Upgrade Pack Price For Zelda: BOTW And TOTK Has Been Confirmed

Some good news at least. I was gonna very mad if it was 20 each

It's kind of weird it costs $10 to upgrade these things even though other games will have similar upgrades for free.

I'd assume Kirby and Mario Party are $20, since they come with new content.

I think you can probably reliably expect the difference in price between MSRPs for the Switch and Switch 2 editions will also be the upgrade price.

I was expecting $10 or $15, but it's nice to see the lower end of my expectations confirmed. I'm still expecting $15 for the ones that add new content, but I wouldn't be surprised if they're $20. And I'd be okay with that; if they add enough content on top of the performance boost, it could easily be worth $20.

Lines up with their pricing on other retailers, at 70 and 80 respectively

So $10 if the enhancements are mostly resolution and frame-rate and probably $20 if it comes with significant extra content like Kirby and Mario Party. That's reasonable to me.

Should have been free
Most PS5 upgrades have been free for me
Paying $10 for every switch game upgrade is disappointing

I'm going to take a guess and say some cost money and others are free due to their complexity/levels of effort involved and the prestige of the franchise in question.

Just have NSO Expansion and they are free*

*ᵒᶠ ᶜᵒᵘʳˢᵉ ʸᵒᵘ ⁿᵉᵉᵈ ᵗᵒ ᵖᵃʸ ᶠᵒʳ ᴺˢᴼ ᵉˣᵖᵃⁿˢᶦᵒⁿ

I'm fairly happy to hear that. Anything above $10 would raise my eyebrows. Many of the below 60fps games should be free anyways because it's quite unacceptable.

Hey if that's the price across the board I think I will get Metroid Prime 4 on switch and pay for the upgrade eventually since I don't see me getting a switch 2 anytime soon.

No thanks.
I already have Oceanhorn 2 for the botw clone game on my PS5 with 60 fps from beginning and way smaller GB size of installation (3+ GB) so I'm good.
I prefer this indie game.

Not a bad price. I expected worse, lol

Yeah, that's all right. It's what Sony charges for their first party PS4 to PS5. Obviously would prefer if they were free, but I'm used to it at this point. But games like Kirby and the Forgotten Land might be more, right? It was 60 bucks on Switch 1, and the Switch 2 version costs 80.

While in ¥ it will cost less than 7$USD, right?
Nintendo... Sigh

@Sakhasm Except those that were paid

i wonder if nintendo decided for the zelda games to keep the updates at 10 dollars given all the blowback they heard the last few days..we will probably never know..

@johnedwin Agreed. A resolution and frame rate update should be free.

Was easy to deduce this, Nintendo weren't going to discount the og switch prices or offer the upgrade cheaper to sell these versions. So I figured the rrp of the switch 2 version minus the rrp of the og switch version game would give us the upgrade cost.

BOTW sw2 is $70, og game rrp is $60, upgrade is $10
TOTK sw2 is $80, og game rrp is $70, upgrade is $10
Kirby sw2 is $80, og game rrp is $60, upgrade is $20
MPJ sw2 is $80, og game rrp is $60, upgrade is $20

@iedutu hence why I put in "Most".

That’s an insanely good price actually. Very surprising considering how much they wanna charge for their games now. I honestly might just end up buying the TOTK upgrade at this point to keep it forever.

@TheMainMii
And for internet!

Not terrible tbh

@Spider-Kev yeah, ive got them for that and games, but its nice to know if you already have it you get the discounts

it's beyond ridiculous these you have to pay for yet EOW, Links Awakening, Pokemon S&V Switch 2 upgrades are free

@TheMainMii
Don't forget though, if you ever lose internet or stop Switch Online, you won't have access

Half of the new content is locked away on a cell phone!

You only get these upgrades if you own the physical copies on switch correct? My Botw is digital but I've been meaning to buy it physical.

Looking forward to see the difference between BOTW on Switch 1 compared to on Switch 2: with and without upgrade pack.

