The weekend’s best deals: Apple MacBook Air, Resident Evil bundle, and more

It’s the weekend, which means it’s time for another Dealmaster. Our latest roundup of the best tech deals from around the web includes a nice discount on Apple’s entry-level MacBook Air, which is currently down to $850 at Best Buy. That’s about $150 off Apple’s MSRP and tied for the lowest price we’ve seen from a major retailer since the laptop briefly dropped to $800 last December.

Note that this deal applies to the MacBook Air model that launched in 2020, not the variant that arrived earlier this year with a refreshed design and a faster M2 system-on-a-chip. If money is no object, we now recommend the latter as the best Apple laptop for most people. That said, the M1-based Air is still a fine alternative for those who need a Mac but can’t afford the $1,199 starting price of the M2 model. For the money, it’s still plenty performant, with excellent battery life, a study yet lightweight design, and a comfortable keyboard and trackpad. Just be aware that the 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD in this entry-level configuration is only really suitable for more casual needs. There’s still only two USB-C ports, too, and the built-in webcam remains mediocre. But for students or those who only need a laptop for lighter browsing, editing, and everyday work, there’s still value to be had at this deal price.
Besides MacBooks, our roundup also includes a notable Humble game bundle that packages 10 Resident Evil games—as well as a 50 percent off coupon for the newest entry in the series, Resident Evil Village—for $30. Not every RE game is a winner: RE4, RE7, 2019’s RE2 remake, and 2002’s remake of the original RE are excellent, but we were just lukewarm on Village, and the action-heavy excursions of RE5 and RE6 are, let’s say, a more acquired taste. Still, this is a great price for the majority of gaming’s most popular survival-horror franchise. If you already own some of these games, you can pay $1 or $10 to get a smaller selection of titles. And as with most Humble bundles, a portion of any purchases here will help support a charity. In this case, Humble says they’ll partially go toward Direct Relief and their efforts to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine affected by the ongoing invasion by Russia.

Elsewhere, the Dealmaster includes the lowest price we’ve seen for the Apple Watch Series 7, a $50 discount on Microsoft’s Xbox Series S, lower-than-usual prices for Apple’s TV 4K and Nvidia’s Shield TV streamers, and several deals on Amazon and Google smart displays. You can see our full curated list of deals below.

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

Featured deals of the day

• Apple MacBook Air (2020) 13.3-inch laptop (M1, 2560×1600, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for $850 ($925) at Best Buy
• Resident Evil Decades of Horror Bundle (PC): Includes 10 games + coupon for $30 ($195) at Humble
• Apple Watch Series 7 (41mm, Green) smartwatch for $270 ($330) at Best Buy
• Death Stranding (PS4) for $10 ($30) at Best Buy, Amazon ($10 PS5 upgrade, PS5 for $40)
• Microsoft Xbox Series S game console for $250 ($290) at Adorama (discount in cart)
• Amazon Echo Show 8 (2nd gen) 8-inch smart display for $85 ($120) at Best Buy
• Google Nest Hub 7-inch smart display for $55 ($85) at Target, Best Buy
• Nvidia Shield TV Pro 4K media streamer for $170 ($200) at Amazon, Best Buy
• Apple Pencil (2nd gen) stylus for $99 ($120) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy
• Samsung Pro Plus (512GB, U3, V30) microSD card for $70 ($76) at Best Buy, Amazon
• Wacom One (small) drawing tablet for $40 ($50) at Amazon, Best Buy
• $100 Apple Gift Card + $10 store gift card for $100 ($110) at Target, Best Buy

Electronics deals

Laptop and desktop PC deals

• Apple MacBook Air (2020) 13.3-inch laptop (M1, 2560×1600, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for $850 ($925) at Best Buy
• HP Pavilion Aero (13z-be100) 13.3-inch laptop (Ryzen 5 5625U, 2560×1600, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for $646 ($850) at HP (use code: SCHOOLHP5, configure RAM, SSD, display before checkout)
• Lenovo Yoga 7i (Gen 7) 16-inch 2-in-1 laptop (Core i7-1260P, 2560×1600, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for $860 ($1,050) at Lenovo (use codes: YOGADEALS + BTS2022)
• Microsoft Surface Pro 8 13-inch tablet PC (Core i5-1135G7, 2880×1920, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) + Surface Pro Keyboard for $1,000 ($1,250) at Best Buy
• Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022) 14-inch gaming laptop (Ryzen 9 6900HS, 2560×1600 120 Hz, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, Radeon RX 6700S GPU) for $1,400 ($1,600) at Best Buy

• Dell S2721QS 27-inch monitor (4K, 60 Hz, IPS) for $260 ($320) at Dell, Amazon
• Dell S3422DWG 34-inch monitor (3440×1440, 144 Hz, VA, VRR) for $390 ($460) at Amazon
• Gigabyte M28U 28-inch monitor (4K, 144 Hz, IPS, VRR) for $500 ($575) at Amazon, Best Buy
• Crucial P5 Plus (500GB) PCIe 4.0 SSD for $73 ($83) at Amazon, B&H
• Crucial MX500 (1TB) 2.5-inch SATA SSD for $73 ($90) at B&H (discount in cart)
• Seagate FireCuda 530 (1TB) PCIe 4.0 SSD for $139 ($170) at Amazon, Walmart, B&H

TV and home entertainment deals

Video game deals

• Death Stranding (PS4) for $10 ($30) at Best Buy, Amazon ($10 PS5 upgrade, PS5 for $40)
• Elden Ring (PS5, PS4, Xbox, pre-owned) for $35 ($40) at GameFly
• Horizon Forbidden West (PS4) for $40 ($60) at Target, Best Buy, PSN (free PS5 upgrade, PS5 for $50)
• Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS5, PS4) for $30 ($40) at Target, Amazon, Best Buy, PSN
• Gran Turismo 7 (PS5) for $50 ($70) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy, PSN (PS4 for $40)
• 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
• Sackboy: A Big Adventure (PS5, PS4) for $30 ($40) at Target, Best Buy, Amazon
• Iconoclasts (PS4) for $7 ($15) at PSN

Accessories and miscellaneous deals