Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Wii U or Switch?

Like the Twilight Princess, Breath of the Wild will see a release on both the old Nintendo home console platform (Wii U) and their upcoming system, the Nintendo Switch. Deciding which version to play ultimately depends on whether you can 1) wait until you pick up a Nintendo Switch, or 2) if you buy a Nintendo Switch on day one. After seeing hours of in game footage, Breath of the Wild appears to be the gold standard for Zelda titles, meaning if you are a true fan, you will probably want to play it on day one.

Hardcore Zelda fans will probably want to play the game on the Nintendo Switch, but that means you will be forking out at least 360$ USD (470$ CAD) to do so. After factoring in the Switch console (299.99) and the game (59.99), you will have made a significant investment to play one game. So, ultimately, deciding which console you want to play on really depends on either your appreciation and excitement for upcoming games on the Nintendo Switch, or how the game will look and play on one system compared to the other.

The Outlook of the Nintendo Switch

As mentioned earlier, the cost of playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on the Nintendo Switch is going to be very costly; yes, you may be purchasing the Switch for more than just Zelda – and we hope that you are – but you will still be spending that money on day one, for that one game. The question to ask, then, is what is YOUR personal outlook on the line up of titles coming to the Switch? Are you excited for a Mario Kart Rerelease, or do you plan on playing nothing else until Super Mario Odyssey launches in holiday 2017? If Zelda and Mario are all you are looking forward to, perhaps playing the game on Wii U is the ideal option, while you wait for the inevitable holiday bundle that is sure to come.

If you are really excited for 1-2-Switch, Arms, and the plethora of other titles promised for the Switch, by all means dive in on day one. The Switch version will be the ultimate Zelda experience, and everyone – whether a hard core fan or not – really wants that experience.

Graphical Comparisons

The big reason for my wanting the game on the Nintendo Switch – as currently price is not a deterrent for me – is the superior look and feel of the game. While you can argue it looks great on both systems, when shown side-by-side, the Switch version easily outshines the Wii U version, and frankly, it is not even close! That being said, if you cannot get the Switch version, the game will still play much the same on the Wii U, and without the side by side comparison, you probably won’t even notice that the game doesn’t look as good as it possibly could.

The overall gameplay experience is not going to change from one console to the next, so no matter what your situation is on March 3rd, there is value in grabbing it on whichever system you own. It will be the ultimate Legend of Zelda experience.