Microsoft and Nintendo are slashing prices on plenty of spooky titles for Halloween

Diablo IV, the spookiest of dungeon crawlers, will be steeply discounted through Halloween. | BlizzardIt’s hard to believe, but Halloween is now just a little over a week away. Luckily, if you haven’t had a chance to celebrate spooky...

Oct 21, 2023 - 21:05

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Microsoft and Nintendo are slashing prices on plenty of spooky titles for Halloween

It’s hard to believe, but Halloween is now just a little over a week away. Luckily, if you haven’t had a chance to celebrate spooky season, a bunch of horror games are on sale this weekend. Now through October 31st, for example, Nintendo is taking up to 85 percent off digital Bethesda titles like the remastered Quake 2 (now $3.99) and Doom Eternal (now $15.99). Amazon Prime subscribers, meanwhile, can snag a free copy of Doom 3 — an Xbox 360-era classic — for PC until November 18th.

Yet perhaps the best Halloween sale comes courtesy of Microsoft, which is taking up to 75 percent off hundreds of digital horror games through October 31st as a part of its Shocktober sale. The ongoing promo extends to newer Xbox titles like Blasphemous 2 (now $23.99) and Diablo IV, the latter of which is on sale for $52.50 (about $18 off) at the Microsoft Store (or for $49.99 at Amazon). As a part of a separate promo, Microsoft is even letting Xbox owners take part in a 10-hour trial of Diablo IV, so long as they do so before October 22nd.

Microsoft’s wide selection of older games is also worth a look if none of the newer titles sound appealing. Right now, for instance, you can grab the teen-centric slasher The Quarry for $17.49 ($53 off) and Alan Wake Remastered — the much-lauded predecessor to Remedy’s forthcoming Alan Wake 2 — for $9.89 ($20 off).

The Quarry is an interactive teen slasher from Supermassive Games, the studio behind horror games like Until Dawn.

Diablo IV is the latest installment in Activision Blizzard’s dungeon-crawling series.

Alan Wake Remastered is an updated version of the action-adventure game from Remedy Entertainment, one in which you play as a novelist looking to uncover what happened to his missing wife.

We highlighted eBay’s “Holiday Head Start Sale” earlier this week, but it’s worth mentioning again as the sale is almost over. Now through 11:59PM PT tomorrow, October 22nd, eBay is taking 20 percent off select items when you use offer code HEADSTART at checkout.

The ongoing sale covers a wide swath of tech, including Samsung’s latest 32-inch Frame TV, which is on sale for $478.39 (about $120 off) via BuyDig with promo code HEADSTART. Like the prior models, the 4K TV displays artwork when idle while boasting a 120Hz refresh rate, HDMI 2.1 support, and other impressive specs. Unlike its predecessor, however, the 32-inch panel can now detect when somebody leaves the room and turn itself off automatically in order to save power.

Other great gadgets are also on sale at eBay when you apply coupon code HEADSTART. You can, for example, pick up a refurbished pair of Bose’s QuietComfort 45 headphones or QuietComfort II earbuds for just $159.20.

Samsung’s art-inspired Frame TV features a QLED display, which is intended to resemble actual canvas. This year, Samsung also updated the 32-inch panel so that it can sense if people are in the room. Right now, you can buy it for around $478 ($120 off) via BuyDig’s eBay storefront with promo code HEADSTART.

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Some more Saturday morning savings

Samsung’s new Galaxy Tab S9 FE Plus has received its first cash discount at Amazon, where you can grab it with 128GB of storage for $542.55 ($58 off). We’ve yet to test the 12.4-inch Android tablet, but we know that it differs from the standard S9 series in that it offers a lower 90Hz refresh rate, an LCD panel as opposed to an OLED, and an Exynos 1380 chipset. That said, both tablets share IP68 water resistance and come with Samsung’s S Pen stylus.Anker’s 30W 511 Charger is available starting at $15.99 ($7 off) from Amazon and Anker (the latter with offer code WS7DUQNX19). It’s pretty basic, but the tiny USB-C charger can quickly top off a range of electronics, including phones, tablets, and earbuds.You can still buy the Victrola Stream Onyx for $399.99 ($200 off) at Amazon. Like the more expensive Stream Carbon, the two-speed turntable can wirelessly transmit audio to Sonos speakers so you can stream records directly over your Sonos system. The main difference is that the Onyx doesn’t come with as expensive of a cartridge as the Carbon, and that its knob, faceplate, and inlay are made of plastic instead of metal. Keychron is currently selling the Keychron V3 for $69 ($15 off), as is Amazon for a mere $5 more. The tenkeyless mechanical keyboard uses an 80 percent layout and is compatible with both Windows and macOS. It also offers some nice perks for the entry-level price, including RGB backlighting and hot-swappable switches.