Gaming & Culture —

First US Nintendo 3DS commercial: this is a hard one to market

The Nintendo 3DS has quite the marketing challenge, as there is no way to show …

Nintendo has a very interesting challenge when it comes to promoting the 3DS: there is no way to show a 3D image on a screen that isn't, well, 3D. That means that the system's largest selling point is going to be functionally invisible until someone tries a system at a store or promotional event, or buys one.

Nintendo has tried to get around this with its first 3DS commercial for the US market. It features clever editing and a few tricks of perspective to give you the feeling of playing with the system without actually doing so. Take a look, and tell us if you think it's a success.

Nintendo 3DS

For my money, it's a good commercial, but the question of how to best market a 3D system is a tough one. When people in the industry ask me what it's like to play the 3DS, I find it hard to describe the 3D effect; even with the system in my hand it feels like a magic trick. I've been in a room with multiple people playing a game and have seen some people turn the 3D effect all the way up while others rub their eyes after only a few minutes.

The review units should be hitting the gaming sites soon—I'm currently sitting in front of my door waiting for the delivery man, looking like this—and even when we all share our thoughts on the American hardware it's still going to be important that you try before you buy. (Expect some very awkward game screenshots that are labeled so you're aware that they're a 2D image of a 3D game.) The 3D simply hits everyone's eyes in different ways, and you'll never know how you'll react until you experience it first-hand. 

But what else are they supposed to do? Advertising the system is going to be hard, and woe unto the retail clerks who have to deal with "migraine" as a reason for a return.

You must to comment.

Channel Ars Technica