Justin is the Editor-in-Chief at gadgetnewsonline. For well-over a decade he has covered everything from video games and smart home devices to iPhone and MagSafe accessories, EDC gear, and just about everything in between. A professional audio engineer/producer, he also specializes in home recording, microphones, digital audio, and streaming gear. See something cool out there? Developing the next viral Apple gear accessory? Or just want to talk deals? Contact him directly at justin@9to5mac.com for tips, pitches, and more.
Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders are now live at Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and more. Nintendo hosted its long-awaited Switch 2 Direct on April 2, 2025 after officially unveiling the new Switch 2 console back in January, and, after pre-orders were initially delayed, they are finally set to go live at (just about) all major retailers in the U.S any minute, and it might be a good idea to go get in the queue folks, just in case.
Nintendo hosted its latest Direct showcase today – it was (mostly) good times all around, with a closer look at the big Switch 2 launch title, Mario Kart World. But after all of the sweet wall riding, drive-thru costume pickups, Mega Mushrooms, and gigantic P-Switches, there’s still no pre-order date and I couldn’t help buy be fixated on the fact that the new Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle is actually a limited-run offer.
What time do Switch 2 pre-orders start in Canada? Walmart Canada has now confirmed exactly what time Switch 2 pre-orders will begin. We have already reported on exactly when pre-orders will begin at Best Buy, Walmart, Target, and GameStop here in the U.S., but we also want to make sure our friends up north are ready to go as well. Nintendo officially delayed pre-orders in Canada to fall in-line with those in the U.S. and that is indeed what has happened as they will begin early morning on April 24 north of the border as well.
We are now under 12 hours out from the launch of Switch 2 pre-orders and it’s going to be a total free-for-all in quite potentially the worst way possible. Will there even be close to enough Switch 2 units to go around tonight? Probably not. Will everyone who actually goes to pre-order one at midnight tonight actually get one? Almost certainly not. But while everyone is refreshing like ravenous dog at Best Buy, Target, and Walmart, there are some other sources of Switch 2 pre-orders to consider if you don’t have any luck later tonight.
Update: According to an official Best buy listing, we can now confirm the price of the Kirby and The Forgotten Land Switch 2 Edition upgrade packs – it is listed at $19.99 to upgrade from the base Switch 1 version to the Switch 2 Edition with the expansion packs. Most folks believe this will also be the case for Super Mario Party Jamboree Switch 2 Edition
Update: Nintendo has now officially confirmed (via IGN) the upgrade pack price for the Switch Edition versions of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is $9.99 – they are still FREE for Switch Online + Expansion members
How much will Switch 2 Edition games cost? How much will it cost to upgrade to the Switch 2 Edition version of the Switch games you already own? Nintendo has released some official details that give us a very good idea of the prices we will be getting here. We have been seeing gamers asking a lot about all of this, so let’s dive into the details.
Back in September 2024 Sony hosted a PlayStation State of Play showcase and the new Ghost of Yōteicompletely stole the show. It was honestly hard for just about to care about any other mention in the show and the game has gone mostly dark since then, but Sony just took to the official PlayStation Blog to officially announce the 2025 release date.
Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders are going live tonight at just about all major retailers across the U.S. and Canada. Nintendo has announced that pre-orders will begin on April 24 – they will actually start late tonight on April 23 if you’re on the west coast (more details below on this) – and at the same price it initially announced in early April. Despite the delays and market uncertainty in the wake of global tariffs, Nintendo has held firm on the June 5 releases date as well as the price both of the standard Switch 2 console and the Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle, and pre-orders will go live in well under 24 hours now.
Nomad’s Glow Apple Watch bands can be hard to score in-stock, and it is officially bringing the Icy Blue glow treatment to its Rocky Point variant today (starting right now). These bands tend to sell out very quickly when they do come back (or debut), so there’s no telling how long this might stick around for. Check it below.
