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Amazon Prime Day is nearly upon us, but early discounts are flying onto the shelves. While the official sale kicks off at midnight tonight, Bezos is already getting this party started with a massive range of discounts across PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PC. Not only that, but other retailers have also launched their competing sales and are gearing up for a legendary battle.
That means you’ll find discounts on everything from games to gadgets across the web right now, and I’m here to take you all the way through it.
These aren’t just the first deals I’ve spotted on Amazon’s site. I’ve made sure to only include the gadgets and peripherals we’ve tested and verified, and now recommend, on the GamesRadar+ Hardware team. That means you know you’re picking up a deal that’s actually worth buying and not some cheap tat that just so happens to have a hefty discount.
Who am I?
I’ve been tracking the best Prime Day deals for gamers for five years now, starting out as a dedicated Deals Editor at our sister site TechRadar, before joining the ranks here at GamesRadar three years ago. Since then, I’ve been hands on with the latest and greatest releases from the brands you need to know about this week, while tracking their prices day in, day out.
That means I know a good deal when I spot one (and where to go to find them), but I’ve also personally tested a massive range of the tech on offer this week. I’ll steer you clear of the products (and prices) to avoid all the way through this year’s massive four-day Prime event.
Quick deals
- PS5: games from $19.93
- Switch: accessories from $8.99
- Xbox: hard drives from $28.28
- Cables: HDMI 2.1 from $8.49
- Chairs: from $94.99
- Controllers: from $15.98
- Desks: from $53.99
- Headsets: from $18.99
- Keyboards: from $29.99
- Mice: from $16.99
- Monitors: from $109.99
- SSDs: from $56.99
Is Amazon Prime Day good for gaming deals?
Prime Day offers up some fantastic deals for gamers every year, but Amazon itself is far better for console games and accessories and PC peripherals than it is for actual desktops and gaming laptops. Thankfully, competing sales from retailers like Newegg and Best Buy often swoop in with their own discounts that are regularly some of the best of the year.
I see a few themes re-emerging every year, though.
Amazon Prime Day deals often drop record-low prices on the gadgets and games that were released towards the tail end of last year. For many of these holiday releases, this is the first major sale where their brands are going to be comfortable offering up heavier discounts. If you’ve been eyeing up a new keyboard or controller that hit the shelves late last year it’s well worth bookmarking their landing pages.
When will Amazon Prime Day begin?
Amazon Prime Day officially starts on July 8 this year, so we’ve got one more day to wait before the main sale begins. That said, there’s already plenty on the shelves worth inspecting with record-breaking discounts up for grabs right now.
This year’s sale will run all the way through the week, with four days of savings coming to an end on July 11.
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Psst, the Asus ROG Ally is ridiculously cheap at Newegg
Yes, I know it’s meant to be Prime Day, but Newegg is making huge moves with its ROG Ally discount. You can currently grab what is my best handheld gaming PC pick for under $450, a price that smashes through previous Amazon offers and even Black Friday discounts.
Normally, Best Buy leads the charge with ROG Ally savings, but Newegg is out to impress with its FantasTech sale. Yes, that is a terrible pun, but I’m not complaining if it means record savings like this.
Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme | $649.99 $448.99 at Newegg
Hear me out, this portable projector is well worth a look this summer
The Yaber T2 is a budget projector by today’s standards, but it still runs off its own battery for around two hours, offers up surprisingly detailed FHD picture, and comes in an easily portable package. It’s one of my favorite throwers in the game right now, and it’s $100 off ahead of Amazon Prime Day.
That means you’re getting the impressively robust device for just $249.99 right now. No, it’s not going to run your PS5 games in full 4K or at the speeds you’ll need for competitive endeavors. Nintendo Switch sessions in the garden though? That’s where this model shines.
Yaber T2 | $349.99 $249.99 at Amazon
One of our favorite PS5 headsets just took a record-breaking price drop
Amazon Prime Day has hit the Corsair Void V2 early. The wireless headset, down as the best budget PS5 headset we’ve tested so far, has just sailed to $89.99 (was $129.99) at Amazon. That’s a brand new record-low price on the value-packed device – and doubly impressive considering it’s only been on the shelves for a couple of months.
Corsair Void Wireless V2 | $129.99 $89.99 at Amazon
Rosalie’s found the motherlode of PS5 game deals
Yes, they need a full-fat console to run but physical games can still beat their digital counterparts in price – especially during major sales events like Prime Day. Hardware Editor Rosalie’s been scouting all the biggest discounts on Sony’s side of the shelves this morning and with games like Indiana Jones and Dragon Ball Z getting involved there are already plenty of discounts.