I really hope there is some difference when running on Switch 1 and 2 even without upgrade.

@TheMainMii hey, the text in your comment, that’s a nice trick. How’d you do that? What’s the syntax for it?

@Spider-Kev but but, ‘don’t you all have phones?!’

I'm glad it is not $20 each. Does that mean we can expect $70 for BOTW and $80 for TOTK Switch 2 Editions?

@Friendly Digital Foundry laughed and said it's like Xbox Smart Glass a decade later. It's even weirder on Switch 2 because it's a handheld/hybrid console. Even weirder since they removed the Game Pad functionality on Wii U when they decided to make the Switch port.

@PikminMarioKirby I think the difference here unlike with the free updates some Switch 1 games have (for example Links Awakening & Echoes of Wisdom), is that BOTW and TOTK have had more implemented than just a performance and visual boost.

The “Zelda’s Notes” application and how this functions in tandem with the games is probably why there is a cost attached.

The games that have bolt on content / DLC is why they are priced higher. Although I question for some titles (Kirby Forgotten Land) if that is exclusive to Switch 2. I don’t see why DLC levels specifically should be exclusive to the next system only. It’s an argument I also held with PS4 base games having PS5 exclusive content come the DLC.

I think people are forgetting, the upgrade includes the Zelda Notes integration too. I think that's the primary reason these games have a $10 cost and not a free upgrade, but is included with NSO + Expansion Pack.

@Sonicka Players are paying twice for the phone app that few will use. They're paying 20 for navigating the games on the phone if they upgrade both titles.

That works for me!

@HorseRenoir some of them are free though.

@Friendly I dont know that syntax, I've tried a few ways. I tend to just use this one site. https://lingojam.com/SmallTextGenerator

@Sakhasm not all of them are paid. A number of them are free.

Also some of the games on PlayStation, you have to pay an upgrade fee iirc. So it’s really nothing different and new.

I'd much rather have it all (and BOTW's DLC) on a single Switch 2 cartridge.

The fact that the DLC doesn't seem to be included on the actual cartridge, nor the Switch 2 upgrade content, is a pathetic joke.

I'll stick with the Japanese Expansion cart.

I still think $10 is a slap in the face for an upgrade patch.

@Anti-Matter your comments never disappoint.

I have the expansion so I’ll happily play the upgrade.

@TrogdorTheBurninator switch 1 games don’t run natively on switch 2, so I’m not counting on automatic enhancements the way Xbox and ps5 do it.

Don't they have these kind of upgrades free on Xbox and Playstation? I'll be ing these with my family NSO Expansion, 8,75e a year.

@Luffymcduck Yes, on Xbox all these upgrades are free, including Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One games available on Series X|S.

@PikminMarioKirby it seems like games with simple performance bumps are free. I don't expect significant changes to resolution or frame rate here. In Pokemon's case, that means a stable frame rate, but if 60 fps doesn't already exist in the code, it won't be added. If the game also interfaces with some online service, it gets priced up tier. If additional content is also added, that's the $20 tier. At least, this seems to be the logic Nintendo is employing

For Nintendo standards this is free. Don't forget this is a company that sold us the same virtual console games twice for full price or extra fee to another console.

And all the extra accessoires for every console or the expansion pack for the N64 to be able to play DK and Zelda.

If you have online then at least the Zelda expansions will be free.

@Banjo- 2 phone apps, TWO.=P

I don’t disagree that it feels a lot for the price request however, but if the work was put in then why shouldn’t they feel entitled to ask to for more at the end of the day. Work was done, actors were paid. Nothing is free.

That said, it’s likely also why it’s part of the NSO expansion pack, so it won’t matter to many a folk anyway.

@SillyG
Seems it IS all on a NSW2 cart. The misinformation about being a Switch cart with code came from 1 college age rep who told a customer over the phone that was the case. Another said the opposite. But now Marvelous came forward and set the record straight. Its a Switch 2 cart including the upgrade.

