This year brings the release of a new Nintendo console and a new Zelda game. Both are momentous occasions in the video game world, and we haven’t seen the two overlap in this way since the launch of the Wii and Twilight Princess more than a decade ago. With the Switch, Nintendo hopes to merge the worlds of mobile and console gaming in an innovative way. We spent lots of time with the new hardware to see how it aims to accomplish this goal.

Early impressions for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild showed an impressive and surprising new direction for the series, and our extended time with the game only cemented that opinion. We experienced more of the game than anyone outside of Nintendo, playing through a dungeon in its entirety, exploring the sprawling open world of Hyrule for hours, discovering Shrines, appreciating the wildlife, and fighting surprisingly powerful monsters (including the dungeon boss, Wind Blight Ganon, and a Guardian). We may have not lived through our battle with the Guardian, but we can tell you about it. Finally, we spoke extensively with longtime Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma as well as Zelda’s creator, Shigeru Miyamoto about Breath of the Wild and the larger Zelda franchise.

Breath of the Wild releases for Switch and Wii U on March 3. To learn more about our planned month of online coverage leading up the game's release, take a look at our coverage trailer below or watch and share it on YouTube.

This is more than a future of Nintendo and Zelda issue, however. We outline the 25 games we’re looking forward to in 2017, teach you how to break into the competitive world of professional gaming, and ask Square Enix to reflect on the long-awaited release of Final Fantasy XV. We also traveled to ZeniMax Online studios to learn all about recreating Morrowind exactly as players remember for The Elder Scrolls Online.

Print subscribers can watch for their issue to arrive in the coming weeks, but you can read the full digital issue now on PC/Mac, iOS, Android, and Google Play. You can also get the latest issue through third-party apps on Nook, Kindle, and Zinio starting tomorrow. To switch your print subscription to digital, click here, or to create a new subscription to the digital edition, click here.

We’re excited about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and are eager to see if the Nintendo Switch can make console gaming a mobile experience. You can look forward to more online features throughout the month to see how Breath of the Wild truly re-examines the Zelda formula, learn everything we know about the new dungeons, find out what’s in store for the future of 2D Zelda games, and read about Aonuma’s personal favorite Zelda games, among many other Breath of the Wild-focused features. Click the banner below to visit our hub, and be sure to check back regularly.