Friday, March 10th, marks the official return of Mario Day, an annual celebration of all things Nintendo and one of the best opportunities of the year to score steep discounts on games starring Nintendo’s mustachioed plumber. Nintendo has a full month of shenanigans planned — including the release of a Mario-themed Nintendo Switch and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s fourth wave of DLC tracks — but numerous retailers are already slashing prices on both physical and digital Switch games ahead of the namesake event.
Some of the best Nintendo Switch games are $20 off in the run-up to Mario Day
Some of the best Nintendo Switch games are $20 off in the run-up to Mario Day
There’s a lot on offer, and although we’ll publish a larger roundup later this week encapsulating all the hits, we at least wanted to note a few highlights that are currently available for $39.99 instead of their typical list price of $59.99. These include couch-friendly multiplayer titles like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Mario Party Superstars as well as single-playing exclusives like Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, and even a few not starring Nintendo’s titular hero (ahem, Yoshi’s Crafted World).
Only a few of the discounted games on promo have ever dipped below $40 or so, which makes now a good time to pick them up if you’ve been holding out or recently picked up a Nintendo Switch or Switch Lite. After all, we still have a couple of months before The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom drops and everything else falls to the wayside.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
$40$6033% off
$40
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still receiving updates for the Nintendo Switch in the form of new characters and tracks to choose from.
Mario Party Superstars
$40$6033% off
$40
Mario Party Superstars is a collection of classic Mario Party boards from the Nintendo 64, with mini-games from both the N64 and GameCube eras. Best of all, unlike Super Mario Party, it’s compatible with regular controllers and the Nintendo Switch Lite.
Super Mario Odyssey
$40$6033% off
$40
The keystone Mario title for the Nintendo Switch, Super Mario Odyssey, doesn’t disappoint. The latest installment in the Mario franchise brings plenty of fun, new mechanics, and ample charm.
Chances are you’ve heard of LG’s C2 if you’ve been eyeing an OLED TV over the course of the past year or so. The C2, much like the C1 that came before it, sits below LG’s high-end G-series and represents the sweet spot in LG’s current TV lineup. And right now, BuyDig is selling LG’s C2 OLED on eBay in the 55-inch configuration for $1,119.99 (about $477 off) when you use offer code DIRECTSAVINGS at checkout.
The 55-inch C2 may offer a dimmer panel than G2, but the feature-packed TV still offers a host of attractive incentives that make it a great fit for gamers, movie buffs, or really anyone willing to splurge a little on a 4K set. The panel offers phenomenal black levels and stunning contrast, along with speedy performance, native Dolby Atmos support, and four(!) HDMI ports that are all capable of 120Hz 4K gaming. Obviously, there are cheaper TVs to be had, but BuyDig’s current promo makes for the best price we’ve seen on the OLED since it made its debut a year ago. Read our review.
LG C2 OLED (55-inch)
$1120$159730% off
$1120
LG’s C2 is a jack-of-all-trades 4K OLED TV. It offers terrific picture quality with perfect blacks, four HDMI 2.1 ports, and a ton of software features, including support for Apple HomeKit and AirPlay 2. Now through 7:59AM ET on March 13th, BuyDig is offering $477 off the stunning TV when you use promo code DIRECTSAVINGS at checkout.
Mechanical keyboards, more often than not, are known for their customizability. If you’re an Apple user looking for something that’s a little less intimidating, though, Logitech’s MX Mechanical Mini for Mac is on sale at Amazon in its space gray colorway for $136.98 ($13 off) or in the pale gray configuration for $141.98 ($8 off).
As the name implies, the keyboard is essentially a tweaked version of the MX Mechanical Mini we reviewed last year, only with a few Mac-specific touches. It drops the Windows and Alt legends on the original Mini, for instance, and is only available with low-profile tactile switches for the time being, unlike the cross-platform version. It also doesn’t include Logitech’s wireless USB dongle, though the Mac-optimized keyboard can still connect up to three Bluetooth devices at the same time, making it a sensible pick for those who want to jump between multiple computers or an iPad without having to reconnect.
Logitech MX Mechanical Mini for Mac
$137$1509% off
$137
Logitech’s first mechanical keyboard for macOS features low-profile tactile switches and multipoint Bluetooth support, in addition to a Mac-friendly key layout.
Apple’s second-gen AirPods Pro are still on sale at Verizon for $199.99 ($50 off), which remains the best price we’ve seen on the wireless earbuds. The latest Pro aren’t a huge departure from the prior model, but they do tout much-improved noise cancellation, onboard volume controls, and a Find My-ready charging case. Plus, as some added measures to prevent you from misplacing them, the case features a small lanyard hole as well as a built-in speaker to remotely chirp them from your phone. Read our review.
AirPods Pro (second-gen) with MagSafe charging case
$200$24920% off
$200
Apple’s latest AirPods Pro take after the last-gen model but include swipe controls and a new H2 chip that allows for improved noise cancellation. They also come with a water-resistant charging case that offers support for Apple’s robust Find My network.
A few more midweek discounts
- Pokémon Violet for the Nintendo Switch is on sale for $48.88 ($11.11 off) at Walmart when you add it to your cart. The open-world 3D mainline Pokémon title has had its share of technical problems on the aging Switch hardware, but it’s quite the expansive RPG that’s getting major DLC expansions beginning later this year.
- The Anker 622 Magnetic Battery (MagGo), our favorite MagSafe-compatible battery pack, is down to just $44.99 in black at Amazon and direct from Anker (the latter with promo code WS7DQCKKAN). It features a 19.25Wh cell and passthrough charging as well as a built-in kickstand that’s strong enough to support beefier Max-sized iPhone models.
- Bose’s Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, a pair of flagship headphones that offer great voice call quality and some of the best noise cancellation available, are back down to $329 ($50 off) at Amazon, which remains one of their best prices to date. Read our review.
- Microsoft’s Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 – Core is on sale at Amazon, Walmart, and Target right now for around $110 ($20 off). It features the typical adjustable-tension thumbsticks and shorter hair trigger locks, but unlike the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, the white Xbox Elite Core doesn’t come with rear paddles, a carrying case, and other interchangeable components — you’ll have to purchase those separately.