Updated graphics and controls

I mean for the time Final Fantasy VII was as revered or close to as revered as Ocarina of Time (even as a Nintendo fan, I'll be honest I thought FF7 was a bit better, gasp!) yet Square-Enix has done a relatively good job reimagining FF7 for the modern day. I don't really see why Nintendo couldn't do the same. Resident Evil 2/3/4 also. 

There are younger gamers (pretty much anyone age 9-28) today that are just never going to play the OG version, lets be honest, for them to get into this game and understand it, you probably have to significantly reimagine it for today's audiences. This game will likely be more for them, kids who maybe don't understand what Zelda was before Breath of the Wild. 

This younger generation is also important as they are likely going to see the Zelda live action movie next spring/summer (or you would want them to), so this game has a role to play in that. 

If you just want a basic uptick of the original version, Nintendo already did that with Ocarina of Time 3D on the 3DS.

If you're a purist you have the 3DS version to go to or the NSO N64 one that runs at a higher resolution and frame rate already, you don't need a *third* version of the same game with just some minor additions. 

I say blow the roof off and reimagine it as FF7 and RE2 have been, maybe OoT 3D can be included on NSO or with this game too (running in 4K) for people who want that too. 

I don't know if it's a game that should be remade. Graphics could be updated and there should be a lot more enemies, otherwise it's hard to see what else would there be to improve.

Again you have to also factor in Nintendo is likely banking on the live action Zelda movie being a big hit, why shouldn't they, after Mario hit it big time they likely feel much more confident.

That movie could drive a lot of new fans into the franchise, so I think you want something that is more cinematic and appealing to that younger audience who are going to be used to the movie. BotW and TotK are great but they are in the style of a Japanese anime, that's not going to line up with what a lot of people will view Zelda as after the movie, which will be more a realistic fantasy movie. 

This game is likely not just for 40+ year olds trying to relive 1998. Like yeah, that's part of the audience, but likely Nintendo also factored in to create a new "realistic" graphics Zelda game from the ground up would likely have taken 6-7+ years of development time, possibly more. Remaking OoT is likely the only way they can get something done in time for the 2026 holiday season + the movie's release next year. 

An actual, honest-to-God remake/reimagining along the lines of FFVII Remake.

Something that is more cinematic and grand in scope. Basically like if Lord of the Rings were a video game.

Gameplay wise: Try to find a happy balance between the classic, 3D, OoT formula and the modern, open world, BotW formula. They kind of HAVE to if they want to remake Ocarina of Time to fit more with modern conventions while also retaining the core foundation of the game that makes it as beloved and iconic as it is. That’s where it gets tricky. Because in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, you can pretty much do whatever you want. Yeah, you have an objective and an endgame, but how you get there and what you do in between is entirely up to you.

That’s not the kind of game Ocarina of Time is. Ocarina of Time very straight-forward and narrative driven. Point A to Point B. Doesn’t really encourage much exploration. That was a glaring flaw with Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom where, depending on your progress and how you proceeded, the narrative was ALL OVER THE PLACE. This was especially bad in Tears of the Kingdom where it wanted to be more narrative and character driven, while also taking the exploration, customization, and nonlinearity of Breath of the Wild and multiply by 10. It tried to have its cake and eat it too… And it was terrible! Example: When you’re talking to Impa or Paya or one of the NPCs about Zelda “Oh where could she be? I hope she’s ok?” Or that stupid imposter side quest where everyone is like “Is that really her?!” And I’m like… “Guys, she’s UP THERE!!! You see that white dragon with the gold fur flying over Hyrule Field?!? THAT’S HER!!!” And it just fell flat on its face.

So I don’t know how they’re going to do manage it where they find that balance between Breath of the Wild’s exploration and Ocarina of Time’s narration. Maybe they don’t even bother and they just double down on Ocarina of Time’s formula where it’s extremely cinematic filled to the brim with added and fleshed out story elements, character moments, and refined combat and and dungeon design. Oh yeah, and the graphics are absolutely beautiful. Basically Twilight Princess on steroids.
That’s probably the route they’ll go and it’ll fall closer in line with what they appear to be doing with the Zelda movie - Which is make it a high fantasy novel-like adventure - Ala Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.

One thing is for certain: If this is true, they CANNOT afford to screw this up. Ocarina of Time isn’t just any Zelda game - For a lot of people, it is THE Zelda game. Even with Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom raising the bar and bringing the series to new heights and levels of popularity and appeal for newer audiences. For the good chunk of the older audience, especially that late 90s-early 00s crowd, Ocarina of Time remains the first thing that comes to mind when they hear “Zelda.”

So either they go all in with making this a full reimagining/remake or they don’t do it at all. And if they ARE doing it, they cannot half-ass. They can’t just give it an HD makeover and call it a day - That’s not going to cut it. They gotta try and take that majesty, awe, and wonder that all the kids/teens and young adults felt back in 1998-1999 and perfectly replicate it for kids/teens and young adults who will play it in 2026-2027. THAT’S the important part here.

Not necessarily, it can also be stuff like being able to more conveniently swap out/equip/use items for instance.

... which makes the game easier to beat lol.

Manually pausing to change items or being limited in how many you can quickly access doesn't really make the game harder though, it's just a bit of a needless chore, nothing is lost by streamlining this. Improving the camera system would also be a QoL system along these lines.

I'd also contend that there is nothing inherently wrong with making something "easier to beat" in terms of making it just being more convenient and intuitive to play. This isn't 1998, a lot of lessons have been learned since then in how to makes games play more fluently.

If it makes inventory easier, it makes the game easier. And the reason you don't think it's inherently wrong is probably due to perspective. Remember, the harder you struggle to overcome a goal, the more rewarding and fulfilling it'll be when you finally overcome it. Your brain literally releases more dopamine and other "reward" drugs in proportion to the challenge.

So regardless of preference, your feeling of accomplishment will diminish whether you notice it or not. You will not get the same level of enjoyment out of it. It will feel more hollow, and there's nothing you can do about it because it's biology.

It's one of the reasons why we all jumped around in our living rooms as kids when we beat NES games. It was a real feat. No quality of life enhancements. No internet. Homemade maps, tips from our friends... it meant something. Nay... it meant everything.

Actually no, I don't get any kind of reward or fulfillment from inconvenient interfaces, it's just a needless hassle.

I grew up with the SNES and N64, I played Ocarina as a kid in 1998 and I loved it, but due to it being an early pioneer of its kind, some aspects of it just don't hold up and there's nothing wrong with improving them.