These are very difficult times, and it’s understandable that someone can go a little off the edge from time to time. As Norman Bates said in Psycho, “We all go a little crazy sometimes.” However, the new Xbox ad campaign has us a little concerned.
Microsoft has launched a new marketing campaign for its Xbox console and cloud gaming services called “This is an Xbox.” It features posters and commercials filled with various objects that are all “Xbox”, including laptops, smartphones, and Meta Quest 3.
Through thorough fact-checking, we have confirmed that none of these objects are Xboxes. That may sound like a stretch, but when we live in a world where there’s a real possibility that that goopy mass voiced by Tim Curry in Fern Gully could become Home Secretary, we take our chances. I have no intention of doing so.
The commercials are even more bizarre. Jump between objects like a flat screen TV, ROG Ally, and laptop while Black Sheep’s “The Choice is Yours” plays in the background. But this time, you’ll see a simple sentence: “This is an Xbox,” followed by a secondary clause or imperative. Does the AI software that powers our universe contain some kind of malware virus?
Dear Microsoft, we understand that this is an advertising campaign and that you don’t really believe that these non-Xbox items are “Xbox.” Of course, we want to talk about cloud gaming services that are available on all devices in the ad. But last I checked, you don’t need an expensive subscription to play games on a regular Xbox.
Also, this is the internet, a place where schemers, liars, and assholes gather. The current reality is harsh enough without discussing how things are. This feels like the kind of thing Job pulls when he finishes decorating the bagels in Everywhere All at Once.
microsoft
