New Switch 2 consoles quietly hide a fitting tribute to Zelda

Lucky Nintendo fans who secured a pre-order for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Switch 2 are starting to open the boxes containing their swanky new consoles — and are receiving a nice, unexpected surprise.

The new hardware, which was officially released on Oct. 29, had a bumpy launch thanks to major retailers who oversold their launch day stock. Hype around the green-and-gold console has nonetheless been sky-high, and pre-orders keep selling out instantly. While most people have been focused on the console's awesome Triforce decals or its fully-colored Joy-Con 2 controllers, many fans apparently missed a detail cleverly hidden by Nintendo.

The Easter egg isn't a secret per se, but it was buried nine images deep in the official Nintendo store image carousel. The flourish is never shown during the console's reveal trailer, either. So while some eagle-eyed fans were already aware of it, just as many had no idea the detail was there in the first place.

A closer look at the Zelda Switch 2 console

If you slip off the console's dock cover, you'll find a small pixel art imprint of Link and Zelda. As the RPG duo hold up their respective pieces of the Triforce, their faces are full of excitement. Above them is a collection of 16 heart containers — which is exactly the health limit on the NES version of The Legend of Zelda.

Nintendo has experimented with similar Easter eggs before: for example, the Game & Watch's hidden Triforce or the coins on the back of the Mario-themed red Switch 2. The new Zelda 40th Anniversary Collection is actually brimming with a number of small nods to the larger franchise. As you can see below, the back of the new Switch 2 Pro Controller hides a retro-styled Link in the middle of an attack. Fans are also discovering that the anniversary's dedicated carrying case comes with a microfiber cloth embossed with more TLOZ pixel art.

You know, just in case some of you don't already have enough reasons to feel jealous of not owning the new hardware. If it's any consolation, many Zelda fans online are feeling FOMO right now as well.