Recent days have, as is only sensible at this time a year, seen Nintendo up the ante with its marketing for the Wii U and 3DS, with some of its trailers even being spotted in actual TV commercial breaks. The Wii U messaging has been very much focused on the reasons for families to upgrade to the system, whereas the new 3DS trailer that's been released has a more confident, assured tone.
The handheld is on a roll at present, with major releases queuing up in recent months to make it the top-selling games system in various territories in recent months — an honour it's held six months in a row in the US, for example. With a library of established games and the 2DS also on the market, the commercial below targets young gamers and emphasizes the range of fun games on offer.
It's all very photogenic and happy, but that's ultimately what the Holiday season is supposed to represent. This effort seems to do a good job of highlighting the various models, games and selling points when targeting children, especially with less than 30-seconds in which to make the message clear. Check it out and let us know what you think.
Comments 62
3DS gets all the attention, meanwhile the Wii U is left behind :/
This commercial makes me feel old.
"It's just the best!"
"Duh!"
Now make awesome commercial like this FOR WII U and watch Wii U's sales increase.
I can get behind a "Because it's Nintendo" ad campaign.
@Omarsonic9 That would work really well. Only problem is, i have horrible cable, so I'd have to watch it off youtube.
Poor lonesome WII U...
Okay now do one with Wii U. Same set up.
I understand some people think the Wii U is forgotten this holiday but think about it. The PS4 is out and soon to be the XB1. The Wii U can't really fight a battle it can't win especially only one game will be out which is Mario 3D World. It's more appropriate to focus on what's stronger now. I'm sure 2014 will be the REAL year for Wii U.
@DestinyMan True. But honestly, a 30 second commercial is not enough time to show all the awesome games the 3DS has to offer.
@sevex I can see how the children in the commercial can make us veteran gamers feel old. But Ninty doesn't have to advertise to us. We know how great this system is. This commercial is mainly an attempt to get children to want a 3DS(2DS) for the holidays. Pretty smart I'd say.
Guys, we posted a Wii U trailer last week, and I linked to it in the article. There is marketing for the Wii U (whether there's enough is a fair argument), but Nintendo's hardly going to pretend the 3DS doesn't exist; it wants to maximise those sales too!
I like this commercial... short, sweet and to the point. 3DS and 2DS ads are on very heavy rotation on most channels here right now. We celebrate Santa Claus on December 6th and Nintendo are going all out now with publicity for the handhelds to capture that market. But i'm also starting to see more Wii U ads for Zelda and Wii Party U.
...because Nintendo won't properly support their new home console.
wow i feel old...
I am so amused that the basic 3DS just doesn't exist, any more.
Zelda is rated 7 - that was an ad for E for Everyone games. . . ..
wiiu needs a commercial showcasing the awesomeness that is wiiu, WW Pikmin,3d world,Wiisports. Kids playing on the gamepad in bed. saying its like a monster sized DS...There a few wiiu commercials but they are all focused on one game. We need to showcase its ever growing library
Hey Nintendo if your going to market to North America, maybe include more than pretty white children in your commercials? Some of us here colored folk have grown up with you too, would be nice to be recognized.
I play 3DS, so apparently I'm a 7-10 year old child.
That didn't even make me facepalm. Actually, that was quite good. Well done, Nintendo!
Why buy a 3DS? Better game selection and cheaper price than Wii U.
Saw an add for the golden Zelda 3DS and was tempted.
I think it was a good commercial, very holiday, on point. No complaints here.
Anybody have any knowledge of the inner workings of Nintendos advertising? Seems like the Wii U commercials are slways really odd, this one seemed spot on. Maybe Im just thinking of Japans commercials but the real life Pikmin 3 one and dome others might sell the game but not the system. This commercial sells both the dystems and the games, the Wii U needs commercials for yhe Wii U, not just the games.
Well at least it wasn't as cringe and patronizing as the recent Wii U ads and being a Christmas ad it doesn't feel too cheesy that's it's kids playing with their families and stuff.
@Tra_Venous
Yeah, me too.
Meanwhile Wii U gets marketing everyone pretends does not exist
Why does the girl who play pokemon look so frigthned?
I've seen the Wii U commercial on tv. And I'm getting one for Christmas one way or another.
