Nintendo Switch advice

The Nintendo forum would be a better place to start.

However if this year is the same as every other year Nintendo will offer a Switch with Mario Kart 8 pack that will effectively mean MK8 is free, some of the retailers may bundle in a case and other accessories. This is usually around "Black Friday".

You can also keep an eye on the Hardware tab of Deku Deals but they don't track hardware in Ireland just the UK (change country in the top left beside the site name) so will just give you a vague idea what is available.

There is a very vague rumour of a Switch 2 releasing next year and so there could be a price drop in the works to try and shift some more units over the festive period.

First party Nintendo games are expensive on Switch and rarely discounted so make sure you buy the good ones which are worth it. You should probably buy physical versions that are cheaper than the digital versions, and can be shared, swapped, sold. So, Mario Kart, Mario Odyssey, Mario 3D World, Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, ... are all amazing games. Smyths in Ireland has the best prices or Amazon UK. But ask your kid what games they like too.

You can get the original Switch, Switch Lite, or the newer more expensive OLED screen model. The Lite version can't connect to a TV and is no use for multiplayer couch games. E.g. 4 player Mario Kart. There is a new Nintendo console due probably next year. Who knows what that is or what it'll cost and what it'll be able to do.

First party controllers are expensive, but you can get much cheaper and decent 3rd party controllers now. Joycons that come with the Original and OLED Switch are ok for kids, occasional play. But the first party pro controller is worth it for comfort, especially for adults 😁

For non Nintendo games, only buy when they are discounted and there are sales regularly. Deku Deals is good to flag all these price changes.

Yep, TV is a must in my opinion. Also, better than staring at yet another small screen. The regular original Switch is fine for this and in handheld, so don't be too bothered getting the more expensive OLED one if they are going to use the TV mostly.

Smyths is the best in Ireland. Cheapest despite having less competition. They usually match Amazon or are slightly cheaper. And an easy return if there are issues.

They may have bundles now, but on black Friday and leading up to Xmas there will be better deals I would think. Also, there is less demand for Switch now as PS5 etc are readily available. So, less pressure, but I wouldn't leave it too late.

Checking as I'm bored 😬 ... the bundle will only save you a few quid at the moment. Maybe around black Friday you'll get e.g. Mario kart "free" in a bundle.

Also the OLED model is 65 quid more. Not worth it for a kid that might drop it or if connected to a TV mostly.

First party Nintendo games are expensive, but we've all been playing Mario Kart here for years 😁😁😁 and Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, must be one of the best video games ever. Also, they are mostly all family friendly games.

Don't forget your Minecrafts etc etc are cheaper and very often on sale.

Disclaimer

I don't work for Nintendo or Smyths

OLED one has better screen, stand and sound for handheld/tabletop play. Also twice the amount of onboard storage. So, it's better for portable play. Onboard storage is no big deal as you can get micro SD cards cheap these days to expand storage.

Definitely get the OLED if you can wait there will be different offers throughout September October and upto Black Friday in November. Currys stock Switches in certain branches as do Harvey Norman but Smyths would probably have the better bundle selection.

There's a site called hotukdeals.com

It's a good one to set up alerts for offers on things like this.

I'll definitely keep an eye out for bundle offers too and if anything good pops up will let you know.