I play video games for a living. Here are 5 things I'm buying today

Though I cover a wide range of different topics here at Windows Central, the vast majority of my writing is about games. Whether I'm reviewing a new release, putting together detailed guides for players Googling for help, or covering breaking news about new announcements or patches, it's safe to say that I pretty much live and breathe video games for a living. Therefore, during big sales events like Amazon Prime Day, I tend to buy things that make playing and accessing games more convenient or enjoyable, and also try to take advantage of hot deals on games I'm interested in trying but haven't had the budget to purchase at full price.

This year's Amazon Prime Day is just hours away from ending later tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT, so before it does, I'm pulling the trigger on five of the best deals I've seen on Amazon, Newegg, Green Man Gaming, and CDKeys for various different peripherals, services, and games I've been eyeing recently. Here's what I'm buying:

Logitech G502 Lightspeed wireless gaming mouse | was $149.99 now $75.99 at Amazon

My beloved Corsair Harpoon wireless gaming mouse has served me well for years, but I've wanted to upgrade to Logitech's G502 Lightspeed for a while now since it has 11 programmable buttons for macros, a more advanced optical sensor, a larger frame that'll fit my big hands well, and a nice thumbrest to boot. It's usually very expensive, but since it's nearly 50% off right now, I'm busting out an Amazon gift card I've been saving for a discount like this and finally sealing the deal.

💰Price check: $79.99 at Best Buy

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (3-months) | was $49.99 now $31.99 at CDKeys

Like many others here at Team Windows Central, I'm also splurging a bit to get a few three-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate codes ahead of the upcoming price hike. CDKeys is selling them for an incredible $18 off right now, which essentially means you can get three months of Game Pass for the price of two. Stock up while you can!

💰Price check: $44.99 at Amazon

Team Group T-FORCE VULCAN Z SATA SSD (1TB) | was $64.99 now $49.99 at Newegg

After getting several NVMe drives in recent years, I've been looking to add a SATA SSD to my gaming PC. This 1TB one from Team Group is normally $65, but thanks to this Newegg deal, you and I can snag it for $49.99 (there are similarly good deals for the 512GB and 2TB versions, too). Don't mind if I do!

💰Price check: $49.99 at Amazon

PowerA Play & Charge Kit for Xbox controllers | was $18.99 now $16.14 at Amazon

The leftover money from that Amazon gift card is going towards this bad boy while it's a few dollars cheaper so I don't have to worry about getting batteries for my Xbox controllers anymore. Even though I tend to stick to mouse and keyboard since I'm primarily a PC gamer, I use controllers for Elden Ring and other Souls-style titles and reusable batteries are a convenience I'm kicking myself for not buying into sooner. These ones are officially licensed by Microsoft for Xbox.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla | was $59.99 now $12 at GMG (PC, Ubisoft Connect)

Handy peripherals and affordable Game Pass codes are all well and good, but I didn't want to finish my Prime Day shopping without a new game to play. That's why I'm buying Assassin's Creed Valhalla while it's only $12 at CDKeys. I don't love how the newer Assassin's Creed games have veered away from stealth gameplay, but hey, vikings are cool, and I've been wanting to check this one out for a long time.

Also see: Deluxe Edition (CDKeys, Xbox) | Ragnarok Edition (CDKeys, Xbox) | Complete Edition (CDKeys, Xbox)

🔥THE HOTTEST PRIME DAY 2024 DEALS🔥

• Seagate Xbox Series X|S Expansion Card (2TB) | was $359.99 now $229.99 at Best Buy
• Xbox Series X (1TB) + free $50 Best Buy gift card | was $499.99 now $449.99 at Best Buy
• Lenovo Legion Go (512GB) | was $699.99 now $599.99 at Best Buy
• Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (3-months) | was $49.99 now $31.99 at CDKeys
• LG Class C3 Series OLED Evo TV (65-inches) | was $1,699.99 now $1,399.99 at Best Buy
• Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor (AW3423DWF) | was $899.99 now $699.99 at Dell
• ASUS 65W USB Type-C charger | was $64.99 now $29.99 at Best Buy
• HP Victus 15.6 (Ryzen 5, RTX 4050) | was $979 now $599 at Walmart
• Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max + Xbox Wireless Controller + Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (1-month) | was $119.98 now $78.90 at Amazon
• UPsec xScreen for Xbox Series S | was $249.99 now $159.99 at Amazon
• Logitech G502 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Mouse | was $149.99 now $75.99 at Amazon

Why I'm buying these deals (and why you should too)

There are hundreds of gaming-related deals available for Amazon Prime Day 2024 — why are these five the ones getting my money? It's a good question, and ultimately, the answer is that they all either help me do my job more efficiently, will enhance my gaming experiences outside of work, or give me a chance to play something I've been hoping to try without having to pay full price for it.

My biggest purchase is the Logitech G502 Lightspeed, down to just $75.99 (was $149.99). I love my trusty Corsair Harpoon wireless gaming mouse, but it's a tad small for my hand and lacks some features I want like lots of customizable buttons for macros, tuning weights, and a comfy thumbrest. The Logitech G502 Lightspeed is larger and has all those things, along with improved battery life to boot. Therefore, I've wanted it for quite some time (we called it one of "the best gaming mice out there" in our review) and thanks to this markdown I can get it with a gift card I received as a gift recently.

CDKeys' huge $31.99 sale price on three-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate codes (was $49.99), meanwhile, allows me to stock up on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate time ahead of the major upcoming Game Pass changes and price hikes. Soon, Game Pass Ultimate will cost $19.99/month instead of $16.99, so this opportunity to get three months for the price of two at the service's current prices is fantastic. I often use Game Pass on both Xbox and PC to play games I'm covering for work, so buying a few of these discounted codes is a no-brainer.

• Prime Day 2024 deals on laptops, mini PCs, gaming accessories, and more
• Best Steam Deck and ROG Ally deals during Prime Day
• Best accessory deals to upgrade your ROG Ally or Steam Deck this Prime Day
• Best Xbox controller deals from all retailers this Amazon Prime Day

Then there's Team Group's T-FORCE VULCAN SATA SSD for $49.99 (from $64.99) and PowerA's Play & Charge Kit for Xbox controllers at $16.14 (was $18.99), both of which will bring some nice convenience to my day-to-day gaming. With the former, I'll be able to install plenty of extra games on my PC without having to worry about making room by uninstalling others; with the latter, I won't have to buy packs of disposable batteries to keep the controllers I use on Xbox and my desktop rig juiced up, which will save me plenty of money in the long run. Frankly, neither of these deals are showstoppers — especially not the PowerA one — but saving a few bucks on things I can genuinely put to good use is great.

Finally, I felt like finally treating myself to Assassin's Creed Valhalla (we gave it a 4/5 score in our review) once I saw that it's dropped to a ridiculously low $12 at Green Man Gaming (down from $59.99). Huge price drops on AAA games as big as Assassin's Creed are incredibly rare, and even though I'm not a fan of how recent titles in the series have sidelined stealth mechanics in favor of flashy action combat, I am a big fan of Norse mythology and Viking-themed stuff in general. Because of that, I've wanted to check it out for a long time, and now I can without having to fork over $60 (nearly all the Assassin's Creed games are just $12 or less right now, by the way).