And the box art doesn't actually say anything about having a code. Plus the load times wouldn't be able to be reduced from a Switch 1 cart so that doesn't even make sense in the first place.

I've not played BOTW for a good few years, so can't wait to replay this on my S2 later this year. Less than / no more than £10 I can live with...

I wonder if you still need to pay to unlock the DLC on the S2 physical edition?

it should be free, like Xbox's last-to-current gen upgrades

If Metroid 4 is $70 on Switch 1
Then a $10 Switch 2 makes the $80 price make sense
(In Nintendo's corpo brain, I mean)

However, I wonder/doubt if the Switch 2 version would work on Switch 1, so if you buy physical it would make more sense to get Switch 1, and then upgrade, right?

Im totally fine with that price to update. I never finished TotK, so i know what im doing when i get my hands on a Switch 2. 😁

At least I don’t have to buy a new version like I did with Ghost of Tsushima and a few others that didn’t have a free upgrade path. But it is inline with what sony charges their upgrades.

@Ralizah Sony charges $10 to upgrade ONLY the resolution and framerates.

Would've loved a Actual BOTK/TOTK on Switch 2 cart of the games. This would make collecting them or even buying worth the money spent. But now it's just a pathetic excuse when I already have BOTW(and JPN full cart)/TOTK version already.

I'm not mad at $10 for the upgrade. I bought TotK while in Bali to play on the flight back to the US. I never opened it because I got caught up with Horace (which is one of the most charming games I've played in a long long time) so didn't open it. Now I can break it in on my switch 2 since no Splatoon at Launch.

@Iconoclysm I've never paid for any kind of upgrade, but all my PS4 stuff does run natively on PS5 with some enhancements out of the box (like faster loading and upscaling). I was expecting that with Switch 2, but it seems like a patch (free or otherwise) is required; and Switch 1 games aren't run natively, which adds all kinds of complications (thus their huge list about games that are still in the "testing" phase).

With the extra content like Zelda Notes this seems like a good deal. I probably won't buy this as I'm likely to keep NSO for the duration.

Given the prices of the games on places like argos and game which normally use RRP instead of a slight discount like currys and smyths, both Zeldas, Kirby and Mario Party are £67 like Donkey Kong.

Zeldas both cost RRP £60 in UK, Kirby and Mario Party are £50

One could predict that the Zelda upgrade prices are £7 each and Kirby and Mario Party are £17 each, unless they go cheaper digital like the rest of the switch 2 games

About what I was expecting. Not an issue for me since I'll have the NSO expansion when I do eventually adopt a Switch 2 (GCN finally convinced me), so these will be "free". As for the other paid enhancements for games I currently own, I've decided I can live without them.

ignore me, I didn't read things properly!

@Dimey This is the Champions Ballad DLC for BOTW. Not the switch 2 upgrade pack

@lumothesinner oh thank god, haha!!

After paying $70 for TotK, I feel like this should on the 'free' list.

@TrogdorTheBurninator

I would imagine that playing on Switch2 irons out the frame drops. So it’s probably locked at 900p/30 fps the entire time.

Guys, just because a price isn't comparatively high doesn't mean it's a consumer-friendly practice. Performance updates like this have been free as an industry standard for the past two console generations. Nintendo is setting a bad precedent here.

@dr-ghost Tell that to Sony lol. Games like god of war ragnarok and gran tourismo 7 were released on ps4 and 5 same date, 5 cost £10 more. Not to mention most of their ps5 re-releases cost extra too, like Ghosts, Last of us 2, Days Gone, spidey remastered, horizon 1 remastered

From what Nintendo have show so far, both Kirby and Mario Party upgrades include DLC addons with more content, Zeldas get additional functionality via nintendo switch app, and metroid prime 4 gets mouse controls, somewhat justifying that these arent just performance updates. Maybe not for MP4 and Zeldas, but definitely for Kirby and Mario Party

They have also announced that there are many games getting free switch 2 updates, like Mario Odyessy and Pokemon Scarlet/violet, which are likely just the free performance updates you are referring to that is industry standard across most publishers (except Sony)

@lumothesinner not that I don't agree with you but the Last of us 2 had an extra game mode and more extras, ghost of Tsushima also had extra conntent, Spider-Man remastered had all previous dlc included and was free if you bought it with miles morales. It's easy to trash Sony on a Nintendo site but both companies are asking an up price for extra content here. And in the end it's up to everyone to decide if it's worth it or not.

