The best deals we found this week: Mario games, iPad mini and more
Looking for an entry-level gaming laptop? Newegg has a deal for that.
We saw a number of good deals this week, with one of the highlights coming from Mario Day—or "Mar10" Day in Nintendo lingo. Some of the most popular Mario-verse games are still on sale, dropping them to prices that are rarely seen outside of the holiday shopping season. Also, you can still get $50 off an iPad mini 5 at Amazon and Best Buy. Here are the best deals from this past week that you can still get today.
Nintendo Switch Mario games
Nintendo's annual "Mar10" day celebration of Mario is still happening. Through March 14, you can snag a number of popular Mario games for Nintendo Switch at discounted prices. Key among them are Super Mario Maker 2 for $40, Super Mario Party for $40, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 for $40 and Yoshi's Crafted World for $40.
These sale prices are available at Nintendo's eShop, Amazon, Best Buy and other retailers, but since the sale is nearing its end, some retailers may be sold out of certain games. Also, check out Nintendo's eShop for additional, non-Mario games on sale including Just Dance 2020 for $20, Monopoly for $10 and Child of Light for $5.
Buy Super Mario Maker 2 on Best Buy - $40
Buy Super Mario Party on Best Buy - $40
Buy Mario & Sonic at the Olympics on Amazon - $40
Buy Yoshi's Crafted World on Amazon - $40
iPad mini 5
Apple's iPad mini 5 remains on sale at Amazon and Best Buy. Now you can get a 64GB Wi-Fi iPad mini 5 for $350 at both retailers, which is roughly $50 off its normal price of $400. We gave the iPad mini 5 a score of 85 for its solid performance, good battery life, and support for the first-generation Apple Pencil. At Amazon, you'll only see the discounted price at check out when you select "Free No-Rush Shipping." At Best Buy, you must be a My Best Buy member to see the discounted price and get the deal. Thankfully, you can sign up for My Best Buy for free.
Buy iPad mini 5 (64GB, Wi-Fi) on Amazon - $350
Buy iPad mini 5 (64GB, Wi-Fi) on Best Buy - $350
MSI PS42 Modern gaming laptop
Newegg still has a sale on the MSI PS42 Modern gaming laptop, slashing its price to $830. This deal is two-fold: we don't often see MSI laptops on sale for less than $1,000, and this machine would make a good entry-level gaming laptop or a solid productivity laptop with extra graphics chops. It has an 8th-gen Core i7 processor, a 14-inch 1080p display, 16GB of RAM, 256GB storage and a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q GPU.
Buy MSI PS42 Modern gaming laptop on Newegg - $830
XBox One X bundle
B&H still has a deal that lowers the price of an Xbox One X bundle to $250, which is much lower than what Microsoft originally charged for the console alone. This particular bundle includes NBA 2K19, and while it might not be the game at the top of your to-buy list, the $250 price would be great even if it didn't include the game. You'll want to grab this bundle today because B&H shuts down on Saturdays and there's no guarantee that the sale price will still be around after the weekend.
Buy Xbox One X NBA 2K19 bundle on B&H Photo - $250
New deal additions
Blue Yeti microphone podcaster bundle
Those new to podcasting will want to consider Newegg's deal that bundles a Blue Yeti microphone with Hindenburg Journalist, an audio processing software. Use the code BLUMC47A to get this bundle for $127, which is more than $30 off its regular price of $160.
We recommend Blue Yeti microphones for beginner podcasters because the sound quality they provide is much better than that of the internal mic on your computer. Blue Yeti mics are generally easy to use, thanks to their USB connection to your computer, and are well worth the investment if you're looking to up your audio game.
Buy Blue Yeti mic podcaster bundle on Newegg - $127
Amazon Music HD 90-day free trial
Amazon Music HD is the higher-quality version of Amazon Music Unlimited. Like any other music streaming service, you can listen to millions of songs whenever and wherever you like—but the "HD" means that those will be high-definition, lossless audio tracks. The bitrate for HD tracks is up to 850kbps, which is more than double the standard bitrate of other, regular streaming services.
Normally, Amazon Music HD costs $15 per month ($13 for Prime members), so you'll save $45 with this 90-day free trial. Only new Music HD subscribers can take advantage of this deal, and after the trial, you'll pay the standard price each month.
Buy Amazon Music HD (90-day trial) on Amazon - $0
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active
The Microsoft online store has the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active smartwatch for $137. While this isn't the newest model, it's more than $100 cheaper than the Galaxy Watch Active 2 and has most of the same great features. The biggest differences between the two are the Watch Active 2's touch-sensitive bezel, slightly larger display, and a few upgraded sensors. Nevertheless, we gave the Watch Active a score of 83 and we still think it's a good smartwatch to get, especially if you're looking for a more affordable option.
Buy Samsung Galaxy Watch Active on Microsoft - $137
