Two New Mario Kart 8: Deluxe Switch Bundles Announced (North America)

I have a feeling that the more bundles that appear, the closer we are to the switch 2 release...

Should have included the booster pass instead.

Still gotta pay extra for Tour tracks

The rumors were true.... several new bundles. What were the other rumors that went along with those? Seems some real leaks actually happened.

Who needs a Switch 2 if instead you can have 2 Switch?

This is a joke. The special edition feels incredibly lazy just a standard console with an art cover and a game code. They completely missed the chance to create something amazing like they did in the past with the 3ds Super Mario Black and White Edition or other 3ds special edition consoles. Even recent Switch editions like the Splatoon 3, Zelda or Pokemon Scarlet and Violet consoles, had so much more effort put into them.

@msvt That the sky is blue and Christmas will happen this year…

Switch bundles in time for Chrisrmas??? What sorcery is this!?!

Why not? Seems like a "no-brainer" to bundle one of the best selling games of all time with the Switch before the holiday season kicks in. This might be the best casual game as an entry point into the Switch.

Although, I highly doubt this is the type of product that will sell a second Switch to someone who already has one. If they wanted to reach that market too, all they would have needed to do is make the system look cool. Like, racing stickers from the game on the back, and the actual system in checkered black & white.

At this point, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe looks unattractive in my eyes when Nintendo keep selling Switch bundle with digital code inside.
It was like keep perpetuate Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the only game we must play.
I will take some different route by playing 3rd party kart games for different experience and not just stuck on one franchise only.

There are people who don't own Mario kart 8 in the world?

Wait, this doesnt include the actual booster bundle? You have to pay the extra for it? Money grabbing at its best

Rumor has it Switch 2 will launch with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Edition.

@Poodlestargenerica Apparently there's more than 6 billion people either unable or unwilling to buy it, based on it having shifted just over 60 million copies. Similar number as haven't bought Minecraft and GTAV.

And with that useless bit of data, I'm off for a burger.

There are plenty of children, of around the same age as the Switch, who are putting this on their X-mas wish list. An evergreen title, like MK, is an obvious choice for such a bundle.

@Skunkfish

Guess bundles were kind of an easy guess too

It's quite remarkable how Nintendo can get away with stingily offering hardware bundles with a decade old game and not even include the DLC.

And yet even without a discount, Mario Kart continues to sell like hotcakes (and move hardware).

@JSC016 : Third time? It seems that they've done it every year since launch, just in time for black Friday.

Is the game and online membership at no extra cost?

Starting to believe the rumours of a Switch 2 reveal in October now….they are clearly doing a last ditch attempt to sell off as many of those Switches as possible in the next few months.

Great bundles, clearly, Nintendo wants to have one last stellar holiday season with the Switch, next year will be the next console's time to shine.

@Johnny44 as the Switch was revealed on October 20th, 2016? That's not a rumor, it's just common sense assumption hehehe. I always thought that the reveal would be in October, because of the Switch reveal.

@AlanaHagues
"It's not confirmed whether the DLC is included"

The bundle boxes says:
"BONUS
FULL GAME DOWNLOAD".
It's probably just to emphasize that it's not just a demo.
If the Booster DLC was included, I'm pretty sure it would be clearly marked on the front of the boxes, which it is not.
Nintendo probably hopes many of the ones buying these will buy the DLC as well.
Giving away an extra 48 courses might be a bit much to ask perhaps, and if one does not have Mario Kart 8, the original 48 should be enough for a while.

@dkxcalibur actually I disagree. I was looking at getting a switch for my kids this year (and of course Switch 2 later) and I was hoping a bundle would come out to sweeten the deal. I already have MK8 physically but I'll keep the digital code for my main Switch. So even longtime Switch owners might pick this up as a backup. the 12 month membership is only $20 but that's still extra value

@Bunkerneath They get the standard 12-month online subscription for free ($19.99 value). They can upgrade to the Expansion Pack for $30 that includes the booster pack and N64, GBA, Genesis, and Animal Crossing/Splatoon DLC. I think it's a pretty good deal — not a cash grab.

Mario Kart 8 is a decade old at this point. Nintendo really milked that game for everything it had.

Aren't they undercutting potential Switch 2 sales with this? Most people who still have to buy the console, won't shell out another 400-450 in a year or so.

That's like $105 off the console. That's a decent bundle!
MK8 $60
NSO 1year $20
If that includes the MK8 expansion DLC $25

@JSC016 : If by "new" you mean a 12 month NSO subscription instead of 3 months, then... maybe?

@Everythingnotsaved: That's a calculated risk I think Nintendo is willing to take. They have no idea how their next system will perform in the market. Once it is available, people new-to-gaming might be convinced to purchase, even if they already have recently bought a Switch, perhaps even this specific bundle. As such, they might as well add numbers to the sales of the Switch, which they know has sold like hotcakes. At this moment, the next system is not a guaranteed profit-maker. The Switch has been, and probably still is. Plus, it is something that Nintendo would love to wear as a badge. The Switch might end with sales numbers surpassing other consoles from other co.s (Microsoft, Sony, etc.).

@Everyone-Else:This is typical for the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/etc. season, especially when Nintendo is nearing release of information on the Switch successor. That's common sense. They want to catch any late adopters, or people interested in another Switch, perhaps even as a replacement for an already-owned, and well worn Switch.

"The Booster Course Pass DLC is not included."

That's some BS right there. If the pass where only halfway done then I'd be like ok, can't include what isn't out yet, but it's done. The game should probably ONLY be available "complete' by now.

