Nintendo Switch Holiday Bundles Have Been Revealed, Here's The Best Deal
One of the hardest things about being a Nintendo fan is that the company's first-party games almost never go on sale. You can visit your local GameStop and still find Nintendo titles that are over five years old but somehow never managed to drop below $50. This can be very irritating for the savvy shopper who's trying to save a few bucks when they buy their games. That said, retailers do occasionally put together some pretty impressive holiday bundles. These allow new fans to get some sweet goodies at a discount when they also buy a console. The Switch is starting to show its age, but its catalog of games still makes it a worthwhile purchase in 2023.
Some of these bundles might be specific to certain retailers like Amazon or Best Buy, but this year, the best bundle seems to be coming from Nintendo itself. The company recently announced that it will be creating three unique deals for gamers seeking to buy a new Switch, all of which will be available starting October 6, 2023. Two of them are for the handheld-only Nintendo Switch Lite. There is the Isabelle's Aloha Edition which is a pastel pink, and the Timmy and Tommy's Aloha Edition, which is a pastel blue. Both of them are $200 and include a bundled digital copy of "Animal Crossing: New Horizons." That's a pretty good deal, but the best bundle is the one that comes with the original Switch.
The best bundle comes with Mario Kart 8
The original Nintendo Switch bundle comes with a suggested retail price of $299.99, the console's standard price. This bundle includes the Switch (with dock and Joy-Con controllers) but also has a digital copy of "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" and a three-month membership to Nintendo Online.
Handheld gaming enthusiasts may prefer the "Animal Crossing" Switch Lite bundle, but many gamers will probably want the original Switch for a few key reasons. To start, the original Nintendo Switch can be docked with a TV. The Switch Lite is handheld only. This means the original Switch is more versatile. Its detachable joycons also make it much better suited to local multiplayer gameplay.
Speaking of multiplayer, "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" is one of the best multiplayer games on the console and is likely to be one of the titles that motivates people to buy the Switch in the first place. On top of that, those who buy this bundle also get a three-month Nintendo Online membership, which you need to connect to online multiplayer modes. The membership also has great features like cloud saves and free content that make it worthwhile.
Mario Kart 8 is still valued at $59.99, and the three-month Nintendo Online subscription costs $7.99, meaning users who buy this bundle will receive an extra $67.98 in value.