Here’s What They’re Giving Away at those Nintendo Switch Popups

If you’re a frequent flier and a gamer, you need a Nintendo Switch in your life. The games are great, it’s ridiculously portable, splits apart for multiplayer on the plane and can even hook up to the TV where you land for gaming on a big screen. Nintendo isn’t paying me to say any of those things, but I do own a Nintendo Switch and a Switch Lite and I travel for a living.

Nintendo is paying for four pop-up lounges in four major airports around the United States:

• Dulles International Airport in Washington D.C. (Feb 13 – March 29)
• Seattle – Tacoma International Airport (Feb 13 – March 29)
• Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (Feb 13 – March 29)
• Dallas’ Love Field (Feb. 13 – March 26)

If you happen to be at those airports during those dates, here’s what you can expect.

The Games

Included among the available games will be The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild–which has won a whopping 189 “game of the year” awards because the artwork is beautiful, and the gameplay is the perfect blend of challenging and relaxing. It makes long-haul flights fly by and offers enough play time for you to fly around the world a couple of times without running out of game.

There’s also Mario Kart 8 Deluxe which is great for playing with friends (just remember to keep the in-flight yelling to a minimum), Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario Party, Tetris 99 (if you’re also a gamer from way back, you’ll appreciate that Switch has all of the original NES games available to play and download) and more.

The Giveaways

Don’t get too excited, there are no free consoles on offer which is the first thin you think when you hear the word “pop up” but, no such luck.

However, if you stop at a pop up to play with one, you can get a free Nintendo Switch luggage handle wrap and a $10 coupon from Target for Nintendo purchases over $75. And, since Target sells the Nintendo Switch, it’s $10 off of the console. That’s likely the only discount you’ll get for a Switch. They’re infinitely popular, they don’t have any direct competition and they’ve been around $300 ($200 for the Nintendo Switch Lite that comes without removable game pads) for quite a long time.

If you fall in love with a Switch on the spot, you can purchase one there and have it shipped to you within two days. It won’t do you any good on your flight, but if you can wait until you get home or want to get someone a gift (you can also buy the software at the popup and gift them a full-loaded console) it’s an easy (if not a cheaper) option.

“We hope travelers discover that Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite make great companions for their trips,” said Nick Chavez, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of sales and marketing in a statement. “Spending time with Nintendo games at our On The Go lounges will give people the opportunity to begin or end their journeys with a smile.”

And, for what it’s worth, I wholeheartedly agree.