The weekend’s best deals: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, 8BitDo gamepads, and more

It’s the weekend, which means the time has come for another Dealmaster. Our latest roundup of the best tech deals from around the web includes the lowest price we’ve tracked for Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite. The 8GB, ad-supported version of the e-reader is currently down to $95 at Target and Best Buy, which matches the discount we saw during Amazon’s Prime Day sale. Both retailers say this deal will last through Saturday.

We gave the Paperwhite a glowing review upon its launch last year, and in general we still consider it the best Kindle—and thus, the best e-reader—for most people. Amazon’s e-book library remains comprehensive—even if Kindles still don’t fully support some open standards natively—and the Paperwhite itself offers a comfortable and waterproof design, battery life that lasts for weeks, Bluetooth audio support, and a sharp, 300-pixels-per-inch display. There’s no urgent need for owners of the previous-gen Paperwhite to upgrade, but compared to that model, the latest version offers a larger screen (at 6.8 inches, up from six) with a smoother frontlight, faster performance (albeit not without the occasional hiccup), and a USB-C port. It’s a significant upgrade from the base Kindle and close enough to the higher-end Kindle Oasis to be a better value (though both of those e-readers are also back down to their all-time lows today).

It’s worth noting that the Kids version of the Paperwhite is on sale for $10 more, though. That also matches the lowest price we’ve tracked. This variant is marketed toward children and includes a year of Amazon’s Kids+ service, but its hardware is identical to the standard model, plus it comes with a two-year warranty (compared to one year for the base model), a useful case, and, notably, no lockscreen ads. If you don’t mind spending a little bit extra, it may be the better overall value.

If you don’t need a new e-reader, though, our roundup includes all-time lows for a few other gadgets we like, too. A number of gamepads from accessory maker 8BitDo are still on sale, for instance, including the excellent Pro 2, which we recommend as a more affordable and customizable alternative to Nintendo’s Switch Pro Controller. At its current deal price of $75, Amazon’s latest Fire HD 10 offers strong value for those in need of a cheap tablet, while Beats’ Studio Buds offer easy pairing and solid performance for a set of true wireless earbuds priced just under $100. We also have lower-than-usual prices on several high-profile PS5 games, Apple’s Pencil stylus, and various LG OLED TVs, among other devices. You can find our full curated list of the weekend’s best deals below.

Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.

Featured deals of the day

• Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (8GB) 6.8-inch e-reader for $95 ($135) at Target, Best Buy
• Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Kids (8GB, no ads) 6.8-inch e-reader for $105 ($155) at Best Buy
• Amazon Fire HD 10 (32GB) 10.1-inch tablet for $75 ($140) at Target, Best Buy
• 8BitDo Pro 2 wireless gamepad for Switch, PC for $40 ($50) at Amazon, Best Buy
• Apple Pencil (2nd gen) stylus for $99 ($120) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy
• Apple iPad (256GB) 10.2-inch tablet for $399 ($429) at Amazon, Walmart (64GB for $299)
• Beats Studio Buds true wireless ANC earphones for $100 ($140) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy
• Horizon Forbidden West (PS4) for $40 ($60) at Target, Best Buy, PSN (free PS5 upgrade, PS5 for $50)
• FastSnail Grips Switch Joy-Con holders for $11 ($14) at Amazon (clip 5% coupon)
• LG G1 (2021) 55-inch 4K OLED TV for $1,000 ($1,300) at Best Buy (no stand included)
• $100 Apple Gift Card + $10 Target Gift Card for $100 ($110) at Target
• The Game Console 2.0: A Photographic History from Atari to Xbox for $20 ($26) at Amazon (clip $5 coupon)

Electronics deals

• Apple iPad (256GB) 10.2-inch tablet for $399 ($429) at Amazon, Walmart (64GB for $299)
• Beats Studio Buds true wireless ANC earphones for $100 ($140) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy
• Apple Watch Series 7 (41mm, Green) smartwatch for $280 ($330) at Amazon, Walmart
• Apple iPad Pro (128GB) 11-inch tablet for $700 ($740) at Amazon
• Bose QuietComfort 45 wireless ANC headphones for $279 ($310) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy
• Anker Soundcore Motion Plus Bluetooth speaker for $80 ($106) at Amazon
• Anker Soundcore Flare 2 Bluetooth speaker for $60 ($75) at Amazon
• Fitbit Inspire 2 activity tracker for $66 ($80) at Amazon
• Google Pixel 6a (128GB) smartphone + $50 gift card for $449 ($499) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy, Google

