This is a big week for the Nintendo Switch. The Switch with an OLED screen and Metroid Dread launch Friday, October 8th. Whether you’re a Switch veteran, or you’re prepping for your first console with the $350 OLED model, there are some excellent deals on must-have, cartridge-based titles you should know about. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and New Pokémon Snap are each $20 off. Amazon is the only retailer honoring this deal for all three games, but Best Buy and Walmart are hosting some deals, too. Monster Hunter Rise is $20 off, but only at GameStop.
All of these are noteworthy deals because they’re rarely discounted games. Nintendo sometimes hosts price cuts, but only for a select batch of games — many of which have been available since the Switch launched a handful of years ago.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD
2011’s Skyward Sword looks and plays better on the Nintendo Switch than it ever did on the Wii. Some other welcome improvements include autosaves, skippable dialogue, and optional tutorials that help to smooth over some of the pacing issues of the original.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Nintendo’s latest brawler pits beloved characters from the company’s franchises (as well as plenty from outside of Nintendo’s own realms) against one another. While the high skill ceiling for this long-standing fighting franchise can be intimidating to newcomers, sucker-punching your foes as Jigglypuff has an almost universal appeal.
Since the game’s debut, the roster of fighters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has also expanded to include a massive list of 74 characters. Everyone from Solid Snake to Samus is here, and even lesser-known characters make an appearance (ahem, Wii Fit Trainer). Regardless of your level of skill, though, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the most fun you can have while battling your friends for bragging rights. Read our review.
New Pokémon Snap
In a refreshing change of pace, New Pokémon Snap lets you take photos of all your favorite pokémon in the wild instead of catching them.
Monster Hunter Rise
The latest Monster Hunter for Nintendo Switch is exclusive to the platform until the PC version launches in 2022.
Outside of Nintendo’s world, the Apple AirPods Pro are back down to one of their lowest prices yet. Amazon is selling these wireless earbuds for $179, down from their normal $249 price. It’s not tough to find a decent deal on this model, but it rarely goes below this price point, outside of Black Friday, at least. In case you didn’t know, these high-end AirPods have active noise cancellation, excellent sound quality, and their case can charge via Lightning or wirelessly on a Qi charger.
If over-ear headphones are more your style, the Beats Studio 3 noise-canceling headphones in a few colorways are steeply discounted at Amazon. Originally $350, some of the color options are available today for $170. This model released in 2017, and just like the first AirPods, they feature the W1 wireless chip that makes connecting to (and switching between) Apple devices a breeze.
Beats Studio 3
The Beats Studio 3 wireless over-ear headphones feature Apple’s W1 wireless chip to quickly connect and switch between Apple devices you might own. These connect via Bluetooth, and they also support 3.5mm for a wired connection.