After nearly two full years of rumors, Bethesda has finally now confirmed the existence of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered and today is the day it will finally give us an official look at it. That is providing you don’t count the seemingly official images that were uncovered on the developer’s site last week, but either way Bethesda is set to host what appears to be a livestream or to at least launch some sort of trailer/showcase for the game this morning and you can check it out below.
Now just 24 hours away from go time, we now know what time Switch 2 pre-orders will go live at Best Buy. Up until now, only Target, Walmart, and GameStop had officially confirmed exactly what time pre-orders would begin for Switch 2 on April 24 this week, leaving Best Buy as the last major hold out to confirm the go time.
Arc finally expanded its horizons, reaching beyond the aerospace-grade metal smartphone bumper cases it cut its teeth on (and made a name for itself with) by releasing its all-new Arc Pulse AirPods Pro 2 case. Leveraging a similar design and installation process, I love its iPhone 16 Pro Bumper Case and couldn’t wait to see if it could bring that magic to AirPods – spoiler alert…it totally did. My complete hands-on impressions await below.
I guess it won’t come as much surprise to anyone who has been following our coverage and the near endless number of rumors and leaks over the last few months, but Bethesda has now officially confirmed The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered release.
Is Walmart open today? Is Target closed for Easter Monday? Is Costco open on Easter Monday? The short answer is yes, just about all major retail chains are open today for what many refer to as Easter Monday. Unlike yesterday where we did see a number of store closures, reduced hours, and so forth, Easter Monday is not a proper federal holiday and leaves just about all major retailers, banks, and so forth open for business.
Assassin’s Creed: Shadows is coming to Nintendo Switch 2, according to a recently spotted PEGI rating. We already have a good idea of the games that will be launching for Switch 2 starting right from day 1 on June 5 through to holiday 2025 and even beyond – FromSoftware’s Switch 2 exclusive The Duskbloods has been slated for a 2026 launch. On top of a slew of all new Switch 2 exclusive titles from Nintendo, the Switch 2 Edition enhanced titles, and a collection of third-party ports, after Ubisoft confirmed the release date for its latest AAA Start Wars release last week it looks as though the latest entry in the long-running and beloved Assassin’s Creed series will be following along shortly.
Welcome to gadgetnewsonline News Weekly – your go-to spot to catch up on the latest new product releases, features, and hands-on reviews. This weekly roundup collects all of the coolest new gadgets, the most interesting updates in the world of tech, and more from the past week, and organizes it into a single handy reading list for you to sift through every Sunday morning. This week it’s all about the official new Switch 2 pre-order start times, details on the price hikes, the all-new LEGO Star Wars lineup ahead of May the 4th, and our latest batch of hands-on reviews
Let’s take a look at all of the new Mario Kart World characters now that Nintendo has fully revealed its new flagship Switch 2 game. The Mario Kart series has been one of the most popular Nintendo releases for years and the new Mario Kart World is going to get off to a serious Boost Start if the Switch 2 bundle sells out as fast as it seems like it’s going too. This year Nintendo is not only taking its mascot racer open-world, but it is also introducing some new Drive-Thru costume mechanics, a host of new courses, new items to throw at your friends, and a sizable expansion to the roster of racers.
Is Walmart open on Easter Day? Is Costco open today? Are Best Buy locations closed for Easter? Are Target stores closed for Easter? Let’s take a look and find out. Easter Day 2025 is upon us and whether you’re staying at home with family hunting for Easter eggs, taking the day off for yourself, or readying celebrations for this afternoon, this evening, or even tomorrow, Easter Sunday is one of those holidays where you’ll want to do a quick search online before you head out and about. If you need to hit up the shops at all today for whatever reason, browsing through the list of store closures below will be a good idea. It, as per usual, is always a good idea to also check with your nearest location for specifics – store hours and closures can vary by location, like those within malls and so forth – we have tracked down some details for you below on which major retailers are open and closed for Easter Day 2025.
