Nintendo’s Two-Direct Gamble: Moving Past Zelda Nostalgia to Prove the Switch 2’s Power

Proving the power of the Switch 2’s rumored Nvidia T239 architecture, which developer leaks suggest will allow next-gen games to run with ray tracing, is the underlying challenge of Monday’s broadcast. The second Nintendo Direct of the week is almost upon us. You’ll be able to check out this broader Direct at 10AM ET on September 9 on YouTube and the Nintendo Today! app. Or you can just watch it right here and join the discourse in the comments.

The stream will run for around 45 minutes and focus on games coming to the Switch 2 this winter. It could well include games that are a bit further out as well. After the Direct, you can switch over to a Nintendo Treehouse stream to watch gameplay from some of the featured titles. That secondary stream will run for around 110 minutes. The hardware has to speak for itself.

Following a showcase that featured a deep dive into the remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Tuesday was a highly stylized, controversial look at a single classic. The company showed off a Zelda-themed Switch 2 and Pro Controller, fresh Amiibo and a Lego set featuring Link and Epona.

The upcoming movie adaptation got a brief mention to confirm the title — it’s simply called The Legend of Zelda — and that it will have an original story based on ideas and concepts from the games. The film will hit theaters on April 30, 2027. The live-action Legend of Zelda film is being directed by Wes Ball (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, The Maze Runner) and co-financed by Sony Pictures Entertainment, which will handle worldwide theatrical distribution.

With only weeks until Monday is a sprawling, 45-minute gauntlet of raw gameplay. As well as the new reveals, we’ll probably get another look at Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, which arrives on October 22. The controversial Ocarina of Time remake’s art direction is a symbol of fan anxiety. A leaker with a decent track record has claimed the next Super Smash Bros. game is in the works. DLC that will bring Fox McCloud to Mario Kart World is also claimed.

It’s unlikely that Nintendo will spend much time on the Ocarina of Time remake after giving fans a closer look at that game and its completely uncontroversial new art direction during the Zelda-focused Direct on Tuesday. A revival of the Nintendogs series is also claimed to be in the works, targeting casual gamers during the winter hardware launch. It’s unclear if any of those will appear during this Direct.