Nintendo Switch NES-styled Joy-Cons are 50 percent off for the holidays

The old-school, original NES-styled Joy-Con controllers for the Nintendo Switch are on sale for half-off for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. Beginning tomorrow, Dec. 6, you can get the stylish gamepads for $29.99 if you have a Nintendo Switch Online account. And if you are a Twitch/Amazon Prime subscriber and paying attention, you should have a free year of that already.

The Nintendo Entertainment System Controllers are available through Nintendo’s online store. The sale runs through Jan. 10, 2020.

The NES Joy-Cons launched a year ago. They dock to the sides of a Nintendo Switch just like standard Joy-Cons, even though that makes for quite an odd sight. Nintendo has also expressly said the controllers are only compatible with the collection of classic NES games available to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers; our review last year also found them somewhat compatible with full Nintendo Switch titles.

So, your mileage may, and probably will, vary. But for those playing Tecmo Bowl, Excitebike, or Ice Climber with friends or family younger than age 25, they’re a treat and a reminder of console video gaming’s triumphant return to American households almost 35 years ago. And, of course, the timing of the sale matters, so maybe these make for a nice stocking stuffer for that hard-to-shop for video gamer on your list.