Laptop and desktop PC deals

• Apple MacBook Air (2020) 13.3-inch laptop (M1, 2560×1600, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for $850 ($910) at Best Buy
• HP Spectre x360 16-inch 2-in-1 laptop (Core i7-12700H, 3072×1920, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for $1,150 ($1,450) at Best Buy
• Lenovo Yoga 7i (Gen 7) 14-inch 2-in-1 laptop (Core i7-1255U, 2240×1400, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for $860 ($1,000) at Lenovo (use codes: YOGASALE + BTS2022)
• Lenovo Yoga 9i (Gen 7) 14-inch 2-in-1 laptop (Core i7-1260P, 3840×2400 OLED, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for $1,235 ($1,800) at Lenovo (use codes: YOGASALE + BTS2022)
• Gigabyte M28U 28-inch monitor (4K, 144 Hz, IPS, VRR) for $500 ($580) at Amazon, Best Buy
• Gigabyte M32UC 32-inch curved gaming monitor (4K, 160 Hz, VA, VRR) for $550 ($670) at Newegg (use code: W3BBV2358)
• Seagate FireCuda 530 (1TB) PCIe 4.0 SSD for $140 ($170) at Walmart, B&H
• AMD Ryzen 5 5600G 6-core/12-thread CPU for $146 ($175) at Amazon
• AMD Ryzen 5 5600 6-core/12-thread CPU for $150 ($185) at Newegg (use code: W3BBV245, $159 at Amazon)
• AMD Ryzen 7 5700X 8-core/16-thread CPU for $235 ($285) at Newegg (use code: W3BBV244)
• AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12-core/24-thread CPU for $350 ($390) at Newegg (use code: W3BBV243, $359 at Amazon)

TV and home entertainment deals

• Google Chromecast with Google TV 4K media streamer for $40 ($45) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy
• Apple TV 4K (32GB) media streamer for $120 ($160) at Amazon, Best Buy (64GB for $140)
• LG G1 (2021) 55-inch 4K OLED TV for $1,000 ($1,300) at Best Buy (no stand included)
• LG A1 (2021) 48-inch 4K OLED TV for $697 ($795) at Amazon, Best Buy
• LG C2 (2022) 55-inch 4K OLED TV + $150 gift card for $1,597 ($1,900) at Newegg (no GC at Amazon)
• LG C1 (2021) 65-inch 4K OLED TV + $150 gift card for $1,597 ($1,750) at Newegg

Gaming deals

Video game deals

• Inside (Switch) for $2 ($10) at Nintendo (also on Game Pass)
• Sonic Mania (Switch, PS4) for $10 ($15) at Nintendo, PSN
• Spiritfarer (Switch, PC) for $10 ($20) at Amazon, Target, Nintendo, Steam (also on Game Pass)
• The Walking Dead 10th Anniversary Bundle (PC): 8 Walking Dead games + DLC for $11 at Humble
• Streets of Rage 4 (Switch) for $12 ($20) at Nintendo
• Doom Eternal (Switch) for $15 ($45) at Amazon, Target, Nintendo (also on Game Pass)
• Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition (Switch) for $25 ($50) at Nintendo (PC for $18)
• Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics (Switch) for $28 ($35) at Amazon, Target, Nintendo
• Mega Man 30th Anniversary Bundle (Xbox, PS4) for $30 ($45) at Xbox
• LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (Switch) for $39 ($50) at Amazon, GameStop
• Yakuza: Like a Dragon (PS5, PS4) for free ($30) at PSN (PS Plus only, also on Game Pass)
• Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 (PS5, PS4) for free ($30) at PSN (PS Plus only)

• Horizon Forbidden West (PS4) for $40 ($60) at Target, Best Buy, PSN (free PS5 upgrade, PS5 for $50)
• Jazzpunk: Director’s Cut (PS4) for $4 ($15) at PSN
• A Short Hike (PS4) for $5 ($8) at PSN
• God of War (PS4) for $10 ($15) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy
• Death Stranding (PS4) for $20 ($30) at Amazon, Best Buy, PSN ($10 PS5 upgrade, PS5 for $40)
• Mass Effect Legendary Edition (PS4, Xbox) for $20 ($30) at Target, Best Buy (also on Game Pass Ultimate)
• Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS5, PS4) for $30 ($40) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy, PSN
• Sackboy: A Big Adventure (PS5, PS4) for $30 ($40) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy
• Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection (PS5) for $30 ($40) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy
• Demon’s Souls (PS5) for $40 ($50) at Amazon, Best Buy, PSN
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (PS5) for $40 ($50) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy
• Gran Turismo 7 (PS5) for $50 ($70) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy, PSN (PS4 for $40)
• Returnal (PS5) for $50 ($60) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy, PSN
• Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut (PS5, PS4) for $50 ($65) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy, PSN

Accessories and miscellaneous deals