Technologies

This $50-Off Cyber Monday Offer on the Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World Bundle Is Actually a Good Deal

Not only do you save on the game when you buy this bundle, the whole thing is discounted by $50.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is one of the most popular handheld gaming consoles, and it continues to sell out rapidly after its launch earlier this year. Bundles are a great way to get a game thrown in for free. Better yet, I’ve found a Cyber Monday deal that reduces the price of one of the best Switch 2 bundles.

Walmart is selling the Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle for $449 this Cyber Monday — a $50 discount from the regular $499 price. Note that you’ll only see that lower price once you add the bundle to your cart. It’s a $50 savings on the standard cost, making it one of the better Switch 2 deals I’ve seen so far.

This bundle includes the Nintendo Switch 2 console along with a full game download of Mario Kart World, the newest entry in Nintendo’s long-running and wildly popular kart racing series. With the Switch 2’s improvements, Mario Kart World takes advantage of the higher resolution, smoother frame rates and more detailed tracks than we’ve seen in past games.

CNET’s Scott Stein reviewed the Switch 2 and gave it 8.5 out of 10, noting that the new console has a great design, display and notably better graphics than competitors, like the Steam Deck. The Switch 2 is an excellent overall upgrade and earned an Editors’ Choice award from our team. It is worth noting, however, that, in his tests, the battery lasted a mere 2 hours before dying out. He points out that storage will need upgrades as well, given that newer games are larger in size.

While you’re buying the Switch 2, browse through our round-up of Switch 2 accessories to deck it out and truly make it your own. If you’re Team Blue, you can check our list of the best PlayStation deals too.

CHEAP GAMING LAPTOP DEALS OF THE WEEK

Alienware 16 Aurora AC16250 Intel 7 RTX 5060 512GB SSD 16GB RAM 16-inch 120Hz Laptop:

$1,000 (save $350)
Lenovo LOQ Intel i5 13th Gen RTX 5050 1TB SSD 16GB RAM 15.6-inch Laptop:

$750 (save $295)
HP Omen Ryzen AI 7 RTX 5060 1TB SSD 16GB RAM 16-inch 2K Laptop:

$950 (save $850)
Acer Nitro V Intel i7 RTX 4050 1TB SSD 16GB RAM 15.6-inch Laptop:

$800 (save $150)
Alienware 16 Aurora AC16250 Intel 7 RTX 5050 512GB SSD 16GB RAM 16-inch 120Hz Laptop:

$800 (save $400)

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Why this deal matters

A $50 discount on a brand-new console bundle is rare, especially this early in the Switch 2’s life cycle. Since Mario Kart World is a $70 title on its own, getting both the game and the console for $449 is excellent value. If you’ve been waiting for a meaningful price break on the Switch 2, this is one of the best opportunities so far.

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for March 15, #1008

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for March 15, No. 1,008

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is kind of tough, but the yellow category has some fun options in it. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Mine, all mine!

Green group hint: A part you might use to build something.

Blue group hint: Blended words.

Purple group hint: Not a cow, but close.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Greedily control.

Green group: Toothed wheels.

Blue group: Portmanteaux.

Purple group: Bull ____.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is greedily control. The four answers are bogart, corner, hog and monopolize.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is toothed wheels. The four answers are cog, gear, pinion and sprocket.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is portmanteaux. The four answers are blog, motel, smog and spork.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is bull ____. The four answers are dog, doze, frog and horn.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for March 15, #742

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for March 15, No. 742.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is fun and timely, relating to a certain big ceremony held this weekend. Some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Best of all

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: The envelope, please.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

RATE, RATED, DATE, DOTE, DATED, DOTED, GATE, GATES, TROD, TRODS

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers: