Joel McHale, star of TV comedy Community, takes jabs at the often mocked “viral video industry” in Nintendo’s latest commercial for 3DS, its glasses-free 3D gaming console.
McHale touts inane characteristics of memorable viral clips (sneezing panda, anyone?) and discusses the organic nature of the web’s most-viewed comedic videos. McHale then kicks an intern in the groin, surrounds himself with bikini-clad women and slyly rattles off Nintendo 3DS features.
“It’s hard to make a commercial that people don’t realize is a commercial until it’s too late,” McHale says in the ad. “I mean, that’s like trying to convey the 3D image of the Nintendo 3DS within a lousy 2D video.”
Did we mention Mario and Luigi make cameos? Oh yeah, they do.
The 3DS rolled out in March 2011, and besides gaming, allows users to snap 3D pictures and shoot 3D videos. Less than six months later, sluggish sales forced Nintendo to slash the portable device’s price from $249 to $169. The company eventually reported major losses for the nine-month period ending Dec. 31, 2011, with 11.4 million units of the 3DS sold worldwide. The 3DS fared better than other Nintendo products.
Last month, Nintendo said it had sold 4.5 million 3DS devices in the U.S. within a year, selling faster than the gadget’s predecessor, the DS.
Nintendo recently expanded its 3D-video offering on the 3DS with the addition of 3D music videos.
More About: Advertising, Commercial, Gaming, humor, joel mchale, Nintendo, nintendo 3ds, viral, YouTube
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