We've woken up to news of a rather lovely Limited Edition Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch that will be released to coincide with the launch of the game in March, and now we can't help but eye our boring standard Switch with contempt. The Animal Crossing bundle sure looks lovely, and we're doing out best to justify buying another console just to get our hands on those new Joy-Con and that adorable dock. It seems that lucky Japanese Switch owners will have the option of buying the standalone component parts of the Animal Crossing hardware bundle individually, though.
As spotted by ACPocketNews on Twitter, the Nintendo Japan store is listing both the standalone Animal Crossing Switch dock and the pair of pastel-coloured Joy-Con as available for purchase separately from the console bundle:
The Joy-Con are up for 8,228 yen (around £60 / $75 / 70€) and the dock is priced at 6,578 yen (approximately £45 / $60 / 55€). Pre-orders are scheduled to open up on 8th Feb and they'll be delivered (according to the site) alongside the game which launches on 20th March.
We've talked before about the difficulties we've had finding a spare dock for the Nintendo Life office, and it seems that Japanese Switch owners (and anybody happy to pay to import a dock) now have an adorable new option. Will you be importing these or keeping your fingers crossed for a release in the west? Let us know below.
[source twitter.com, via store.nintendo.co.jp, store.nintendo.co.jp]
Comments 51
Selling standalone docks is something they should do more often, not just for special editions, honestly.
I'd get it, aside from the dock being nice, it means I'll have a second one for elsewhere in the house or at the office.
Yaaay...!! 😃😃😃
I can buy the White dock, White Joy Cons strap and Pastel Green Blue Joy Cons for my Switch. 😁
This is an awesome move. Fingers crossed the west follows this line of thinking.
I'm a bit over playing Animal Crossing, but I must admit, that is GORGEOUS. The colours, the image on it...
I’d buy both in a heartbeat
In Japan. In Japan. Ok
I'd love a 2nd dock for up in the bedroom. £45 seems very reasonable too.
Not sure I'd feel comfortable importing one though so would wait for a UK release
@Shambo
Over Animal Crossing?
You might as well have told us you're a bit over sunlight, it would have been equally absurd.
/friendly jest
Ooooooh! That’s promising.
Plus, if they sell the joy cons here in the west they’ll probably have the sides swapped (that’s usually how it works) so that you can pick up full sets of each color by ordering one western set and then importing a Japanese one. That’s how I got my pink and green pairs.
@readalie Play-Asia could clean up quite nicely.
@BarefootBowser What do you mean by Red box?
@RupeeClock Agreed on more selling of themed docks separately. I'd take the Smash one, and this one.
And £45 is considerably less than the £80 standalone docks were supposedly costing when Switch launched.
Japan always have the special edition Joy-Con Pair's and Dock's for sale separately initially. Availability doesn't last long. They won't see release anywhere else in the world. Buy soon if you want to get them
@RupeeClock they have sold standalone docks at one point, back in 2017 even https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/switch/accessories/mounts-brackets-stands/products/nintendo-switch-dock-set/10147700.html
@Doofenshmirtz
That was part of my point, they haven't sold standalone docks since the launch window.
@RupeeClock here in Spain you can still find them on shelves, covered in dust and with smashed corners. They’re still at full price tho ( 85£ - 90€ - 100$).
@Anti-Matter nope. you cant unless youre in JP
@trandz
Well, i am from Indonesia, Asian territory so i can order it from playasia or it will be available at my local game shop.
@bluemage1989 def not as they didnt for the other 5 limited editions
nintendo can suck a big fat one honestly. Dicking the US market over and over
Looks good but the black moody switch looks incongruent. A white one would look totally boss!
I will buy those Joy-Con since they have so much personality! Love the Joy-Con Straps as well.
@trandz probably not but it's always good to be hopeful.
I wonder if BOTW2 will get a themed dock and joy-cons.
@T7Hokage017 @Marios-love-child @gcunit "And £45 is considerably less than the £80 standalone docks were supposedly costing when Switch launched."
Just an FYI for you and the others thinking "Oh good a 2nd dock in another room and so much cheaper than it was originally when it was $80".
The $80 dock came w/ the charger, which can cost $25 or $30, and an HDMI cable, this is literally just an empty shell piece of plastic.
Per the website via google translate:
" Nintendo Switch AC Adapter" and "High Speed HDMI Cable" are not included.
https://store.nintendo.co.jp/item/HAC_8_CDHWC.html
Now everyone does have a dozen or so extra HDMI cables laying around so that isn't a problem but a not everyone has extra long USB-C chargers that you'll need to use this. So that's why it's cheaper.