GameStop April 24 at 11 a.m. ET online (and when local in-store opens)
Nintendo has officially announced the new April 24 pre-order date for its highly sought-after next-generation console, but what time will Switch 2 pre-orders begin that day? It’s hard to imagine there actually being enough consoles to go around next week, but only time will tell and being ready to pull the trigger in a timely fashion is likely going to be very important.
Let’s-a-go! Nintendo has now officially announced that Switch 2 pre-orders will begin next week in the U.S. No more leaks, no rumors, no maybes, this is it…the real thing (again). And on top of that, pricing will remain exactly the same as was initially announced.
Nintendo has now finally announced the official new pre-order date for Switch 2 in the U.S. – they go live in one week’s time! The other great news, Nintendo is not raising the price on either the base console at $449.99 or the Mario Kart World bundle at $499.99 – whoo! It has also announced that it is holding firm on the pricing for Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza at $79.99 and $69.99, while also making some “pricing adjustments” on the official Switch 2 accessories – pricing is unfortunately going up on these folks. You can see the actual numbers below.
We are all still, of course, awaiting official word from Nintendo on when pre-orders will finally go live for Switch 2 – dataminers are still suggesting it could go live sometime next week based on dates from retailers – but we do have an update on the launch window games. May the 4th, or Star Wars Day, is fasting-approaching now, we have already got an official announcement from LEGO on its plans and, just as we expected, we do have a Nintendo announcement from a galaxy far, far away – Star Wars Outlaws is coming to Nintendo Switch 2.
The Nintendo headlines have been overrun with the fear of price hikes and potential new pre-order date rumors, but we are taking a short and sweet reprieve in the form of the official Mario Kart World Direct showcase today. As we reported shortly after the game’s debut, Nintendo has had an official, dedicated Direct show set for weeks and today is the day.
Thursday afternoon’s roundup of the best Android game and app deals is now ready to go, as per usual down below. On your way to scope them out, be sure to check out the deals we have on the new 165Hz Hisense U8 mini-LED Google smart TVs at up to $800 off as well as discounts on Galaxy Watch 7 models and this rare deal on the Google TV Streamer (4K) down at $79. As for the apps, highlights include titles like Little Big Workshop, SpongeBob SquarePants, Chicken Police – Paint it RED!, No More Buttons, and more. Hit the fold for more.
The internet is ablaze with theories and rumors then the new Switch 2 pre-order date will land, but another far better and more reliable date has now surfaced. Yesterday April 30 was spotted hidden within some Target wishlist data, and then an April 23 date in Canada surfaced suggesting we could see the same in the U.S., but now a reliable leaker is targeting a third date.
Here we go again folks, it looks like we might have a new pre-order date for Nintendo Switch 2 in Canada – this might very well indicate what we see here in the U.S. too. Pre-orders were still set to go live in Canada after they were delayed in the U.S. only to have Nintendo confirm that it wants to have the pre-sale begin at the same time north of border and delayed those too. But a new, typically reliable source is suggesting Canadian pre-orders could go live next Wednesday.
Update: After just about all signs pointed to The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered dropping some time in late April and as soon as next week, reports are now suggesting that Xbox support is allegedly claiming it will release on Monday. This could be a mistake, but users reaching out to Xbox support were told it is releasing on April 21, 2025 release date.
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion remake is real, it’s likely releasing very soon, and we have the first leaked images down below. At this point, we have all patently awaiting an official remade return to the province of Cyrodiil for more or less years now, and here it is.
The new Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order date might have been leaked by Target, but there is something suspect about this time and date. Nintendo was initially scheduled to start taking pre-orders in the U.S. on April 9 before it officially announced a delay to give it time to assess the potential impact of Trump’s tariffs that were announced just hours after. We are still awaiting official word from Nintendo for the new date, but Target might have just given us an idea of when this could happen…maybe.
Update: 4/16: Nintendo has now confirmed tomorrow’s Mario Kart World Direct showcase will be a relatively short and sweet 15-minute broadcast.
