The weekend’s best deals: Google Chromecast, Apple AirPods, and more

It’s the weekend, which means the time has come for another Dealmaster. Our latest roundup of the best tech deals from around the web includes a nice discount on Google’s Chromecast with Google TV, as the 4K streamer is down to $40 at various retailers. We’ve seen this deal pop up a few times in the past, but it’s still a good $10 below Google’s MSRP. While we have seen the streaming dongle available for $5 less once before, that deal required you to sign up for a month of Sling TV service; the current discount matches the best price we’ve seen otherwise.

In any event, we continue to recommend the Chromecast to those in need of an affordable streaming stick. It’s quick enough for most needs, its remote is sensibly laid out, and it supports all the major apps and HDR standards (plus Dolby Atmos). Most notably, we find Google’s UI to be significantly better at organizing and surfacing content you might actually like than competitors from Amazon and Roku. Some users have complained that the Chromecast’s 8GB of internal storage is insufficient, but that’s unlikely to be a major issue unless you need to download an especially high number of apps. And while reports suggest that Google will launch some sort of Chromecast device later this year, it’s unclear if there’ll be a true successor to this streamer or a new lower-end device aimed at 1080p playback. For casual 4K streaming, the Chromecast should still make finding something to watch quick and convenient.

If you don’t need a new streamer, we’ve also got lower-than-usual prices on Apple’s third-gen AirPods and AirPods Pro, CPUs from Intel and AMD—including one deal that makes Intel’s high-end i7-12700K chip cheaper than the non-overclockable i7-12700 we reviewed positively last month—Tile Bluetooth trackers, gaming keyboards, loads of video games, and much more. You can check out our full curated list below.

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

Featured deals of the day

Electronics deals

• Apple AirPods (3rd gen) true wireless earbuds for $150 ($165) at Amazon, Walmart
• Apple AirPods Pro true wireless ANC earphones for $175 ($188) at Amazon, Target, Walmart
• Apple iPad (256GB) 10.2-inch tablet for $429 ($455) at Amazon, Walmart
• Apple iPad Air (256GB) 10.9-inch tablet for $679 ($715) at Amazon, Walmart
• Apple Watch SE (40 mm) smartwatch for $229 ($250) at Amazon, Walmart
• Apple Watch SE (44 mm) smartwatch for $249 ($290) at Amazon, Walmart
• Apple Watch Series 7 (41 mm, Green) smartwatch for $309 ($355) at Amazon
• Apple Watch Series 7 (45 mm) smartwatch for $359 ($390) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy

Laptop and desktop PC deals

• HP Pavilion Aero 13 13.3-inch laptop (Ryzen 7 5800U, 1920×1200, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for $730 ($840) at HP
• HP Envy 14 14-inch laptop (Core i7-11390H, 2240×1400, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, GeForce RTX 3050 4GB GPU) for $1,000 ($1,350) at HP
• Apple Mac Mini (Apple M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for $570 ($650) at Amazon (discount in cart)
• Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition 15.6-inch gaming laptop (Ryzen 9 5980HX, 1080p 300 Hz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Radeon RX 6800M GPU) for $1,300 ($1,600) at Best Buy
• Intel Core i7-12700K 12-core/20-thread desktop processor for $328 ($380) at Best Buy
• AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12-core/24-thread desktop processor for $385 ($470) at Amazon

Gaming deals

Accessories and miscellaneous deals

Video game deals

• Unpacking (PC) for $16 ($20) at GOG (also on Game Pass)
• Disco Elysium – The Final Cut (PC) for $14 ($25) at GOG (PS4, Xbox versions for $20)
• Death’s Door (PC) for $12 ($17) at GOG (also on Game Pass)
• Inscryption (PC) for $14 ($19) at GOG
• Judgment (XBS, PS5) for $20 ($30) at Xbox, PSN (PS4 version for $15)
• Halo Infinite (Xbox) for $20 ($55) at Walmart (also on Game Pass)
• Halo: The Master Chief Collection (Xbox, PC) for $16 ($25) at Xbox (also on Game Pass)
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Game of the Year Edition (Xbox, PC) for $10 ($15) at Xbox, GOG
• Hot Wheels Unleashed (XBS, XB1, PS4, PS5, Switch) for $25 ($38) at Xbox, PSN, Nintendo eShop
• Psychonauts 2 (Xbox, PC) for $36 ($50) at Xbox (also on Game Pass)
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – GOTY Edition (PC) for free ($10) at Amazon (Prime required)

• Quake (Switch) for $4 ($10) at Nintendo eShop (also on Game Pass)
• Metroid Dread (Switch, used) for $30 ($60) at GameFly
• Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Switch) for $15 ($20) at Target, Walmart
• Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Switch) for $40 ($50) at Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop
• OlliOlli World (Switch, Xbox, PC, PS5, PS4) for $24 ($29) at Amazon, Nintendo eShop, Xbox, PSN
• FAR: Changing Tides (Switch) for $16 ($20) at Nintendo eShop (also on Game Pass)
• Shin Megami Tensei V (Switch) for $40 ($50) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy
• Sonic Mania (Switch) for $10 ($15) at Nintendo eShop
• Sega Genesis Classics (Switch) for $12 ($20) at Nintendo eShop

• It Takes Two (PS4, Xbox) for $16 ($25) at Walmart, GameStop (also on Game Pass)
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits (PS5, PS4) for $24 ($35) at PSN (PS Plus required)
• Catherine: Full Body (PS4) for $10 ($25) at PSN
• Persona 5 Royal (PS4) for $24 ($30) at PSN
• The Last of Us Part II (PS4) for $20 ($25) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy, PSN
• Death Stranding (PS4) for $20 ($30) at Amazon, Best Buy (PS5 upgrade for $10)
• Hitman 3 (PS5, PS4, Xbox) for $20 ($30) at Amazon, Best Buy (also on Game Pass)
• Deathloop (PS5, PC) for $25 ($35) at Amazon, Best Buy
• The Nioh Collection (PS5) for $40 ($50) at Best Buy, GameStop, PSN
• Sackboy: A Big Adventure (PS5, PS4) for $30 ($40) at Target, Best Buy, GameStop
• Yakuza: Like a Dragon (PS5, PS4, Xbox) for $20 ($35) at Amazon, Best Buy (also on Game Pass)