Preorders for Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Switch 2 console went live this week, and scalpers had bundles back on eBay before most fans had a chance to check out.

What’s actually in the box

The Switch 2 – The Legend of Zelda – 40th Anniversary Edition is priced at $519.99 and ships October 29, 2026. The console carries a gold Triforce on its dock and forest-green Joy-Cons etched with their own subtle Triforce emblems. It comes bundled with an anniversary-themed Switch 2 Pro Controller and a matching carrying case with a screen protector, both carrying the same Triforce styling. A separate anniversary Pro Controller with a display stand is sold on its own for $109.99, while the standalone controller runs $99.99.

One catch worth flagging for anyone buying on impulse: the console does not include a copy of the newly announced Ocarina of Time remake. Nintendo confirmed the game has to be purchased separately, despite the bundle leaning entirely on Ocarina of Time-era Zelda branding. A second, more exclusive bundle pairing the Pro Controller with a matching dock is limited to Nintendo’s own retail stores in New York and San Francisco.

Gone in about four hours

Retailers had a rough time keeping the console in stock. Best Buy’s allocation reportedly sold out in roughly four hours after preorders opened, and Amazon, Target, and the Nintendo Store have all cycled between “limited stock” and “out of stock” listings since. That’s a familiar pattern for limited-run Nintendo hardware, but the speed of this sellout — for a $520 console with no pack-in game — says something about how much residual demand there still is for anything tied to a marquee Zelda anniversary.

Scalpers moved fast behind the sellout. Console bundles have been reselling on eBay in the $730–$900 range, with some listings pushing closer to $900, while individual anniversary Pro Controllers have fetched around $200 against their $99.99–$109.99 retail price. It’s a smaller markup than the worst PS5-era scalping spikes, but it’s still roughly 50–70% over MSRP for buyers who missed the initial preorder window.

Part of a bigger 40th anniversary push

The console isn’t a standalone release — it’s the hardware centerpiece of Nintendo’s broader Legend of Zelda 40th anniversary celebration, unveiled during a dedicated Nintendo Direct that also confirmed the Ocarina of Time remake itself. Nintendo has leaned on anniversary hardware before, but tying a special-edition Switch 2 to the franchise’s fourth decade — rather than to a specific new mainline release — is a deliberate bet that Zelda’s back catalog and brand alone can move hardware independent of a day-one exclusive game.

That bet looks reasonably well-placed so far. Switch 2 has already been outselling prior Nintendo hardware at a rapid clip this year, and a sold-out limited edition timed to a widely anticipated remake gives Nintendo another proof point that demand for the platform hasn’t cooled going into the holiday quarter — even for a bundle that requires buyers to pay for the actual game on top of the console.

Why it matters beyond the collectors

Limited editions are usually treated as a niche story for completionists, but a four-hour sellout and near-double resale prices are a useful signal about where Switch 2 sits in its second year. Nintendo doesn’t need to discount hardware or bundle in free software to move units — even a version that deliberately withholds its own flagship pack-in game cleared shelves almost immediately. For a platform holder watching a slowing back half of the year, that’s a reassuring data point heading into Q4.

---

For more on how Switch 2 has performed across its second year on the market, see our coverage of Nintendo Switch 2’s 2026 sales numbers. And if you’re curious how another dormant-franchise bet played out this month, check out Onimusha: Way of the Sword’s 1-million-copy launch day.