Read more: My PS5 game backlog is already ridiculous but these deals are about to make it worse
F1 25 | $69.99 $49.99 at Amazon
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero | $69.99 $45 at Amazon
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii | $59.99 $39.99 at Amazon
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle | $69.99 $62.70 at Amazon
Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster | $49.99 $27.99 at Amazon
Metaphor: ReFantazio Launch Edition | $69.99 $39.99 at Amazon
LEGO Horizon Adventures | $59.99 $29.99 at Amazon
When does Prime Day actually start?
We know Prime Day officially starts tomorrow, July 8 but if you’re looking for first pickings of those discounts you’ll need to stay up late.
Amazon has a countdown timer live on its site and at the moment we’re about 15 hours (ET) away from the main event. That means Prime Day deals will hit the shelves at 3am ET.
The UK doesn’t have to wait quite so long, there you’ll be able to access discounts from midnight.
Woot just dropped a whole wad of Nintendo Switch game deals
Woot is an Amazon brand, but it seems to offer far better Nintendo Switch game deals than the full site. I’ve just had a look at what’s up for grabs ahead of Prime Day, and things are already looking good. New releases aren’t immune here, with Donkey Kong Country Returns HD taking the top spot and last year’s The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom returning to its lowest price yet as well.
What’s more, Prime members can grab an extra 10% off all these games in the Woot app.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD | $59.99 $39.99 at Woot
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom | $59.99 $44.99 at Woot
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door | $59.99 $42.99 at Woot
Super Mario Party Jamboree | $59.99 $44.99 at Woot
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom | $69.99 $47.99 at Woot
What counts as an early Prime Day deal?
Amazon runs deals all the time, so what actually counts as an ‘early’ Prime Day deal.
Personally, I include any discount that’s at or near a record-low price or is already exclusive to Prime members. These are the savings I would expect to see over Prime Day itself, but just so happen to be hitting the day before, rather than the day-to-day deals we could see at any point of the year.
My go-to controller is cheaper than ever
This is one of my favorite early Prime Day deals. The EasySMX X10 is down to $26.99 at Amazon right now, the lowest price I’ve seen so far. This gamepad is always parked at my desk. It’s a super simple wireless gamepad but still features clacky mechanical face buttons and its own set of back paddles for additional inputs as well. You’re usually paying three-figures for those clicky ABXYs if you opt for Razer, but the X10 is already far cheaper without a Prime Day discount.
It’s also compatible with Nintendo Switch, but I’ve found the 2.4GHz receiver is much stronger in a desk setup. Parked a good distance from a couch, it can struggle to maintain a speedy input on Nintendo Switch.
EasySMX X10 | $49.99 $26.99 at Amazon
Under 24? You can get 50% Amazon Prime
You’ll need a Prime membership to take advantage of this week’s Prime Day deals, but if you’re aged 18-24 you can grab the $14.99 subscription for 50% off.
That works out as $7.49 per month and still offers all the shipping, streaming, and exclusive discounts as the full membership.
Prime Young Adults | $14.99 $7.49 at Amazon
Top tip: check other retailers
We’re only just getting started with this year’s Prime Day deals, but it bears repeating – always check other retailers before heading to checkout. July is a competitive month and stores are looking to outdo each other constantly. That means some retailers will be offering lower prices, but it also means you could save in other ways.
Even if sites like Best Buy and Walmart are price-matching Amazon, I often see additional incentives added to sweeten the deal. This could come in the form of extra free subscriptions or additional discounts on other accessories. Prime Day isn’t all about Amazon, and you’d be surprised how often competing stores will undercut Bezos.
Ben’s found some fantastic Prime Day board game deals already
Our resident Tabletop Editor Ben has been scouring Amazon all morning for early Prime Day board game deals and found a bunch that are already worth your attention. Between a 47% discount on the always-popular Ticket to Ride and a $21 saving on classic Carcassonne, things are already looking strong this week.
Read more: A couple of legendary board games just dropped in price by almost 50%
Ticket to Ride | $49.99 $26.39 at Amazon
Carcassonne | $41.99 $20.15 at Amazon
Some products to watch
There are a number of gadgets that have jumped up in price over the weekend – a sure sign that big things are coming on Prime Day itself. The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, for example, was sitting pretty at $224 on Amazon’s site towards the end of last week. That’s shot up to $354 today. These are the kinds of products you want to be watching when midnight strikes, Amazon is upping the prices now so that it can shout about a larger saving when its official sale begins.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless | now $354, was $224 at Amazon
Nacon Revolution 5 Pro | now $199.99, was $129.99 at Amazon
Assassin’s Creed: Shadows | now $69.99, was $49.99 at Amazon
Orzly Nintendo Switch 2 case | now $34.99, was $23.52 at Amazon
Let’s get ready to rumble!
Amazon Prime Day may officially kick off at midnight tonight, but there’s already a massive range of savings to check out. Ealy discounts are nothing new – I see products hitting record-low prices in the lead up to official Prime Day deals every year. I’ll be scouting those shelves all week long, though, so stay in touch for my top picks.
