Game on: Walmart has the Sony PS5 and Nintendo Switch deals this holiday season

Save $51 on the PlayStation 5 Slim, otherwise known as the PS5 Slim. The console is digital-only so you can play games through online downloads versus discs — with one nice workaround. If you want to be play compatible physical disc games (or movies) you already have, you can always opt for the detachable disc drive as an add-on later. In the meantime, this PS5 offers a massive 1TB drive, you can store tons of downloadable games. Everything loads quickly and games look divine, especially on a fabulous high-def TV or monitor. With more than 2,500 reviews, one happy buyer says that “getting better graphics on older games is a whole new experience.” And the PS5 delivers a nice selection of Sony-exclusive titles like God of War, The Last of Us, Astro Bot, Horizon Forbidden Dawn and Marvel's Spider-Man, to name just a few. 

Pay a bit more for this bundle that includes both the digital-only PS5 Slim console along with the NBA 2K25 video game, which normally sells for $65 on it own. This means you can play something right out of the box, fully putting this console through its paces after a quick connection to your TV. A perfect option for basketball fans who would likely have purchased this game anyway, the 1TB drive is ample enough to store many more games, too. With haptic feedback provided by the included DualSense wireless controller, you’ll feel those swishes and illegal checks like you’re actually battling it out on the court. Gamers who bought this title find it more realistic than even the 2023 version, and say it will “keep you busy for hours.”

The best upgrade for gamers who already have a library of game titles for the PS4 that work with the PS5, this console is identical to the PS5 Slim except for one important upgrade: it has a disc drive so you can load physical discs as well as download digital titles. You get the same 1TB storage, graphics, fast processing, stunning images, and more. But you don’t have to give all your old games to a friend or sell them at the next garage sale. Yahoo reviewed the standard PS5 when it first launched in 2020 and love the adaptive trigger on the DualSense controller, the better organization in the interface, and the speed and graphics improvements. “The PS5…is more than worth it,” our reviewer said.

The Nintendo Switch and Mario Kart go together like peanut butter and jelly. Mario Kart 8 is the kind of game that virtually everyone loves to play, from your non-gamer mom to an eight-year-old. This new-for-2024 bundle is a crazy price right now because even though it’s the standard cost of the console, you’re getting a fan favorite game along with it, which normally sells for $60. As icing on the cake, it also includes a 12-month Nintendo Switch Online membership, which opens up online head-to-head gaming as well as a large library of retro Nintendo classics. It’s a great way to bond with distant cousins or friends while everyone is cooped up at home on a snow day. Our Yahoo reviewer loved the hybrid functionality of this console that allows you to play big screen, tabletop, or handheld and says the “core tech is some of the best Nintendo has ever built.” This jam-packed bundle is the best value you’ll find for this console.

Available from a highly-rated third-party seller, the Nintendo Switch OLED is a great option if you want the best of the regular Switch, but with a larger, brighter OLED screen. With this deal, you're saving versus the regular price of the Switch OLED, albeit losing the bundled Mario Kart game (see below). More than 2,000 Walmart shoppers love this console, and the reviewer from Engadget (Yahoo's sister site) says it feels lighter than the original, despite being bigger, because of the better weight distribution. He also applauds the improved battery life. Being able to play on a TV is just an added side benefit, as this console excels at offering more comfortable tabletop use, too.

What’s a great gaming console without a game to actually play on it? This bundle is identical to the one we mentioned above for the standard Switch, but it includes the Switch OLED, with its larger, brighter screen. In addition to Mario Kart 8, that 12-month Nintendo Online subscription includes more than 100 classic from the old-school NES, Super NES and Game Boy era. So yes, kids, mom and dad will be stealing it from time to time to relive their gaming youths and show you how it's done.