I'm more interested in if the switch 2 physical versions of Zelda have the DLC included.

@JaxonH : That's great to hear, but the lack of DLC is still of concern.

@1UP-HUSKY Last of Us 2 I'll give you. No escape did not come to ps4. Iki island came to ghost ps4, spidey remastered may have had all dlc included, but was more expensive that the GOTY edition on ps4 which was the same thing. Spidey remastered was not a free purchase with Miles, you had to pay £20 to get the deluxe version of Miles to get spidey1 remastered. Miles on its own was £50. The only other one that I could class as not paying for a simple upscale is horizon zero dawn remastered, as a lot of work was done to the models and environments.

Yeh it always comes down to the consumer if its worth it. Thankfully most 3rd parties and xbox do not charge for updates, and SF6 at £50 with 2 seasons DLC indicates that Capcom at least want to price properly when sony and nintendo dont. Problem is too many people will still pay for sony and nintendo upgrades, just like we all paid again for Wii U to switch ports

@jesse_dylan What your PS5 does with PS4 games is exactly what you will get from your Switch 2. It's no different than Xbox One/Series running 360 games and older. The fact that Nintendo's going to take the time to make sure all of this works is bad to you?

These games sold so much that these upgrades should have been free for performance stuff. They aren't reworking the game, just scaling up everything thru emulation.They sort of are free thru the Online sub, but I think most of these upgrades are just being priced (and jammed with ephemeral new content like Zelda gps) to just justify a new price for Switch 2 editions.

@Iconoclysm You can be as happy about it as you want. I'm not trying to yuck your yum. PS4 stuff worked out of the box, with some enhancements; Switch 1 stuff is not guaranteed to work, really, just to start. They've done super minimal testing, and lots of stuff still has issues. And there don't appear to be any enhancements out of the box without a patch, right? That's what I'm saying, and then you're saying it's the same as everything else when I'm highlighting where it's not the same.

Seems they're only charging for Switch 2 Versions that add things and not just graphical and FPS boosts... and they tacked on something most people won't use to charge for BOTW & TOTK.

@PikminMarioKirby For BOTW & TOTK that $10 is for the extra content from the Zelda notes app.

If the Zelda notes app did not exist I'm 100% positive it would be a free upgrade.

Good to know, glad it's not too much $$. Why wasn't pricing in the direct though?

Seems reasonable. I've already had my fill of these games so I most likely won't purchase the upgrades. The Kirby and Mario Party upgrades I'll grab no questions asked though, especially Kirby as it seemed quite expansive.

Come on NLife give us some UK prices!

The Kirby one probably being more than $10 is understandable. That is practically dlc content expansion that happens to also come with improvements.

You know a game that could use an upgrade? Xenoblade 2. Handheld mode was nasty.

I think they just lowered the prices for the Upgrade Packs after the backlash, I don't believe this was the prices all along and they waited a couple days to tell us.

I may buy them outright at that price.

Wow, didn’t expect good news about Switch 2 pricing to come out. This is actually fair

I guess I'll do my next play through on Switch 2 since the price is acceptable.

See, that's perfectly fine.

But they are free for NSO Expansion Packers right?

I played the games once and I have no desire to replay those Zelda games again.

@Sakhasm.

Free.......... Nintendo should of paid you for ing it.

They announced this after the direct, why did you need double confirmation?

@TheMainMii thanks!

A jab in the eye instead of a poker up the bum.