With the full official reveal of Nintendo Switch 2, the release date, the announced $450 starting price, and the debacle that immediately followed after pre-orders were officially delayed in the U.S. (and Canada), one thing that might have raced under your radar was this week’s official Mario Kart World Direct showcase. It has been a busy couple weeks for Nintendo to say the least, and while it officially debuted the new Mario Kart game during the Switch 2 Direct alongside some Treehouse gameplay footage thereafter, it still has more to show us on the keystone Switch 2 launch game and it is set to go live later this week.
Sony has now announced an official price increase on PlayStation 5 in Europe and elsewhere. While the U.S. remains safe (for now anyway), the value on that new Astro Bot bundle is looking better and better everyday.
Welcome to gadgetnewsonline News Weekly – your go-to spot to catch up on the latest new product releases, features, and hands-on reviews. This weekly roundup collects all of the coolest new gadgets, the most interesting updates in the world of tech, and more from the past week, and organizes it into a single handy reading list for you to sift through every Sunday morning. Down below you’ll find the latest on Nintendo Switch 2 as we await pre-orders, hands-on reviews of some new Find My gear, Samsung’s all-new wireless 144Hz The Frame Pro smart TV, the kick-off date and details for the massive 2025 summer Xbox Games Showcase, and much more.
The official debut of Nintendo Switch 2 has been a tumultuous one, rife with emotional highs and lows – some might even suggest Nintendo has thus far botched what was widely expected to be the biggest console launch in history. I’m going to give it about as much of a temporary pass on the disastrous pre-order situation as the rest of the world is getting on Trump tax, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that Nintendo has managed to go from delivering what was the most affordable console gaming platform to one of the most expensive in a matter of weeks.
The Switch 2 situation is well, a situation. We all know Trump has now, at least temporarily, backpedaled on some of the new tariff levies directly affecting the pre-order and likely launch of Switch 2. This prompted financial analysis firms to present a potential price hike situation only to they themselves course correct the supposedly incorrect deductions of this data to suggest it is unlikely we see major price hikes on Switch 2 at launch. This sounds like good news to me and a recent report courtesy of Bloomberg suggests Nintendo has been stockpiling Switch 2 units in the U.S. for months now to help soften the blow Trump might (will likely) have on its bottom line.
Your Thursday morning lineup of iOS game and app deals is now ready to go headlined by nearly the entire suite of wonderful KORG music production and synth apps, alongside the best App Store game deals we have spotted. On your way down to check them all out, be sure to scope out the deals we are also tracking on unlocked iPhone 15 Pro at up to $650 off, rare discounts on the latest USB-C Apple Magic Mouse in black and white, this deal on Apple’s most affordable M4 iPad Pro, and the new low we spotted on the 13-inch M3 iPad Air. Hit the jump for a closer look at today’s apps.
Back at the top of the year during CES 2025, Samsung unleashed its all-new The Frame Pro. A new, next-generation release to join the rest of the standard 2025 The Frame lineup, complete with 144Hz refresh rate, a wireless break out box, and some AI integrations like Live Translation. Alongside its latest QLED models, the new lineup along with the higher-end The Frame Pro is going up for purchase as Samsung finally reveals the official price of its latest smart TV-meets-wall art lineup.
It’s that time of year and the massive annual Xbox Games Showcase has now been announced. While much of the gaming world awaits news on Switch 2 pre-orders finally go live in North America, Microsoft has taken to the official Xbox Wire to announce this year’s Xbox Games Showcase – it will once again be a double feature starting with the main event followed by a dedicated The Outer Worlds 2 Direct show. Details below.
Update: After a shocking report made headlines yesterday suggesting an inbound price hike on Switch 2, the DFC Intelligence firm via Forbes is clarifying its statement further – there perhaps won’t be a price jump at retail after all:
Apologies for the misunderstanding created on our part by not clarifying the reference to a 20% hardware price increase over the next two years applied to the hardware side in general and not just the Switch.
