Every Saturday for the past month, we’ve been having fun reminding readers of the kinds of deals and notable sales they might have missed out on during the week. The weekly roundup continues today, and below we’ll be presenting the best gaming and entertainment deals happening, plus the top-selling products on Polygon (hint: Zelda this, Zelda that).
The best entertainment deals this week
One of the biggest stories this week was that The Super Mario Bros. Movie is now available digitally to rent or own through multiple services, like Amazon, Apple, and Vudu. Wahoo! The thing is, if you’re used to paying $5 (maybe $10 max) for a movie rental, you might be surprised to hear that this new movie costs $24.99 to rent, or $5 more to own — no matter the picture resolution you prefer.
However, you can save a few dollars off the cost at Vudu if you’re a new member who hasn’t used the service before. In fact, new members will save 15% on all purchases within your first month of using Vudu (limited to 10 transactions), so long as you use a credit card or a PayPal account to pay. This lets you knock $4.50 off the cost to own The Super Mario Bros. Movie, or $3.75 off the rental cost. It’s not a knock-out deal, but at least it’s something.
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There’s such a thing as National Streaming Day. Did you know? Me neither. Anyway, Hulu is celebrating it with an offer that knocks the cost per month of its ad-supported plan from $7.99 to $2 flat for 3 months. You’ll be eligible to take advantage of this promotion if you’re new to Hulu, or if you’re a returning subscriber who cancelled more than one month ago.
If this sounds good to you, sign up before the deal expires on May 27 at 2:59 a.m. EDT / 11:59 p.m. PDT.
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Trigun found new audiences (including the author of this very post) with Trigun Stampede, the gorgeous 3D CG anime adaptation that hit Hulu in early 2023. But for new or longtime fans of the manga, there was some good news this week: Dark Horse Comics is republishing Yasuhiro Nightow’s acclaimed Trigun manga in a new hardcover that will debut on December 5 for $38.80 (discounted from $49.99). My colleague Toussaint Egan has you covered with more details.
The top-selling stuff on Polygon this week
The best gaming deals this week
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The Epic Games Store recently switched on its mega sale on PC games, and it’s a surprisingly good one. For starters, several games are discounted (and Death Stranding is free through Thursday at 11:00 a.m. EDT). Better yet, many popular games are eligible for a 25% discount once you add them to your cart.
One such game is the brilliant Dead Space remake, which sinks below its already low $47.99 sale price to $35.99. The Last of Us Part 1 had a rough launch, but it might be worth buying now that it’s $44.99 instead of $60. Lastly, each purchase on the Epic Games Store will reap a 5% reward that you can use to offset the cost of future purchases.
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The Asus ROG Ally is the next big thing in portable gaming, promising better performance than the Steam Deck. However, as Chris Plante’s review points out, there are still some areas where Valve’s handheld PC comes out on top.
If you walk away convinced that you want a taste of the future, Best Buy is the sole retailer offering pre-orders for the Asus ROG Ally. The $699.99 version with AMD’s Z1 Extreme processor will launch on June 13. Pre-orders will go live at later date for a $599.99 model with a slightly weaker processor.
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Over at Steam, you can get the Bioware Mega Collection of games for $19.73 (normally $189.95). It’s an impressive bundle, containing Dragon Age: Origins Ultimate Edition, Dragon Age 2 Ultimate Edition, Dragon Age Inquisition Game of the Year Edition, Mass Effect Andromeda Deluxe Edition, and Mass Effect Legendary Edition.
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Need a new console? The Xbox Series X (and Series S), PlayStation 5, PlayStation VR 2, the Nintendo Switch Choose One bundle, and the Meta Quest 2 VR headset each come with a free one-year subscription to GameStop’s PowerUp Rewards Pro membership (new members only, a $14.99 value).
As for what that will get you, it starts with a $10 credit that you can use right away to buy stuff from GameStop. The membership will grant you a $5 monthly credit to use on purchases (totaling $60 over the course of the yearlong subscription), and you’ll receive the Game Informer physical magazine each month. It’s a really nice perk, especially if you’re giving the console as a gift to someone who will inevitably want to buy more games.