Ahead of Switch 2 tease, Nintendo debuts 2 Switch bundles

You’ve got to hand it to Nintendo. Well into the Switch’s 7th year (and just ahead of its long-awaited debut of the Switch 2), the company is still doggedly trying to find people who somehow don’t yet own its popular handheld console. Its latest effort includes two Switch bundles, both of which include a digital copy of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe — by all accounts the best-selling Switch game of all time to the tune of 63 million — and a 12-month individual subscription to Nintendo Switch Online.

Both the regular Switch and Switch OLED are getting the bundle treatment, each selling for their usual retail price of $299.99 and $349.99, respectively, and are expected to be available by October. Even if it’s not as nice as a hardware price cut, you’re getting $79 worth of stuff for no extra charge. We’ll add more shopping links as they become available.

Nintendo Switch Online may not seem as flashy as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but it deserves your attention. The subscription enables online multiplayer, yet more impressively offers dozens of classic NES, SNES, and Game Boy games that you can play from the Switch. Not just that, most game saves will be backed up in the cloud, and members can purchase a two-pack of Game Vouchers for $99.98, granting you a $20 discount on two of the Switch’s biggest titles, like the upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and more.

Nintendo has launched numerous Switch bundles throughout the years, although it typically defaults to pushing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in front of shoppers around the holidays. I’m hopeful that we’ll see the return of other bundles that I personally think are more interesting, like the “Choose One” bundle that was available in early 2023 that let shoppers redeem one of three digital Mario games: Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, or New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe. It’s possible that Nintendo will wait until later this year to debut more bundles, like last holiday’s Switch OLED bundle that included Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Nintendo Switch Online, and Joy-Cons with a custom design.