Nintendo has formally rolled out its set of Black Friday deals for the year. While there aren’t any straight cash discounts on Switch hardware, the company is offering a new Switch OLED bundle that pairs the $350 console with a digital copy of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and a three-month individual Nintendo Switch Online subscription for no extra cost. The console’s Joy-Con controllers feature a Smash Bros.-themed design as well. This bundle is available at several retailers, including Walmart, Target, GameStop, Best Buy and Nintendo’s own online store.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate typically retails in the $50 to $60 range and the Switch Online membership goes for $8, so that’s about what you’re saving here. We’ve seen the console go for less on its own, but if you’ve been meaning to give Smash Bros. a shot, there are much worse options for a free pack-in game. Although Ultimate was released way back in 2018, we still consider it the quintessential fighter for Nintendo’s system, and it currently holds a spot on our list of the best Switch games.
Speaking of, Nintendo has also discounted a handful of its own Switch titles. The digital eShop will begin its “Cyber deals” on November 20, but right now other retailers have the cutesy adventure game Luigi’s Mansion 3 down to $40 and the 2D platformer Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze down to a new low of $30. (Cue the memes.) Both of those are included in our roundup of the best couch co-op games. Elsewhere, the RPG Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is on sale for $40, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe and Mario Strikers: Battle League are each available for a low of $30, while the hack-and-slasher Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is down to a low of $15. A few of these deals aren’t the best we’ve ever seen — and it’s hard to call games like Battle League, Kirby or Three Hopes essential — but each is at least a little cheaper than usual.
Nintendo is advertising Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for $40 each as well, though Walmart says it’ll have both of those games available for $30 on November 22, so it’s worth waiting if you’ve yet to play either of them. Among Switch games that aren’t published by Nintendo (in America), the turn-based strategy game Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is on sale for $15, the recently released Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is $20 off at $40 and the hardcore RPG Shin Megami Tensei V is back at an all-time low of $20.
Unfortunately (and perhaps predictably), many of Nintendo’s newest hits aren’t part of the sale, so we don’t expect to see official discounts on 2023 games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Pikmin 4 or Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Staples is technically listing Zelda and Wonder for $40 each, but it doesn’t have either game in stock as of this writing.
There’s also a bundle that pairs a red and blue set of Joy-Cons with a digital copy of Super Mario Party for $100. Since the controllers usually go for $80, the deal effectively brings the game down to $20. That’s roughly $30 less than it typically costs on its own. It’s worth noting that this isn’t the latest Mario Party game, though — that would be Mario Party Superstars, which came out two years ago. Still, if you want a few new boards to play and need a set of Joy-Cons anyway, it might be worthwhile.
If you’d rather not pay up for the Switch OLED, Nintendo is still selling holiday bundles for the standard Switch and Switch Lite as well. The systems themselves aren’t any cheaper at $300 and $200, respectively, but the Switch is available with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and that same Switch Online membership at various retailers, while the Switch Lite now comes with Animal Crossing: New Horizons at Walmart and Target.
These bundles have been available for a few weeks, and the included games are again on the older side — Mario Kart arrived way back in 2017, while Animal Crossing hit in 2020. The Mario Kart bundle in particular is one that Nintendo rolls out just about every holiday season, so it’s not an amazing deal. Still, both titles tend to retail between $40 and $50 on their own, and both are included in our Switch games buying guide. If you’re late to the Switch train, they’re strong starting points.
The big caveat to all of this is that we may be nearing the end of the Switch’s life cycle. The original console arrived nearly seven years ago, and various reports have suggested that we’re likely to see some sort of follow-up in 2024. A recent Eurogamer report, for instance, said that Nintendo demoed a possible “Switch 2” for developers in August. If you aren’t dying to catch up on Switch games you missed, it might be wise to wait.
That said, the Switch’s library is still excellent. If you (or your kid) have been looking to finally hop on the bandwagon, these deals provide at least a little extra value — even if we’d have preferred to see more substantial discounts by this point.
Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nintendo-black-friday-deals-include-a-new-switch-oled-bundle-and-discounted-games-150043995.html?src=rss
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