lot to be happy about. Boasting light brown and yellow Joy-Con, this bundle is certainly the most uniquely colorful of Nintendo’s holiday offerings. Additionally, the Switch’s dock is adorned with Pikachu and Eevee which is good because they’re my friends, they love me, and they want me to be happy.
Two new bundles that include the #NintendoSwitch system, Pikachu and Eevee themed Joy-Con Controllers and dock, one of the #PokemonLetsGo games, and the #PokeBallPlus controller will also be available on 11/16! pic.twitter.com/MUrTV4W6YI
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) September 13, 2018
Ultimately, Nintendo’s upcoming Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! bundles make me the most optimistic for the future. While I’d love to throw my money at an offbeat, poltergeist-inspired Luigi’s Mansion 3 Switch or a whimsical Animal Crossing Switch bundle, I think I might wait to see what the future holds for the console.