Can’t afford the Nintendo Switch Lite? You can now put it on layaway at GameStop

By Gabe Gurwin Published September 4, 2019

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Consoles aren’t cheap, and the price of video games can add up during holiday season when a bunch of huge titles release. GameStop wants you to be able to still play the games you want when they launch, and has rolled out a new no-fee layaway program so you can get the gaming goods you need to do so.

Beginning now and running through December 11, the annual No Fee Layaway program allows customers to put down $25 or more on an upcoming game, with the final date for paying your item off being December 18. You can trade in games or hardware to help fund your layaway purchase, as well, and you can get a refund for your deposit at any time.

Recommended Videos

Right now, options for layaway at GameStop include the Nintendo Switch Lite, a PlayStation 4 Pro console, and a PlayStation VR bundle with Blood & Truth and Everybody’s Golf VR included. Any of these are great choices for a gift this holiday season, and putting down your deposit should guarantee you receive the item and don’t have anyone disappointed, unless you got them the wrong color Nintendo Switch Lite.

Felicia Miranda/Digital Trends

GameStop specifically mentioned only game systems and hardware in its announcement of the layaway program. Because of this, we don’t anticipate video games themselves being available for layaway. Because a $25 down payment would be needed, it would not really make much sense to pay off the remaining $35 in smaller chunks, either.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

The GameStop layaway program also doesn’t need a credit check, requiring just an ID and the initial deposit. You must be at least 18 in order to participate, and there are no interest charges associated with the program. Your payments and pickup must be made at the same store where you made the initial deposit.

If you are waiting for the best possible deals on hardware before the holidays, we suggest waiting to participate in this program. Black Friday and Cyber Monday always provide huge discounts on game systems, often knocking more than $100 off their typical price. Just make sure you’re quick because the best deals don’t last very long online or in retail stores.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

Gaming

Steven Spielberg’s son made a robot-fighting game, and you can play it now

Three players fight a boss in Lynked: Banner of the Spark.

Lynked: Banner of the Spark is a new game by Max Spielberg, son of Steven Spielberg, and his new indie studio FuzzyBot. While Spielberg’s previous experience in the gaming industry was mainly focused on shooters like Medal of Honor and Battlefield, this new outing is a bit more colorful and laid-back while still leaning into gratifying action. That game is Lynked: Banner of the Spark, and it enters into early access on Steam today.

Lynked: Banner of the Spark is a cooperative action game where players fight robots in a postapocalyptic world. In practice, the game is much more vibrant and less dire than that premise makes it sound, as its colorful world is full of adorable robots. With solid roguelite and town-building gameplay loops to back that all up, Lynked is a solid alternative for those getting burnt out on other early access action games like Hades 2 and Towerborne.
Bite-sized Hades
Lynked: Banner of the Spark starts with a prison break. Players meet a friendly Unibot named Buddy and set off on an adventure to restore the Banner of the Spark, a group of helpful Unibots that helped restore the world after an apocalypse. To do so, players have to fight a lot of robots that aren’t as friendly toward humanity. That means Lynked is an isometric action game where players go on missions that all boil down to beating up hordes of evil robots called Combots.

Gaming

Nintendo’s new hardware announcement isn’t the Switch 2. It’s an alarm clock

An red Alarmo clock on a wooden bedside table. Somebody is adjusting the white knob on the top.

Nintendo dropped an unexpected announcement on Wednesday -- and no, it's not the one we've been waiting for. In the vein of novelty gadgets like the Labo VR headset, the company will release an alarm clock that can track your sleep and tell when you're still in bed.

The Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo will cost $100 when it releases in early 2025, although Nintendo Switch Online members can preorder it now, but just in the U.S. and Canada. It seems it'll be available at some standard retailers, although like other oddball Nintendo creations, it'll probably be in limited supply.

Gaming

Can’t get into Throne and Liberty? New server cap limits may help

A group of fantasy warriors fighting a golem in Throne and Liberty.

Amazon's latest MMO Throne and Liberty released at the start of this month, but players have had a harder time getting in and playing than they did clearing old-school Naxxramas. The game has reached player counts of 300,000 at peak since its first day, but the servers have been overwhelmed by the load.

Many players report that they're unable to create a character or transfer servers. Considering that everyone has access to free server transfers twice a day during this launch window, not being able to take advantage of this perk kind of puts a damper on things. According to PCGamesN, Amazon Games has raised the character creation limits on select servers to make it easier for new players to join and existing players to transfer.