The Switch 2 Galaxy Bundle Is a Good Deal Until You Zoom Out
Nintendo dropped a Switch 2 Super Mario Galaxy 1+2 bundle today, April 12, and it runs through May 9. Five hundred bucks, $20 off, both games included, physical or digital, at every major retailer. Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target. The whole distribution army.
On its face? Fine deal. Galaxy 1 and 2 are genuinely excellent games. If you somehow missed both and were already planning to buy a Switch 2, this saves you $20 and some hassle. That's the good part of this story.
The Timing Is Doing A Lot of Work Here
There's a Super Mario Galaxy movie in theaters right now. There have already been a Mario Kart World bundle and a Pokémon Legends Z-A bundle before this one. Nintendo is running a bundle-of-the-month club at this point.
Meanwhile, reports say Nintendo scaled back Switch 2 manufacturing after the holiday season came in softer than expected. So: slower sales, more bundles. Connect those two dots yourself.
This could mean they're trying to move hardware with value stacking. One possibility is that Galaxy specifically got picked because the movie gives them free cultural momentum right now. Probably both.
The Price Picture Is Getting Weird
Here's what I find genuinely annoying: Nintendo is offering $20 off in one hand while the other hand is raising prices across the board. Original Switch products have already gone up in the U.S. Nintendo has publicly warned that Switch 2 hardware, games, and even Nintendo Switch Online membership prices may increase. They updated their digital vs. physical pricing model so digital versions get cheaper but physical editions stay where they are.
Elden Ring is $80. Not a Switch 2 game specifically, but that's where AAA pricing is heading. Sony already raised PS5 prices. Nintendo is clearly watching.
So that $20 bundle discount looks a little different when the baseline is actively shifting upward. You're saving $20 today on a platform where things cost more than they used to and will probably cost more soon.
Should You Buy It
If you want a Switch 2 and you like Mario platformers, yeah. Galaxy 1 is legitimately one of the best 3D platformers ever made. Galaxy 2 is nearly as good. Getting both at $500 instead of hunting them down separately is just easier.
If you were already planning to skip the Switch 2, this bundle doesn't change that math. Twenty dollars off isn't a system-seller.
If you're on the fence about the Switch 2 in general, the softer holiday numbers and the ongoing price-hike warnings are worth keeping in mind. The platform is real, the games are good, but Nintendo is clearly still figuring out how to sell this thing at scale. May 9 is the cutoff on this particular deal, for what it's worth.
Source: Ign