Nintendo Details Black Friday Values

If you’re like me, you’ve probably already seen all of the leaked Black Friday ads and made your checklist of which retailers are going to have the best deals. This year, Nintendo has highlighted some of these upcoming sales so you can stretch that dollar a little further this shopping season.

WII U SYSTEM DEALS

Those of you who have waited to purchase a Wii U system can save some serious cash this Black Friday. Most retailers will have a special 32 GB Deluxe Set bundle with Splatoon and Super Smash Bros. for $279.99. While that’s a great deal, Target and Wal-Mart will have the same bundle for only $249.99. Keep in mind that each individual game included in the set retails for $59.99, so that’s a savings of $120, plus another $50 off the normal $299.99 retail for a total of $170 in savings. That gives you plenty of money to buy a copy of Xenoblade Chronicles X on December 4.

3DS SYSTEM DEALS

If you’re itching to buy a handheld, the 3DS is the system of choice. It’s got a fantastic library of games already, but 2016 is shaping up to be an amazing year, especially if you’re a fan of RPGs. There are three models available: the top of the line New 3DS XL, the regular 3DS XL, and the 2DS. Both XL systems have bigger screens and the same form factor as previous DS systems, with clamshell bodies that fold over to protect the screens. The New 3DS XL has better 3D effects, a second analog nub used for camera control in some games, and built-in amiibo support. The 2DS features a smaller screen and ditches the hinge. It still plays all of the same games as the 3DS, but without the 3D effect. This is a great entry model for younger kids or for those that never plan to use the 3D functionality.

For Black Friday, the New Nintendo 3DS XL, normally $199.99, will be $20 off at many retailers. The original Nintendo 3DS XL is getting bundled with a download code for Super Mario 3D Land and will be sold for an amazingly low price of $129.99 at Amazon.com and Wal-Mart. For those of you that don’t care about built-in amiibo support, and don’t mind the more finicky 3D, this is a fantastic value, and the lowest I’ve seen for this handheld. I haven’t seen any special Black Friday pricing for the 2DS system, however Nintendo did recently release a bundle version that comes with a digital version of Yo-Kai Watch ($39.99 Value) for $99.99. This one should prove popular with the younger crowd.

GAME DEALS

As for games, there are deals to be had at Wal-Mart and Target. I mentioned Target’s deals earlier in the week, but as a reminder these 3DS games will be on sale for $15: New Super Mario Bros. 2, Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D Land, and Animal Crossing: New Leaf. At Wal-Mart there are two Wii U games vastly reduced to $25: Mario Party 10 and Splatoon. In addition, Nintendo will be running an eShop cyber deals sales from November 25 at 9 a.m. PT to December 2 at 8:59 a.m. PT. The titles and pricing are being kept under wraps at the moment, but Nintendo mentions that many of the best-reviewed games for the Wii U and 3DS will be up to 50% off, with some starting at prices under $5. The full list of titles will be listed at http://happyholidays.nintendo.com/cyber-deals

AMIIBO DEALS

Last, but certainly not least for many collectors out there are amiibo figures. Toys R Us will be having a Buy 1 Get 1 40% off sale on all figures and cards. Wal-Mart will be the exclusive place to buy Super Mario Bros. 30^th Anniversary Mario (modern color) for $12.96. This was previously only included in the $300 Super Mario Maker system bundle, so it will be a great opportunity for many to finally get their hands on one.

Nintendo is poised to have a great holiday season with some of the best games on any system and prices that will appeal to a vast number of people. The competition is stiff this year with both Xbox One and PlayStation 4 seeing reduced pricing to $299.99 for Black Friday. No matter which way you slice it, consumers win this holiday with some great values.

Craig Majaski

Craig has been covering the video game industry since 1995. His work has been published across a wide spectrum of media sites. He’s currently the Editor-In-Chief of Nintendo Times and contributes to Gaming Age.