In the case of the Switch 2, we believe much of the 20% increase was already baked into the $450 price. It is not likely Nintendo will raise the price, and if they do, we don’t expect it to be 20%. Also much of that increase is in the form of NOT discounting prices. So not necessarily a price increase but where we model a 20% price decrease in the next year or so we have the prices holding steady.
As we all know by now, Nintendo officially delayed the pre-order date here in the U.S. indefinitely, with not even a whisper of when it might be ready to start taking orders. Just this morning it also officially delayed the pre-order date in Canada less than 24 hours before they were scheduled to go live on April 9. The release date remains firm for June 5 as of right now, but why has Nintendo delayed the inevitable? Well, we know it’s because of Trump’s tariffs announcement, but if the release date is still intact, why wait to take pre-orders?
Journey has quickly started to implement Apple Find My into many of its Apple accessory offerings, the latest of which include its new steel tumbler and the LOC8 URBAN Leather Key Organizer we are taking a look at today. This hands-on review also includes impressions on the mostly identical MOTION Key Organizer model as well, both of which are now seeing some notable price drops when added to your cart. If you’re looking for some trackable key organization for your EDC, head below for a closer look.
The Switch 2 is quickly approaching and as we all await a new pre-order date in the U.S., retailers north of the border have now confirmed a midnight kick-off this Wednesday. In the mean time, we are taking a look at some deals on the far less pricey Switch 1 games including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutants Unleashed that is now 50% off down at $19.99 Prime shipped (a $6 delivery fee will apply otherwise) via Woot as well as the Switch 1 version of Minecraft down at $26.99 from the regular $30 in celebration of the release of the new movie. There’s no telling what prices might look like on physical Switch games, be it Switch 1 or 2, in a post-Trump tariff world, so it might be worth browsing through the many deals we have up for grabs right now down below.
So many of our burning questions leading up to last week’s Switch 2 Nintendo Direct have been answered at this point, but what about those Hall effects sticks? We have now seen the new Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza, we have details on the console’s battery life, and we know how the Switch 2 Edition game upgrades will work (for the most part). But we still don’t know when pre-orders will go live in the U.S. after Nintendo cancelled the April 9 kick-off date, and there were still questions up in the air as to whether or not Nintendo was leveraging Hall effect technology on the new Switch 2 controllers…until now.
Welcome to gadgetnewsonline News Weekly – your go-to spot to catch up on the latest new product releases, features, and hands-on reviews. This weekly roundup collects all of the coolest new gadgets, the most interesting updates in the world of tech, and more from the past week, and organizes it into a single handy reading list for you to sift through every Sunday morning. This week, as you must know by now, it was all about Nintendo Switch 2 – official pricing, pre-order delays, release date, Mario Kart World, Donkey Bananza, and much more – but we also have a complete rundown of the April LEGO releases ready and waiting below too.
Update 4/8: Noooooo, Nintendo has now officially announced that pre-orders for Switch 2 in Canada will also be delayed to a later date. Nintendo has made an official statement to the press confirming that pre-orders in Canada will also be delayed to fall in-line with the U.S.
What time will Switch 2 pre-orders go live? Well, at this point we don’t even know what day they are going live here in the U.S., but north of the border Walmart has other major retailers have announced the official date and time Switch 2 pre-orders will begin, perhaps giving us a better idea of how things might shake out in the U.S. once Nintendo is ready to let us score one.
Late yesterday morning, Nintendo issued an official statement to the press saying that it would be delaying Switch 2 pre-orders in the U.S. indefinitely, however this isn’t the case everywhere in the world. The company apparently needs time to assess the impacts of sweeping levies put in place by the Trump administration earlier this week before it will be ready to begin taking pre-orders of its next-generation console stateside – this is, however, not the case north of the border.
Earlier this year we featured the Samsung smart TV reserve campaign that gave folks a chance to secure a completely FREE $100 credit to use towards the brand’s new lineup. Those models are now live and up for purchase alongside a host of discounts at up to $2,250 off on a range of its 2024, and still very capable, smart displays you can check out on this landing page and down below.
