Topic: Wii U Deals, any suggestions?

Hey everyone,

I'm hoping you guys can point me in the right direction. With MK8 out, the newly announced DLC, Wind Waker HD, Super mario 3d World already out, Hyrule Warriors, and Smash coming this year, and a drought for my PS4, I've decided to finally go ahead and purchase a Wii U!
That said, I'm on a tight budget. I'm looking for the best way to purchase a Wii U that supports Nintendo (so no ebay for used systems) and the best deal I've found so far is Nintendo's own refurbished system for $200.
I plan on purchasing Mario Kart 8, Wind Waker HD, and Super Mario World 3D right off the bat with the system, and the cheapest I've seen those games are:
MK8: $48
WWHD: $40
SM3DW: $48
All three prices are from Walmart, which is cheapest as of today.
Does anyone know of any better deals for the games or the system? I know Target had a deal for MK8 back when it was launched but i don't see anything happening now.
I'm open to ebay for the games but i'd rather Nintendo get my money.
Also, does anyone own a refurbished system from Nintendo? How is the quality?
Thanks!

I bought my son a refurbished U. Its exeptional in quality,not a scratch on the system ..It claims to not come with club nintendo coins but after linking your eshop account with club nintendo you should get your coins. Its a win win and you get nintendos standard one year warranty. The only thing the bundle wont come with is a charging cradle for the gamepad.

I got my Wii U Refurbished from Nintendo for $200. There were only minor scratches on the console itself. The gamepad was untouched! Also, you can find SM3DW at Walmart (used) for $36!

Thanks! Is the charging cradle the only way to charge the gamepad though? or is there still a way to charge it?

I went with the refurbished. Too good to pass up plus it even qualified for points with Nintendo Club. You really won't find a much better deal with a full Nintendo warranty.

Its just a small stand that connects to the gamepad power cord. So without it you would have to manually plug in your gamepad to charge it. Its just a convenience thing,nothing big.

@drumsandperc92 The refurbished systems are really good deal and the quality is high. However you will pay shipping and tax which you have to factor in. A site called Newegg sells the $300 bundles with free shipping and, most importantly, tax free in all but 3 states. That's where I bought my PS4, and my Wii U, and my brother's Wii U, and my Xbox One, and my 3DS from. Reputable site, and the cash saved through free shipping and no taxes really makes it the place to go for buying consoles.

As for games, I can't give you specific retailers for specific games but, I would highly recommend joining Gamer's Club Unlocked at Best Buy. It's $120 for 2 years, BUT, you get 20% off all new game purchases for that 2 years. They run 50% off sales for membership often- I scooped up 4 years of membership for that $120. When combines with Best Buy's already competitive pre order offers, this ends up being by far the cheapest route for the avid gamer. Most AAA games on PS4/X1 get $10 back for pre ordering, and many other games (like Mario Kart 8, Metro Redux and Natural Doctrine) get other pre order offers like $10 gift cards and $10 gas cards. I

Through this program I pay a fraction of MSRP. Metro Redux, for example. Got it in the mail yesterday. Was $49.99, with 20% off through GCU, with a $10 gift card for pre-ordering, and an additional 10% back in rewards for using the Best Buy credit card. Paid like 27 bucks for a brand-new game and got it the day of release shipped to my door. I can't stress how easy it is to save money with this program if you buy more than a couple new games per year. When $60 games become $48 with $10 preorder gift cards, and handheld games become $24-$32, buying games no longer breaks the bank.

Just yesterday they were running a deal of the day sale, DKC Tropical freeze for $39.99. 20% off through GCU brought it down to $31.99, brand new. A perfect price for a perfect birthday present for my brother. W101, on sale for $24 which means $19 through GCU. Another perfect price for a gift.

Anyways, that's what I would do. I'd buy a console bundle through Newegg. Free shipping and no tax combined with the free included game means you'll probably pay the same price as for a refurb unit only this way it'll be brand-new. Then I would sign up for Gamer's Club a Unlocked- hopefully you can join while it's 50% off. Then I would indulge and take advantage of the lowest prices you'll find for new games.

The best deal I have seen on a brand new deluxe was with new super mario bros/ super luigi combo disk for $259.99, but it was the Best Buy Black Friday in July special which only lasted 2 days. I picked it up at a local store to avoid shipping. Not sure if the will have some good black friday deals. I think the refurbished is a great deal.

Other then what others have mentioned the best thing would be to wait for the holidays. Some crazy bundles might come out that you might be interested in along with several places having deals on games then too. I know for example places like Target and Toys R Us have buy 2 get one game free sales. Also around the holiday times Amazon has really good deals on games.