Today’s Dealmaster is headed up by a nice deal on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate that makes six months of Microsoft’s Netflix-esque gaming service available for $45. That’s effectively a 50-percent discount, since the company typically charges $45 for a three-month membership.

The deal is available at a handful of retailers but works by emailing those who buy a three-month digital subscription code an additional three-month code shortly after purchase. Amazon, for one, says at checkout that it will email that bonus code “within two days of the purchase date.” The retailer says the offer is limited to one bonus code per customer but that it’s available to anyone, not just new Game Pass subscribers.

For the unfamiliar, Game Pass Ultimate rolls Xbox Live Gold, the standard Game Pass for Xbox consoles, and Game Pass for PC into one $15-a-month membership, or $180 a year. By contrast, a year of Xbox Live Gold normally costs $60 on its own, while a year of Game Pass costs $120, and a year of Game Pass for PC costs $60.

This is a better value if you have a rig capable of playing PC games, but either way the service has steadily grown into an excellent deal for Xbox One owners over the past year. Xbox Live Gold remains a requirement for Xbox One online play, and the Game Pass library now includes a few hundred downloadable games, many of which are genuinely worth playing.

The PC library isn’t as deep as the console one, and some games do leave the service over time. But the selection here covers big-name exclusives like Gears 5, Forza Horizon 4, and the major Halo games, well-known hits like Grand Theft Auto V and Rocket League, and smaller critically acclaimed games like Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Untitled Goose Game, and Outer Wilds. Microsoft has given no indication that it’s ditching the service with its next-gen Xbox Series X console, either. A service like this is best for people who plan to rotate between games, not spend months on one at a time, but these days, it’s totally feasible for Xbox One owners to get their fill playing exclusively from the Game Pass library and not have to buy games separately.

Something of note here is that Microsoft is currently running a deal that allows new Game Pass Ultimate subscribers to get their first month of service for $1. We’ve detailed this before, but it’s still possible to stockpile Xbox Live Gold service (up to 36 months) and convert it to Game Pass Ultimate for just that dollar extra, thanks to Microsoft’s prepaid conversion policy. This is likely a better option if you’ve never tried Game Pass Ultimate but already have a bunch of Xbox Live Gold (or standard Game Pass) subscription time left on your account.

If you’re not an Xbox person, though, we also have a bunch of discounts on Nintendo Switch games, deals on the Google Home and Amazon Echo devices, a variety of Bluetooth headphones and speakers on sale, and more. Have a look at the full rundown below.

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

Top 10 deals of the day

Laptop and desktop PC deals

• Acer Aspire 5 A514-52-78MD laptop – Intel Core i7-8565U, 14-inch 1080p, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD for $529 at Walmart (normally $699).
• Acer Predator Helios 300 gaming laptop – Intel Core i7-9750H, 17.3-inch 1080p 144Hz, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD, GeForce RTX 2070 8GB for $1,399 at Microsoft (normally $1,599).
• Apple MacBook Pro (late 2019) laptop – 2.3GHz Intel Core i9-9880H, 16-inch 3072×1920, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, Radeon Pro 5500M 4GB for $2,499 at B&H (normally $2,650).
• 24.5-inch Alienware AW2518HF gaming monitor – 1080p, TN, 240Hz, FreeSync for $335.99 at B&H (normally $400).

Nintendo Switch game deals

PS4 and Xbox game deals

• Gran Turismo Sport (PS4) for $9.99 at Target (normally $17).
• Yakuza Remastered Collection – Day One Edition (PS4) for $39.99 at Amazon and Walmart (normally $59.99).
• The Sims 4 (PC, digital) for $4.99 at Amazon (normally $19.99).
• God of War (PS4) for $9.99 at Target (normally $20).
• The Outer Worlds (XB1) for $29.99 at Amazon and Google Shopping (normally $37).
• Kingdom Hearts III (PS4) for $9.99 at Best Buy (normally $25).
• Death Stranding (PS4) for $29.99 at Amazon (normally $45).
• Red Dead Redemption 2 (XB1, digital) for $29.99 at Microsoft and GameStop (normally $39.99).
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition (XB1, PS4) for $14.99 at Microsoft and PlayStation Store ($19.99 at Amazon – normally $30).
• Resident Evil 2 (XB1, PS4) for $19.99 at Microsoft and PlayStation Store (normally $29.99).
• Life Is Strange (PS4, XB1) – requires Episode 5 download for $19.99 at Amazon (normally $39.99).
• Devil May Cry 5 (XB1, PS4) for $19.99 at Amazon, PlayStation Store, and Microsoft (normally $26).
• Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience (PS4, digital) for $5.99 at PlayStation Store (normally $19.99).
• Pre-order: Cyberpunk 2077 (PS4, XB1, PC) for $49.94 at Amazon (normally $59.99).

Gaming deals

TV and home entertainment deals

Electronics deals

Audio deals

• Sonos One SL home speaker for $129 at Amazon and Sonos (normally $179).
• Aukey Latitude EP-B40 Bluetooth sports earphones for $16.49 at Amazon (use code: 6L2BFMFS – normally $29.99).
• UE Boom 3 portable Bluetooth speaker for $79.99 at Google Shopping (normally $125).
• JBL Flip 5 portable Bluetooth speaker for $89.95 at Amazon and JBL (normally $105).
• Beats Powerbeats Pro true wireless earphones for $199.95 at Amazon (normally $249.95).
• Beats Solo Pro Bluetooth noise-cancelling on-ear headphones for $249.95 at Amazon (normally $299.95).
• Jabra Elite 85h Bluetooth noise-cancelling headphones for $199.99 at Amazon (normally $240).
• Sony WF-1000XM3 true wireless noise-cancelling earphones for $188.90 at Amazon (normally $228).
• Certified refurb: Bose QuietComfort 35 II Bluetooth noise-cancelling headphones for $199.95 at Bose via eBay (normally $349).
• Certified refurb: Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 Bluetooth noise-cancelling headphones for $279.95 at Bose via eBay (normally $399).

Accessories and miscellaneous deals

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