@invictus4000 Yes. Botw and totk upgrades are 'free' if you have the expansion pack tier of online hip.

So what happens when the online subscription expires? Will the upgrades still be usable?

Now that's a fair price. Especially considering that on top of that it is a perk for NSO now. Can we get fair prices on the rest of it now?

Speaking about NSO it's really good value now. I'm just waiting for when they decide now is a good time to double its price. Hopefully the whole debacle might persuade them that they probably shouldn't.

@Ralizah I think slightly lower for the outright switch 2 release - they want people to see the switch 2 release and think about upgrading

Edit to say, not lower overall, just less than the switch version plus upgrade individually

Glad I subscribe to NSO+Expansion Pack. I share my sub with 7 other people, so it's really cheap that way. But even if I wasn't sharing it, it's still really good value for money now. And even better soon with Switch 2

@AnonyQ At least in the U.S., the Switch version of BotW is $60... $10 less than the Switch 2 version.

TotK is $70... $10 less than the Switch 2 version.

Personally if they are just performance, graphic and resolution increase then €10 (excepting it to be this price as it is usually $ = € ) and €20 if it the same as above with new content.

This makes me curious what switch games people wants to get a switch 2 update

DISGUSTING AND AWFUL FOR JUST A FPS AND RESOLUTION BOOST, should be 10 for both. Atleast Sony include revamped textures and improved graphics with their upgrades!!!!

@jfp The Switch 2 physical releases are the Switch versions with an upgrade code. Nothing more than a key.

My mind is exploding if your buying the games for the first time on switch 2, BOTW does not come with the DLC. Especially if your charging $69.99 for a 8 year old game.

@jfp it works on all european nintendo store prices that use the euro.

BOTW is €70 on switch , switch 2 edition is €80, upgrade €10
TOTK is €70 on switch , switch 2 edition is €80, upgrade €10
Kirby is €60 on switch , switch 2 edition is €80, upgrade €20
MPJ is €60 on switch , switch 2 edition is €80, upgrade €20

Seems to work on GBP too. But unlike the other currencies, the "bigger" upgrades (kirby etc) cost more than double the smaller ones "(zelda) So either it doesn't work here or the uk is getting screwed lol.

botw/totk are £60 switch 2 version is £67, so upgrade would be £7
mpj/kirby etc are £50 switch 2 version is £67 so upgrade would be £17

@Sakhasm really? Was spider man, the last of us 2, days gone, forbidden West and 90% of ps5 1st party games remasters free? No, they where a 10 . Nintendo doing what Sony do, paid upgrade on their 1st party titles.

@jesse_dylan blame Sony they started that 10 upgrade

@Jorogumo but at least ps4 games run on ps5 out of the box with faster load times and some upscaling. That’s all I wanted from switch 2, and I’m not sure that’s happening.

@Sakhasm
All Switch Edition games have a fee but it seems that's mostly because "Switch Edition" appears to be the branding they're using for games with paid enhancements. Or at least games with an additional licence you get from the store, nothing stopping a publisher giving them a $0 price. And so far these games seem to be adding asset improvements, entirely new game modes etc

But separate to that there are games that are getting enhancements without a fee (Arms, Captain Toad, Odyssey, 3D World, Link's Awakening, Echoes of Wisdom, Scarlet/Violet etc). These are not branded as "enhanced editions", they're free updates. And from their site it appears that some of these add new gameplay modes, some of them have performance improvements... just probably not full asset reworks

Lastly there's just the general performance gains from backwards compatibility. The Switch 2 isn't emulating Switch, it's also not physically running Switch hardware. It's running through a translation layer. Assuming the translation layer doesn't break the game I think it's fair to say Switch games will perform better when running on Switch 2. Within the restrictions the developer has set. I'm talking faster loading, hitting framerate caps, maxing out dynamic resolution scaling etc

Honestly, it's pretty much identical to what Sony has done so I don't see where you're coming from

That's about as much as the NS2 demo, ugh.