Nintendo's Price Hikes Are No Match For This $100 Discount On The Switch OLED
Nintendo recently hiked the price of its first-generation Switch handheld game consoles, along with a bunch of accessories for both the original Switch and new Switch 2, citing "market conditions" as force behind the higher MSRPs. Be that as it may, you can score one of the best deals to date for a Switch OLED, which is $100 off the new sticker price.
Officially, the Switch OLED is supposed to cost $399 now, which is up $50 from its original $349 MSRP. However, Walmart is selling Nintendo's Switch OLED (White) for $299 (save $100). The Switch OLED in Neon Red and Blue is also selling for $299 at Walmart. That saves you a C-note over the new MSRP, and is $50 below the old retail price. And yes, this is a new (read: not refurbished) model that is both sold and shipped by Walmart, and not a marketplace seller.
It is anyone's guess as to how long the discount will be in effect. Interestingly, Walmart shows the old MSRP instead of the new one. So does Best Buy, while Target has it listed for $399.99. Same goes for Dell. So pricing is kind of all over the place, with some retailers having already adopted Nintendo's adjusted pricing and others still holding firm at the old price point. [insert 'shrug' emoji]
Walmart's discounted listing, however, is the best bargain around at the moment, presuming you're in the market for a Switch OLED. It's also the best version of the original Switch, with a more vibrant and vivid display panel, an improved kickstand design, and twice the built-in storage (64GB) versus the regular (non-OLED) Switch console.
Should you consider an OG Switch now that the Switch 2 is out? That depends on what games you want to play and how much you care about the Switch 2's upgrades. The original Switch is a fleshed out platform with a ton of games, and is still a lot of fun to play. It's also significantly cheaper (with this deal) compared to the Switch 2, which runs $449 for the standalone system and $499 for the Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle.
That said, the Switch 2 offers plenty of enticing upgrades, such as a bigger display (it's not OLED, though), improved and magnetic Joy-Con controllers, faster hardware with support for higher resolutions, and a few other upgrades. It's also a backwards compatible with a lot of Switch 1 titles.
If you're wanting a Switch 2, the good news is that it's more widely available than it was at launch. Here are a bunch of listings to check out...
- Switch 2 at Amazon
- Switch 2 + Mario Kart World at Amazon
- Switch 2 at Best Buy
- Switch 2 + Mario Kart World at Best Buy
- Switch 2 at Walmart
- Switch 2 + Mario Kart World at Walmart
- Switch 2 at Target
- Switch 2 + Mario Kart World at Target
- Switch 2 at Newegg
- Switch 2 + Mario Kart World at Newegg
- Switch 2 + Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition at Best Buy
- Switch 2 + Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition at Target
- Switch 2 + Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition at Walmart
