Special Edition Consoles: To Buy or Not to Buy (Part 1)

We all know the drill:  A cool new console is released, in anywhere from 1-3 colors. It has 3D! It was released with Zelda! I must play it NOW! So we run out and buy one. They stay with the same colors for the entire run, right? Nope. The big reveal is followed up by releasing cool new colors or special editions that feature your all-time favorite franchises. What is a gaming nerd to do?

I decided to ask some of my fellow writers just that! Collect them? Stick with your first one? Assuming its affordable, try to think up excuses to buy the shiny new toy? Read on for Ash Mercia’s take on this topic!

*TEA SLURP* Ahh, Ye Olde Special Edition Consoles

Ah, yes hullo hullo! Come in dear fellow, come in!  Welcome welcome to my humble abode. Or as I like to call it: Chateau du Ash, ahoho, that’s my own little joke you see.

What’s that you say? You want to take a look at my video game collection. Oh well, my my, quite the forward one aren’t you? Oh I suppose I can let you take a quick peek. I see no harm in it.

Oh ho ho ho, surprised are you? Do you notice the cute Pokemon that grace the outside of my Nintendo Switch port? Yes that does so happen to be the Pokemon Let’s Go Eevee/Pikachu special Nintendo Switch. Come now, you? Jealous of my brown and yellow joy-cons? Dearie me, I would be as well. Quite a shame that one must hold out for so long, not playing those tantalizing release titles in order to display the joy of a special edition console, eh wot?

BRITISH TEA TIME OVER

This brings me to my biggest gripe with special edition consoles:

THEY DON’T COME OUT WHEN THE CONSOLE IS FIRST RELEASED.

We Have Calmed Down Somewhat

So here’s my story:

The Nintendo Switch is announced and coming out OH SO SOON. I, and all my friends, are HYPED. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the highlight of the Switch info. I am LOSING MY MIND! Zelda has always been my favourite Nintendo IP.

But, I had just accepted a job to tour Italy for six months as a travelling performer who teaches English to Italian kids through theatre. So I thought to myself: “A Switch is a bad idea purchase right now. It’ll be big and bulky first of all, and second of all, it’ll be so new I’ll be always afraid of wrecking it somehow.”

So, during one of my last shows before I left for Italy, my friend comes up to me and says: “When are you getting your Switch, Zelda is SOOOOO good!”

And I said: “I bought myself a Pokeball 2DS instead! It was on sale, and it’s much smaller and more protected-looking (because it folds in half and protects its own screen). It will be much easier to carry around Europe for half a year.”

They said: “Nooooooo, why?”

So, there’s my first reveal: I own the pokeball 2DS. It’s a lovely red and white, and there’s even a little button on the front where the button on a pokeball would be. Does it do anything when pushed, you ask? Nope! It does nothing. It’s there purely for show.

That 2DS got me through many a rough time in Italy. I played a LOT of Rune Factory 4, which is a really fun game by the way; no matter how hard I tried though, I could not get the cut scene to happen to get Dylas to marry me. I am glad it’s coming out on Switch again; I probably won’t get it because I can play it on my 2DS anytime still. BUT, I am excited for whenever Rune Factory 5 comes out in North America!

ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: Pokeball 2DS.

The Fancy Switch

So, since I spent half a year dancing around Italy, when I finally returned to Canada I was greeted by a very pleasant surprise: a remake of the original Pokemon game was coming to Nintendo Switch, and on top of the game, you could also get a super cute Switch that featured Eevee and Pikachu plastered all over it, as well as brown and yellow joycons.

Imagine my excitement! FINALLY, I had spent enough time NOT owning a Nintendo system to be able to own a CUTE special one!

I knew I had spent enough time not playing  Breath of the Wild, so I went to my local EBGames and I preordered that Switch; which also came with the digital copy of the game (in case you’re curious, I got Let’s Go Eevee), and the pokeball controller.

If I glance over my shoulder, I can still see my cute little Switch dock, with my smiling Pikachu and Eevee on it, and it makes me smile inside.

ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee Switch

I think the Animal Crossing Switch is AMAZING! I definitely would not have been able to wait that long though to own a Switch, but I love the light blue and green joy-cons on that system.

The Dreams of a Young Ash

Those are the only two special edition consoles I’ve ever owned. It only turned out that way because I spent so long NOT owning a 3/2DS, and then spent so much time not owning a Switch.

I think that’s the way to do it, to be honest. You’ve just gotta hold out somehow, which is tough – believe me, I know.

Little young Ash remembers owning a red, flip GBA SP; but little young Ash also remembers how badly she wanted the one that was coloured to look like an NES controller.

I owned a silver GameCube; I don’t even remember if there were special edition GameCubes (but its Nintendo, so it’s very probable that they did have some kind of special edition one).

I skipped the N64 gen altogether, and owned the standard grey SNES.

Closing Arguments

I like special edition consoles. While I do think they are a money-grab, I think it’s a good way to give people (who may be hesitant to buy at first) a fun way into committing to a purchase. And if the purchaser gets enjoyment out of the games on said console, well then it’s all worth it.

And if I can enjoy my games while also seeing cute Pikachus and Eevees running all over the back of my console, and it makes me smile… well then, I think that’s definitely worth it.

What sucks is if the special editions cost more money than the original… now THAT’S a money grab.

Tune in next time for Yvonne’s and CJ’s answers to the special edition question.