Update (9/23/2017 1:10 PM ET): Several Black Friday sales have now begun, so we've updated this post to mark various discounts that have gone live since its publication.

Original post: Brace yourself for Walmart fights and snarky tweets about capitalism, because Black Friday is nearly here. Once again, the day after Thanksgiving—and in many cases the days before that—will see retailers across the country pushing an avalanche of sales to the gift-needy public.

And once again, many of those “discounts” won’t be discounts at all. Year after year, the corporate holiday isn’t quite the deals bonanza it proclaims to be. Many of the devices on sale either won’t be priced significantly lower than they are at other points in the year or just won’t be worth buying to begin with.

After sorting through the early ad scans and retailer offers for this year’s Black Friday, we’re confident this trend will continue. That said, even if just a fraction of the several thousand sales on show are worth getting, that still leaves more than a few diamonds in the rough.

So to help you shop smarter, we’ve started rounding up the handful of tech deals currently advertised for next week that genuinely look promising. While most of these discounts aren’t live just yet—and while many of them will likely be available in limited quantities—feel free to bookmark this page and check back when everything hits.

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

Video games, VR, and gaming hardware

Sony PlayStation 4 (1TB) Buy Now (Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs .)

Gaming is typically one of the few reliable sources of deals on Black Friday, and this year should be no different. It should be especially welcome for anyone who hasn’t picked up a current-generation console yet: Amazon, Best Buy Target , and Newegg have already marked the 1TB slim version of Sony’s PlayStation 4 down to $200 , which is $100 off its list price.

Kohl’s might have the best offer here, though, as it says it'll throw in $60 of store credit with the purchase once its deal goes live. The one catch is that cash will only be redeemable from November 26 to December 5. GameStop, meanwhile, is also offering the $200 PS4 deal as of this writing. It says it will include a $50 gift card once Black Friday rolls around, though that may only apply to select bundles or in-store purchases.

As for Microsoft, many of those same retailers are offering the base 500GB version of the Xbox One S for $189, about $60 off its usual going rate. There are a few bundles here worth noting: Target says it’ll throw in a $25 gift card, and Kohl’s says it’ll include $45 of limited-time store credit. Best Buy is advertising a bundle with Madden NFL 18 and an extra controller for $230, while Microsoft says it’ll include a free “select game of choice” (i.e., nothing super new).

A ton of games will be discounted across retailers to go along with this. There are simply too many to list here, but some personal highlights include Destiny 2 for $27 (live now), Call of Duty: WWII for $40 (live now), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for $49 at Walmart, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus for $25 (live now), and Horizon Zero Dawn for $20 (live now). For a more complete look, Reddit user StryderOmega has compiled a handy spreadsheet listing many more game discounts.

Xbox One S (500GB) Buy Now (Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs .)

Beyond that, there looks to be a few decent deals on gaming accessories. Various retailers say Sony’s DualShock 4 (live now) and Microsoft’s Xbox One controller will be priced at $40. Normally those sit in the $50-R60 range. Best Buy also says it’ll sell Logitech’s G29 Driving Force racing wheel peripheral for $200, down about $50-$60 more than usual.

For those interested in virtual reality, both Best Buy and Newegg say they’ll offer the Oculus Rift and Touch controller bundle for $350 (live now), a $50 price cut. Target, meanwhile, is currently offering Sony’s PS4-only PlayStation VR headset for $200, which is $100 off its usual price. Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart also have a bundle that includes the PS4, a PlayStation VR headset, and Gran Turismo Sport for $300, again $100 off its typical going rate.

Don’t get your hopes too high for sales on most of the absolute newest consoles, though. None of the major retailers say they'll have significant deals on the Nintendo Switch or Xbox One X. The PlayStation 4 Pro, however, does have one advertised offer: GameStop says it'll sell the 4K-capable console for $350 (live now), a $50 discount.

Amazon devices

Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote Buy Now (Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs .)

Per usual, Amazon plans to put out deals on a rolling basis, beginning on November 17, a full week before Black Friday actually begins. Unsurprisingly, it's heavily advertising the fact that many of its own devices will be discounted.

Those deals include the Echo Dot available for $30, the second-generation Echo for $80, the Fire TV Stick with Alexa remote for $25, the Kindle Paperwhite for $90 (live now), the Fire HD 8 tablet for $50, and the Fire HD 10 for $100, among other cuts. All of those deals range from $15 to $50 off. Note that they'll be available at numerous retailers besides Amazon, too.

Google devices

Google Home Mini Buy Now (Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs .)

Several retailers are also advertising sales on a number of Google-made devices. The Google Home Mini , for one, will be marked down at $30 at most major stores, a $20 price cut (live now). Both Target and Best Buy are offering $10 gift cards there, while Walmart says it’ll let you take $25 off a future order if you link a Google Express account at checkout.

Besides that, the larger Google Home will be available for $80, $50 off its usual going rate. Both Walmart and Best Buy say they’ll offer the standard Google Chromecast for $20, a $15 discount, while other retailers say they’ll have it for $25. Best Buy also says it’ll have the 4K-ready Google Chromecast Ultra for $54, which is $15 off.

Apple devices

Black Friday should be a decent day to buy an iPad: Target, Best Buy, and Walmart say they’ll offer the 9.7-inch iPad for $250 (live now), about $80 off its normal price. Target and Best Buy also say they’ll offer the 64GB 10.5-inch iPad Pro for $530 (live now), which is a $120 price cut.

Apple iPad (32GB) Buy Now (Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs .)

Beyond that, Target’s Black Friday ad says it’ll have the Apple Watch Series 1 for $180 (live now) , which is $70 off for those who can live with the more basic hardware. Best Buy will have a few MacBook Pro configurations on sale, too; it’s advertising a 13-inch model with a Core i5 (7th-gen), 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD for $1,150, for instance, which is $150 lower than it’d usually be (live now).

To answer the lingering question: yes, there are offers listed for the iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus, but most of them are loaded with caveats. For now, we’re hesitant to outright recommend them.

Target, for instance, says it’ll give a $250 gift card with activation of an iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus—with similar offers for Samsung and Google phones—but it appears to be in-store only. Best Buy says it’ll take $200 off the same devices, but only in the form of discounted monthly installments on select plans. Sprint is the only eligible carrier listed as of this writing. It, too, is offering a similar deal on high-end Samsung phones.

Walmart looks like it has the most promising iPhone deal, as it says it’ll offer a $300 gift card with activation of an iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, or iPhone X (or new Samsung Galaxy flagship). The company says the deal is only eligible for those who buy the device with an installment plan on AT&T or Verizon, though. It’s also worth noting that carriers have been offering $300 off deals on the iPhone X since the device launched, so there’s a little more bark than bite here.

Drones, laptops, headphones, smart home devices, and the rest

We’ll list other highlights from the early Black Friday deals that have been advertised, including a few that are live now, below:

Exercise caution with TV deals

While there’s no shortage of offers on TVs in the early Black Friday ads, many retailers are being vague about exactly which models will be on sale. Be sure to pay attention. Two sets from the same manufacturer may look the same, but sometimes little changes in branding can mean a big difference in picture quality.

As such, we’ll hold off on recommending most TV deals until we get a little more clarity next week. For now, here are a few deals that look like they could be worthwhile based on reviews around the Web: