Yes you will need an account to access the Eshop. There aren’t always deals on but right now it’s looking really good. Also some sites like cdkeys have some good deals from time to time, like Mario kart at the moment. I’ve bought keys from them before and you enter them into you Nintendo account and even get the gold coins to use as a discount for other purchases!Today bought a Nintendo Switch for £230 from a major grocery store (A) and a Ring Fit for £40 and Super Mario Odyssey for £35 from another major grocery store (T) - super chuffed for my *ahem* 8yr old boy! Can’t wait for Xmas day.
Do I need to open / turn on to create Nintendo game store account so that I can buy games from the store? Some great deals on there!
It’s possible to buy games directly from the switch so make sure that is controlled if you are giving this to an “8 year old”