Not mentioned in the article, but you can also buy... the cardboard box for the Animal Crossing Special Edition Switch for only ¥550 without having to form our all that money for an actual Switch! For all box lovers and Labo fanatics out there.
https://store.nintendo.co.jp/item/V669008.html
@rjejr Well spotted
I’m going to say it again...Japan gets everything, lol. Still mad I couldn’t get all blue joy-cons (dark blue) with my Switch like you could it Japan. Guess I’ll keep rocking the standard grey until that happens.
I just hope nintendo has a lot of this switches. They can make huge money from this. But knowing their practices the will put 13 to 15 units in the global market.
@rjejr
Thanks for the info. That would explain why it's so much cheaper.
We bought a Switch lite for Christmas for my daughter and that seems to have a good length charger so I'm guessing that would do the trick.
Still good to know all the facts
@RupeeClock they sell stand alone docks right on their website. Maybe not as easy as walking into Target or Best Buy to pick one up but not hard to find by any means.
I would buy this rather than the console in a heartbeat!
https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/628357742243086346/672822376769257473/Screen_Shot_2020-01-31_at_10.15.04_AM.png?width=400&height=268
I don't expect a western release but I do hope I can import these. Don't buy them all Japan!!
You can cross all the fingers you want, but this is typical Nintendo that only ever do things like this in Japan. Case in point, the Pokemon Let's Go Joy Con.
I really hope those become available outside of Japan as well. I have no need for another dock right now, but I really do like those joycons. At least importing is an option for the latter.
That sure is pretty, just a shame e switch unit itself doesn’t match. Looks odd, having a black slab sticking out of the pastel dock.
@Marios-love-child "Switch lite"
I've never tried, but I don't think the Lite fits in the dock, so if you used the Switch Lite charger to hook up to the dock do you really want to be taking the cord in and out every time you'd want to charge the Lite? Though I suppose if the cable comes out of the charger you could leave it in the dock and just get a second cable for he charger, as long as it isn't buried behind the TV.
It is nice that the Lite comes w/ a charger though considering it's only $199 and those 1st party chargers aren't cheap.
@gcunit Less well spotted, more that since Switch came out every time I see a dock accessory, 1st or 3rd party, the first thing I look for is a charger since before Switch we had no USB-C devices or chargers in our house, so I had to buy a portable charger for when we take the Switch places but leave the dock home.
Well if it's standalone I'll probably end up getting them.
@Kitchener I'd almost literally kill for some more sunlight now.
Almost.
I've been playing Animal Crossing for quite some generations of consoles now, and I still love the characters and all that, also in Smash and MK. I even have an Isabelle faceplate on my N3DS, instead of the limited "Ambassador" one.
And I might still fail to resist the island life, after the city life the wild world, and turning over a new leaf in the past ^_^
NL, did you even read the page you posted the links to? "For domestic delivery only."
@Dang69 I'm not in the habit of defending NL but technically it is still valid to give out those links. There are users that live in Japan or importers that use a delivery service (which uses a Japanese domestic address) so the option is still there. Plus these are just the sources where the items can be purchased. How to get them in hand is the onus of the importer.
@Ryu_Niiyama i said that because at the end of the article they asked "Will you be importing these?" But you cant import them since those links are only Japanese domestic. Trust me Im not that kind of butthole American that just assumes every site is for him! And yes...I guess I did forget you can use a service as a middle man to fake a domestic address.
@RupeeClock ohhh, ok I get it now
@Dang69 Understood. There is still the delivery service option. I'm just hoping they hit my import sites...I long for those joycon.
I edited my post to include that last bit was hoping youd see it before you read it! I order off playasia and amazon japan a ton but have never used those delivery domestic faking it sites. I really want 2 joycons in that left color. Perfect color.
Yes! Definitely willing to buy the joy-con separately.
@rjejr the Switch Dock is not just an empty shell piece of plastic
@jco83 OK, it has like 3 or 4 USB connectors too.
But I hope you aren't arguing the amount of electronics in a $50 dock are comparable to the amount of electronics in a $79 2DS.
I might have to get that dock
Great idea i hope it comes to the UK so we can just buy the Dock & Joycons as we don't need a whole new unit.
It would be great if they made Docks like this for special games and occasions to collect and swap them out.
I would just get the Joy-Cons themselves.
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