Early Black Friday sales on the OG Nintendo Switch will have you forgetting the Switch 2 even exists

I know, I know; the Nintendo Switch 2 is probably going to be one of the most sought-after purchases over Black Friday, with any kind of discount making it a tempting buy. But if you don't need the absolute latest in gaming tech, can I introduce you to an alternative deal? Or, several?

The Nintendo Switch OLED is seeing excellent refurbished prices at Amazon right now, with the previous generation device hitting lows of $259 this week. That's a good $190 less than the price of a brand new Switch 2, all before Black Friday Nintendo Switch deals officially kick off.

Nintendo Switch OLED (refurbished) | $369 $259 at Amazon
Save $110 - A refurbished Nintendo Switch OLED has dropped to $259 at Amazon right now. That's a price low enough to stand pretty separate from the new Switch 2 ($449.99). If you just want to catch up on the library for as little as possible (while still keeping the hybrid form factor) this is the way to go.

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The Nintendo Switch OLED is the standard model in all but screen, with better display tech making gaming look better in handheld mode.

It's more expensive but if you want the cheapest option possible, there is a Nintendo Switch Lite deal:

Nintendo Switch Lite | $235.74 $209 at Walmart
Save $26.74 - I cant find a better discount on the Switch Lite right now, though this reduction is only on the Coral model (Turquoise is still at MSRP). Stock seems to be quite limited. Just note this one's a victim of circumstance - these handhelds have been much cheaper in the past.

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As the name implies, the Nintendo Switch Lite is a more affordable alternative to the 'main' Switch which, most notably, can't be docked to play on a big screen.

Should you buy the Nintendo Switch?

In the year 2025, is it still worth buying a Nintendo Switch? More relevantly, in the year of the Nintendo Switch 2, is it worth buying the older models?

Nintendo has been supporting the older model very well; Pokemon Legends Z-A was released on the handheld and there's a respectable list of upcoming Nintendo Switch games in the pipeline. Of course, there's also a large library of Nintendo Switch games to enjoy.

That won't last forever, though, and already some big-name titles for the Switch 2 aren't available on the OG unit.

Under the hood, the Nintendo Switch 2 has upgrades that result in faster load times, more storage better-looking games and Joy-Cons which don't break, so there's a lot to like in that department. It's also worth noting, though, that games released for the original system don't always look better on the new release. The Switch 2 doesn't scale up OG titles to run on its new 1080p display, and stretching a lower resolution image over a larger display like this results in them looking a little fuzzier on the new release. That's when there aren't patches released, though.

There are improvements and perks for the newer model, but if you don't need to play the newest games and would prefer to have a large existing library of titles to enjoy, a cheap Switch could tide you over until the Switch 2 sees serious discounts in a few years.

• See all Nintendo Switch deals at Walmart
• Nintendo Switch OLED (refurbished) | $369 $259 at Amazon

To save more money, we've got a guide to the best Black Friday PS5 deals and an overview on all Black Friday gaming deals. And make sure to find out about the best Nintendo Switch games for your new console.