New Switch ‘bundle’ includes $35 Nintendo eShop gift card

A new Nintendo Switch bundle will include a $35 eShop gift card, the company announced this week. The bundle will be available starting Feb. 15 at participating retailers.

$35 won’t cover the full cost of a first-party Nintendo Switch game, but it’ll take a good chunk off the price tag. Or you could pick up a few Switch indies (“Nindies,” in Nintendo’s parlance) like Hollow Knight, Into the Breach, and my favorite game of last year, Celeste.

It’s interesting that Nintendo is billing this as a bundle and created all-new packaging for it, rather than just throwing in a gift card with new Switch purchases for a limited time like Amazon did last Prime Day. Bundles are pretty much the only time we see any sort of “savings” on the Nintendo Switch, aside from the occasional eBay coupon.

Any sort of discount is surprising when it comes to Nintendo. Even when Nintendo bundles the Switch, there’s not always a discount involved — the Mario Tennis Aces bundle included the cost of the game in the $360 price tag.

If you can’t wait for the 15th, though, Target is offering a similar deal. The retailer is offering half-off Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, or Splatoon 2 with the purchase of a new Switch, which saves you up to $30.

Update: Pre-orders are available at GameStop; listings are up at Amazon and Best Buy but orders can’t be placed yet.