Wow! I love this the christmas spirit is awsome in this ad. And plus .. Try to find something nicer then received a mario game on christmas day and play with your family while its snowing outside!
I do not understand how to continue promoting a portable fold, half open ... In short.
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@DestinyMan umm the first guy is playing a Zelda 3DS XL
Because it's Nintendo? Nuff said.
Cuz of the few region-locked JRPGs trickling down the pipeline.
Hmm, I can't watch videos on the net, but judging from the tone of comments, it's spot on. Ninty should do this for Wii U. Advertise it's great array of games and features.
I really liked this commercial.
Now if only Nintendo could answer why we should play Wii U?
Words of advice. Please roll with the slogan "Because it's Nintendo" it has a lot of potential.
Reggie please.
@Arcamenel Seriously? You HAVE to find racism, of all things, in a VIDEO GAME COMMERCIAL?
You see, this is why gamers are not to be taken seriously.
@FutureAlphaMale Younger - Zelda is 3+ at least on the box I saw today. (Ocarina of Time by comparison is 12+) all I know for certain off the top of my head.
The games are too easy for a 6 year old I know.
@JuanitoShet: It's a legitimate request that doesn't deserve to be pooh-pooh'd. Perhaps they'll remedy the lack of diversity in following commercials within the same campaign.
@Savino
Exactly I don't care about brand I only care about games and 3DS has them
@Zyph The WiiU had a ffull year to itself with no next gen competition, and it totally squandered it. Every time Nintendo doesn't take advantage of some period to advertise or sell the WiiU, some people keep saying it's smart of them to hold off, so they can take advantage of the next period. Then the next period disappoints, and they say the same tings again. 2013 was supposed to be WiiU's year, but it failed to compete against the curren gen offerings. Now the next gen systems are launching, and Nintendo still hasn't given a convincing argument as to why people should buy the WiiU! People keep saying things like people will buy it once it has good games, but Pikmin 3, Rayman Origins, and Wind Waker HD have not brought it anywhere near the level of sales it needs to be competitive. Super Mario 3D World lookss fantastic and many say it will boost sales, but an Intergi survey found an abysmal 1% of gamers want a WiiU this holiday season! I love my WiiU, and don't want Nintendo to scrap it, but at this point I doubt it can recover. Nintendo has absolutely no chance of achieving its projected 9 million sales by the end of the fiscal year, not when it's made less than half that in a full year, most of which were within the first few months of launch.
Really nicely done commerial
If it snowed where I live, I sure wouldn't be playing video games...
But that's because I get snow about once every ten years. Nicely done commercial though.
@Arcamenel You know, you can watch a thirty second commercial without worrying about racism. Besides, that boy at 0:04 looked colored to me. Plus, there have been plenty of Nintendo ads with colored people like this one for instance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euKBEVs3RVo
And then this one from 0:36 to 0:58.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWGgEr8vZQ0
Why does the 2DS and 3DS XL have all the fame? What happened to the original 3DS? They'll stop making them soon, I know it...
That is was actually a pretty good commercial, now it's time for the WII U to shine!
@theblackdragon The diversity thing is a total none issue. Just isn't important or relevant. (Don't understand why people are bothered in any way shape or form about such nonsense).
@unrandomsam The way I see it, we're all people regardless.
That reminded me a lot of the Pokemon XY commercial
@Arcamenel
There is a black kid playing pokemon with the girl.
@unrandomsam: While diversity in this commercial campaign may not be an issue for you, not important or irrelevant in your eyes, it does seem to be an issue for others. It's great that you don't have a problem, but you (and JuanitoShet, and Giygas_95) do not speak for everyone, i'm afraid.
ah i need to go back and play animal crossing haven't played it since pokemon. forgot about all the fun holiday stuff
how come they didn't include games like Kid Icarus Uprising, Mario Party Island tour, Super Mario 3D Land,etc
I feel I play3ds becuse it has so much content and games I do just about everything with it
Nintendo's Marketing is abhorrently wrong... I don't want to see scripted people on the ads. It should be about the gameplay and the machines i.e. (3DS / Wii U) not on the people... GAMEPLAY NOT PEOPLE! [That's just my personal opinion...]
