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The best deals we found this week: Mario games, iPad mini and more
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
The best USB microphone
By Kevin Purdy, Lauren Dragan This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. Read the full USB microphone guide here. After 75 hours of research, interviews, and making audio professionals and regular humans listen to the same phrases spoken into 25 different USB microphones, we remain convinced that the Yeti by Blue makes your voice sound the best with the least hassle. It makes a wider spectrum of voices sound better than the other microphones we tested, which tend to favor certain tones. Our pick since 2013, the Yeti is solidly built and easier to set up on your desk than most of the competition. It does best at capturing a single voice, but you can use it in a pinch for two-person sessions or even music recording. The mute, gain, and volume controls are easy to manipulate while recording. If you're an enthusiast, you might be able to get better results by putting time into a different, likely more expensive microphone, and more elaborate equipment (see our USB audio interfaces guide), but the Yeti puts the fewest hurdles between you and an ear-pleasing sound. The Yeti isn't everybody's pick for the best-sounding USB microphone, but that's par for the course when it comes to audio critiques. We sent samples of the same voice reading the same phrase into seven different microphones to four audio experts and five Wirecutter staffers. Four people rated the Yeti the best of all samples, though it was also ranked the worst of them by another. Giving the audio experts' opinions more weight, and considering the Yeti's features, build, and history of good reviews, it still came out on top. Perhaps the greatest downsides to the Yeti are its weight and tricky-to-assemble base; it's best for keeping near your computer, and it's not backpack-friendly. The Shure MV5 is the opposite. It weighs just over one pound fully assembled, its ball-shaped head can be unscrewed from its small base, and it can plug directly into an iPhone, iPad, or Android device. But what really makes the MV5 worth considering is its sound. When using the "voice" preset, its audio samples received a second-place ranking from all four experts (working blind to each other's results), and a tie for third place from Wirecutter staffers. If the Yeti is sold out or you want to spend a little less and save some room on your desk, the MV5 is a fine single-voice runner-up to the Yeti, although you'll have to figure out how to get it at your own personal speaking height. As you gain experience and learn what you like in a recording, you may want to fine-tune your setup. You may start recording with other people or with instruments and picking up gear like boom arms, shock mounts, and power conditioners. You will want to find the perfect mic (or mics) for your voice and whatever other instruments you want to record, and you'll want a USB audio interface to connect it to your computer.
The best mobile and computer accessory gifts
If there's someone in your life who spends most of their time with a phone in their hand or at a computer, we've got you covered for gift ideas with our holiday gift guide. We've shortlisted 11 great phone and computer accessories that are sure to brighten up their holiday. We mean that literally with the LuMee Duo smartphone case, which has built-in lighting for perfect selfies. Meanwhile, we also threw in a pair of gadgets that can keep their phone battery topped up.
The best gifts for the PC gamer in your life
Of the more than two dozen sections in our massive holiday gift guide, the PC gaming is one of the largest. That's because there are so many directions you can go in here: You can splurge on a laptop (we recommend three here) or pick up any number of accessories like headphones, a mouse, keyboard, mic or webcam. Or, you know, you can pick up some actual games. Find all that in our guide at the link below, and while you're there, check out the 100-plus other items in there.