Giving away NO for free for a year while including the MK8 DLC in the upper level is also kind of lame marketing. At least include NO+ for a year so people can play the dlc.

Oh well. Are these Switch selling at normal price, $300 and $350? If so I guess whatever is included is included. Really wish these bundle announcements would include the price. 🤑

@bleeflooflah I'm happy you'll be able to take advantage of the bundle.

Personally I would prefer the base system and buy whatever game you want. I highly doubt you're going to get the game and pass for the basic system price. Nintendo will charge you for the game at least. You may get the pass for free or at a discount though.

you would think nintendo would lower the price if they want these bundles to sell....

@Edu23XWiiU I didn’t know when the Switch was revealed, I got mine in year three or so and even then I thought a Pro version was around the corner and hung on for a few months lol.

Ah I see Nintendo is preparing for the next console! They be grinding for all the last second sales.

Instead of brain there is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

2 Nintendo Switch Bundles. The rumors where true 😂. Not switch 2, but 2 switch bundles. Japanese is read backwards.
Just kidding, i really hope we get something about the new device, sooner than later l.

They're kind of lame? I mean design wise, they could have done a little more I think.

I'm actually tempted to buy a new Switch OLED. It would be easier without all the internet buzz of a September Switch 2 reveal. I dunno, I'm starting to be convinced Sony shills are spreading this rumour every year to try to stall sales everytime a bundle is announced hahaha!

1: no dlc
2: includes 12 months online which has the booster course packs

3: if they don't renew, they lose the booster course packs

Nintendo NEEDS to release the FULL game ON the cart in the USA!

Holiday Bundles!! Get those last sales before the new system is announced and it may end up being a standard sku depending on the price of the successor.

@Spider-Kev The DLC pertains to the expansion pack of NSO which this bundle offering doesn't appear to include.

@AlexanderDaniels
I know that, I even said so.
Ya know, reading comprehension goes a long way!

@Doom-Max My Splatoon 3 Switch is one of my favorite gadgets to just look at.

Also, who hasn't bought MK8dx yet? How does it CONTINUE to be a top seller? Doesn't everyone already have it?

@Tanookduke they’re going to get rid of every last Nintendo system right before the switch 2 so they can ps5 pro the price out of it.

I think Nintendo are going for the PS2 record with all these bundles. They want to shift as many consoles as they can before the Switch 2 needs to be launched.

@aznable I agree, the Splatoon 3 OLED is also my favorite console. They could have could put a bit more effort into designing the Mario consoles especially the Mario Red Edition. They have been releasing a lot of models with just box art changes with a game code. Nintendo is very similar to Apple in that they have a huge fanbase and Nintendo knows their fans will buy whatever they put out even with only minor changes.

So, a couple of still full price bundles with a years-old game included in digital code form is Nintendo's big push to get the Switch over the finish line?

If it doesn't outsell the PS2's total sales by the end of its lifespan, I won't be shocked at this rate, but I will be annoyed.

This crown is Nintendo's to take.

@JSC016 The 3rd? It's the 5th or 6th time. They already had that at least in 2019. Although only last year they started to also bundle it with a Switch OLED and didn't include NSO early on, then included 3 months up until last year and now 12 months.

@aznable Do you know how much MK8DX has sold?

I have a feeling that Switch 2 is going to be exactly like the Switch with better specs and it will upscale all Switch 1 games.
Nintendo will then drop the price of Switch 1 significantly and continue to sell Switch 1's for years.

@NDK no way that is happening. Switch will be long out of production. They want the switch 2 money and they want to move as many people over there as fast as possible.

@Johnny44 Never trust shady words from shady online people. Nintendo will never do something like that hehehe.

@BTB20 I don't know the number but it sure feels like a 1:1 attachment ratio. For like every switch sold there must be 2 copies of MK8DX. I know I bought it twice - one physical, then digital.

@sixrings We shall see!

@Spider-Kev My reading comprehension is fine. Your post at #45 is nigh incomprehensible for starters. Are you listing steps? You say no DLC, then next you state the 12 months of online included in the bundle has the Tour map tracks accessible as long as one remains renewing their membership which is incorrect with the standard NSO. The Expansion Pack NSO, the upgraded tier, is what has that perk of playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC without purchasing the Booster Course Pass.

@aznable There are 80 million Switches without Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It sold 62.9 million as of this June while the Switch was at 143.42 million units.

If it was even remotely close to 1:1 the game wouldn't be selling much anymore and would have by far outsold Wii Sports to become Nintendo's best selling game. It would've been an earth shatteringly massive success as it would also be the third best selling game ever and that at a much higher average sales price than GTA V and Minecraft, the only two games that would've been ahead of it in sales.

A 1:1 attachment rate is practically impossible to have for any game.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_Nintendo_Switch_video_games

https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/software/index.html

@Spider-Kev no need to be rude to @AlexanderDaniels, and I’m afraid your post is not as clear as you imagine it to be.

good job big N !!!
selling a bundle from 8 years ago while the switch 2 arrives a few weeks after Xmas !

@BTB20 BTW my first post was tongue-in-cheek hyperbole.

@aznable I'm aware, I was just checking wether people who do this hyperbole actually know what the numbers look like.

@AmplifyMJ You're right, my first post can be worded better in enlightening another's misunderstanding. Sorry for any feathers ruffled @Spider-Kev.

Why do these bundles and articles about the bundles not include the price? That's the most important piece of data lol!

Nintendo, this is the 7th year in a row you've shown Mario Kart 8 DX Switch Bundle in class.

@BTB20 ::Adjusts monocle:: Well, I read Nintendolife from time to time