It got my attention, even though i already have a 3DS
@Zyph what battle? The xBone and ps4 have zilch as far as interesting games this year.
The Wii U has a monster of a lineup of exclusives, Pikmin 3, Zombi U, Lego City(I wasn't a fan personally), Wind Waker HD, Wonderful 101, Monster Hunter 3, Super Mario 3D World....
I'm looking at all the exclusive launch games on the PS4 and none of them rise to the level of the Wii U's worst exclusive. I'm looking at the release schedule and nothing interesting to play on the PS4 in the next 4 months.... By E3 2014, the Wii U will add X, Bayonetta 2, Mario Kart 8, Smash, DKCRTF. The library of exclusives is just amazing...... Will the exclusives on the PS4 or xBone even come close to that by E3?
The way I see it, Nintendo will have the most impressive library of exclusives this holiday season and into the first 6 months of 2014.... I'm thinking holiday 2014 is the time to buy a secondary console (I'm leaning towards Steambox personally, I want to stay out of the 30fps ghetto of Sony and Microsoft)
@element187 Seriously, the "amazing" PS4 launched with like... two exclusives that were met with "mehs" and the other three or four are all either re-hashes or games already playable on older consoles... Wii U will definitely take home the cake for being my favorite console of all time once the big games roll in. Heck, X, MK8 and Smash alone will entertain me for a LONG time.
I liked it, short simple and right to the point. It looks like the original 3DS is quietly being phased out (at least here in the US, but that doesn't surprise me with the 2DS out now)
@Neo-GeoFan No kidding. Like, every trailer shows an XL screen, and then commercials like these, where it's all XL and 2DS users presented.
The original model still has its purpose, if only because of the cheap refurbs available from Nintendo. I got a Midnight Purple one for my lady in an effort to get her into Monster Hunter.
Just showing games that mostly everyone has, I was disappointed they didn't show any of the new games or OOT.
@B3ND3R LOL did you even play Resogun or WarFrame and also Contrast those are PS4 exclusives and are amazing indie titles and guess what more are coming next year as well other PS4 titles which y'all keep contradicting yourselves stating that PS4 drought is coming LOL. So to say that Nintendo has "better" titles which are mostly "ports" too is biased contradicting and that's rather slim to me.
@Tobias95
girl who play Pokemon is very cute and convincing that she is actually playing the game. Make us want go buy 3DS and Pokemon!
This commercial hit spot on. Was very well done and seems like it will be very effective... if I didn't own most of those games already, I'd want them even more Only one I don't have is Luigi's Mansion but I plan to get it some day
@D3athBr1ng3r187 Incorrect. Based on the sales figures, the 3DS games are better, because they are more popular, and thus sell more copies. So it is accurate to say that Nintendo, in general, has better titles. Pokemon X and Y alone could beat any game Sony has ever had, for any of their systems, in popularity. The Mario franchise is also rather big, and difficult to contend with, Mario Bros. is a household icon.
The only one that Sony has for the PS series that I can even recall having a following is now dying out, Final Fantasy is just dead now.
@D3athBr1ng3r187 Welcome to the wrong website, PS Troll I played Resogun, which is actually pretty fun, but I do not see it as a reason to buy a PS4... I HAVE and PLAY Warframe on my gaming PC (which you ignorantly called an "exclusive"... Do some research), so why the heck would I buy a PS4 for that?! As for titles coming out in the future, I know they're coming, but they don't interest me. It's also pretty hypocritical to blast Wii U for ports when a majority of PS4's poor launch releases are in fact.... wait for it.... PORTS... Now, if a big title like Persona 5 rolls around as a PS4 exclusive or if there's something I feel like I WANT to play, then I will most likely buy one... Right now just isn't the time since I have a Wii U, 3DS, and PC to keep me entertained... Besides, there IS a drought at the moment for PS4, and there will be one for XB1. All console launches historically have had droughts, but I guess you are too young to remember any previous ones. Oh, and I'd rather have FREE online services than paying for PS+ (which is now required to play online)... It was cool on PS3, but now they are just pushing it. I used to be a huge fan of Sony as well as Nintendo, but the recent influx of jerks in the PS community is a turn-off.... Ok, rant over, go back to your PS4-fanboy website and leave those of us who are happy with our fun console alone.
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