Western Digital has expanded its portfolio of Nintendo-licensed SanDisk microSD cards with the release of its highest capacity card yet, a 1 TB SanDisk microSD card for Nintendo Switch systems. In partnership with Nintendo, this supersized offering provides the highest capacity in the lineup of officially licensed SanDisk microSD cards, giving Nintendo Switch players even more space to take their favorite games on the go.

The new 1 TB card bears the Hylian Crest, inspired by The Legend of Zelda, and has been tested and approved for use with all Nintendo Switch systems. With the new capacity nearly doubling the amount of storage previously offered in the range of Nintendo-licensed SanDisk microSD cards, players will be able to expand their digital game library and store their favorite titles in one place. The Legend of Zelda fans in particular can rest assured that they can have the space they need to take on the exciting new chapter in the franchise, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Nintendo has proudly announced that the latest entry in its long running Legend of Zelda series (dating back to 1986) has already hit remarkable sales figures only a few days post the official launch date - Friday May 12. Yesterday's tweet from the company's North American branch stated: "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has sold over 10 million copies worldwide in its first three days, becoming the fastest-selling game in the history of the Legend of Zelda series. Thanks to those already enjoying Link's latest adventure!" Nintendo has also revealed that their exclusive open world adventure was the fastest-selling game in Europe for the Switch platform. Various news outlets have also pointed out that Tears of the Kingdom is now the fastest-selling Nintendo game (on any system) in the EU trading region.

The preceding game - Breath of the Wild - was released on both Nintendo Switch and Wii U consoles back in 2017, and has since amassed close to a total of 30 million unit sales (referring to Statista data). According to a report published by GamesIndustry.biz Tears of the Kingdom has become 2023's biggest physical video-game launch in the United Kingdom. BBC UK News reached Piers Harding-Rolls (Research Director at Ampere Analysis) for comment - he said: "The huge opening sales of the latest Zelda places it amongst the biggest paid-for games ever released...With estimated gross sales of well over $600 million (£480 million), this title is comparable to some of the best-ever launches but falls a little short of the very biggest - for example, Grand Theft Auto V delivered over $1 billion in sales in its three-day launch window...Zelda has always been a beloved franchise for Nintendo fans but the success of the Switch console and the reinvention of the franchise into an open-world experience has transformed its appeal."

Nintendo fans have been counting down to today's third trailer for the upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom open world adventure blockbuster. The fan base tuned in this afternoon, with great anticipation and excitement, to the final pre-launch video preview. The game's producer - Eiji Aonuma - hinted that more was to come after last month's extensive gameplay demonstration, and Nintendo's marketing push has seemingly delivered on that promise.

The older trailers and press material have, some may say deliberately, kept major details to a minimum - Nintendo has become quite adept at controlling product hype levels in the Switch console's lifetime. Today's reveal smashed the doors wide open with major story beats, key allies plus foes, airborne shenanigans, a variety of combat scenarios, new environments and locations, as well as sharing a surprising dose of dialogue and interactions from Zelda herself. Team N has perhaps justified the increased asking price for Tears of the Kingdom - coming in at $10 more when compared to its predecessor - Breath of the Wild.

Nintendo is ramping up publicity efforts for its upcoming sequel to Breath of the Wild, which was a ratings and sales smash upon launching in Spring 2017 for the Japanese company. Tears of the Kingdom is the latest addition in the long running Legend of Zelda series and is set for release on May 12. In a newly released video that clocks in at a generous 13 and a bit minutes in length, the game's producer Eiji Aonuma demonstrates multiple aspects of gameplay - including Link's new abilities, refined combat systems, weapon crafting, vehicle building via puzzle mechanics and the transition from sky to land areas.

Aonuma-san starts off the video presentation by announcing that the development cycle for Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has been completed (reached gold status in industry terms). The game is due to launch internationally in mid-May, so it is encouraging that the development team is, allegedly, not tinkering under the hood until the very last minute. Tears of the Kingdom has been delayed since it was first teased at E3 2019 - development began in 2017 following the completion of its predecessor, Breath of the Wild. Nintendo initially announced an estimated release window in 2022, but presumably due to world changing events, the game was pushed back to Q2 2023.

Nintendo of America CEO Doug Bowser granted a rare interview to Associated Press, presumably as part of promotional duties prior to the February 17 opening of its Super Nintendo World theme park at Universal Studios Hollywood. In an article published on March 13, AP News journalist Greg Keller threw in a surprise query about the $70 asking price for Nintendo's upcoming sequel to 2017's The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Fan backlash to Nintendo of America's price hiking reached fever pitch earlier in 2023, and the company has not been very communicative with reasons for increasing the pricing of certain flagship Switch titles, until now.

Bowser's response was suitably neutral, but plenty can be read into it: "We look at what the game has to offer. I think fans will find this is an incredibly full, deeply immersive experience. The price point reflects the type of experience that fans can expect when it comes to playing this particular game. This isn't a price point that we'll necessarily have on all our titles. It's actually a fairly common pricing model either here or in Europe or other parts of the world, where the pricing may vary depending on the game itself." It is clear that he thinks that Tears of the Kingdom presents good value for money, given the standard of content being offered to the prospective player. It is possible that he is hinting that upcoming remakes of legacy Legend of Zelda games will be offered at sub-$70 prices. The recently released Metroid Prime Remastered debuted digitally at $39.99 on the Nintendo eShop, and physical copies have been sold for less at retailers.