Microsoft brings "sexy back" to Xbox [update 1]

by Kyle Orland { Dec 1st 2006 at 11:45AM }

Is there a better way to diss the competition than by highlighting their faults in a delicious pop song parody? No, no there isn't, and former G4 host Laura Foy proves it with a Microsoft-produced video parody of Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back" cleverly titled "I'm Bringing Xbox Back."

Sure, the video exaggerates a bit when it says the PS3 "costs more than a brand new SUV" and seems a little out of touch when it calls Nintendo's Wii remote "wii-wii-wack" (What is this, 1992?). We also think it's a bit hypocritical to taunt the PS3 as "not compatible backwardsly" when we still can't play Psychonauts on our 360s.

Still, it's hard to stay mad when you're getting your groove on to an infectious dance beat. See what we mean by following the jump.

[Update: To clear up some confusion, this video is NOT just a personal clip made by some random Microsoft fan. Laura Foy is an employee of Channel 10, a Microsoft-owned video blog where the video was originally posted.]

Tags: Laura Foy, LauraFoy, Microsoft, Sexy Back, SexyBack, Xbox

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

mykie @ Dec 1st 2006 11:48AM

I read the title as "Sexy Black"

I can keep hoping, right?

bluto @ Dec 1st 2006 11:52AM

I would like to see Peter Moore and Bill Gates dancing to this.

footlong! @ Dec 1st 2006 11:55AM

haha, this was actually pretty cleverly done. I hate the actual song and I know this is cheesy as hell but it's good

Jeff @ Dec 1st 2006 11:55AM

Wow, MS moved down about 3 notches for this one.

Seriously, I have actually come to terms with the 360, but this video makes me think twice on picking one up.

Kestrel @ Dec 1st 2006 11:56AM

Why is Youtube used so frequently when their codecs produce awful terrible quality?! Also bad.

benjamin @ Dec 1st 2006 11:58AM

MS is a young lovable, huggable kinda' guy! Wiimote is whiggity whiggity whiggity whack!

bird @ Dec 1st 2006 1:41PM

don't forget the claim at 1080p they try to make in the video.

Regula Oblique @ Dec 1st 2006 12:55PM

This video is whiggity whiggity whiggity whack!

actually makes be wanna throw my 360 away.

anghus @ Dec 1st 2006 12:05PM

wow, this is embarrassing.

i cringed while watching this.

here's a hint: if you're gonna do a parody, try getting someone who can

a) sing
b) mix the song
c) not look like a albino dyke

Onomah @ Dec 1st 2006 12:09PM

I have some problems with the lyrics:

"Link wants his D-pad and his buttons back"
The wiimote has both buttons and a D-pad.

"...Huge hard drive..."
But not on the core model.

"Halo 3/ that's all i need to say seriously"
Can you play Halo 3 right now? do you know for certain when you will? can you actually cite something that doesn't fully exist yet as any kind of arguement?

In closing, I don't like this song. It's a bit irritating.

zerolink @ Dec 1st 2006 12:09PM

Wow this take fanboyism to a new level. Around 1:10 in the video, is it me or does it look like she has a...xbox fetish...

Ryan Eberly @ Dec 1st 2006 12:12PM

Still can't play ANY of the ESPN 2k5 series on my stupid 360 either. If I thought Madden was half as good as a 2 year old game, I'd buy it. I don't.

matthew @ Dec 1st 2006 12:42PM

this was clearly produced by Sony to make the 360 look retarded.

canebi @ Dec 1st 2006 12:20PM

If I had seen this 3 weeks ago before I got my 360 and Gears of War, I wouldn't have bought the system at all. It's that bad...

burn @ Dec 1st 2006 12:47PM

I miss the g4tv.com show. Laura Foy.. hot..

Marty @ Dec 1st 2006 12:52PM

"Can you play Halo 3 right now? do you know for certain when you will? can you actually cite something that doesn't fully exist yet as any kind of argument?"

Of course you can... ask any PS3 owner why they bought, and they'll tell you: Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, etc.

BlindsideDork @ Dec 1st 2006 12:25PM

One thing that was said in the Destrutoid blog...she is a former g4 person but also supposedly works for a Micro$oft site now. So it does appear especially fan"boy"ish.

#7 I agree with your part c.

Phenriz @ Dec 1st 2006 12:24PM

wow, just terrible.

actually that kind of makes me not want to buy a 360 now.

GunForHire @ Dec 1st 2006 12:25PM

This is hilariously bad. Kudos to you MS, that was rather funny, although not because of the content, rather the quality of the content!

MaX PL @ Dec 1st 2006 12:27PM

who says MS made this?

this looks like another one of the user made home videos you find on youtube.

this video has no class like which is unlike anything that MS makes.

BlindsideDork @ Dec 1st 2006 1:06PM

#15 MaX PL

You are right...M$ didn't make it, a fan did.

Jeff Sandquist @ Dec 1st 2006 12:59PM

Yes, Microsoft made this. :-) Laura works for me now at Microsoft and creates content for our Channel 10 community (http://on10.net). She wrote the song and filmed the video in our home.

Channel 10 is a sister site of Channel 9 (a popular developer community - http://channel9.msdn.com)

Nate @ Dec 1st 2006 1:00PM

Hahahaha @ people saying they don't want a 360 now because of this.

Some people are too damn sensitive. It's a joke...and even though it's not a very funny one, why would it deter you from a product? It's not even made by Microsoft....

Chedabob @ Dec 1st 2006 1:29PM

FUCKING HELL!!!

Get down off your high horses. Its meant to be a bit of fun. Stop taking it so seriously.

Kefka @ Dec 1st 2006 2:29PM

Alright, I'm not a fanboy or anything but this is ridiculous. Peter Moore... control your marketing crones.

First of all, this completely alienates the consumers who were willing to get their Xbox 360 along with their other consoles. It basically plays the other ones up as loser consoles, and as such those who own them are portrayed as losers.

Secondly, WHO THE HELL do you think you're appealing to with a crappy parody of a crappy Justin Timberlake song? I mean, if you even mention Justin Timberlake in a room full of sweaty nerds (even if they happen to be wearing pink and playing Viva Pinata) they'll cock an eyebrow and call you a fruit.

What the hell was with the chick pouring liquid out? If that's supposed to be a Wii joke I'll hurt someone.

Halo 3? It'll be good... but it's just pure arrogance to think that it's a be all end all reason to buy a 360 over the other systems. Why? In my opinion Zelda owns Halo. Also, PS3 will eventually have Metal Gear Solid 4... and Heavenly Sword looks pretty cool.

Perhaps most importantly though, that chick's voice was pretty damn annoying.

I really hate how Microsoft's strategy seems to be "we're cool, buy us cause we're the trend!" This is evident in their E3 '06 speach, "some guys like ducks, we like tattoos". It actually bothers me more than Sony's strategy of "we're better than you, buy us and some godliness might come packaged with your PS3." I like it when people play games because they like them, not because it's becoming popular.

In the 17 years I've lived on this earth, I've determined that people as a whole are disappointing. But it doesn't help knowing that we've succumb to letting four-year-olds run the marketing section of a multi-billion dollar company.

Daniel Davis @ Dec 11th 2006 4:18PM

I've had a really bad week, and I was going to kill myself this morning. Not one of those attention getting suicides, just a quick and dirty one. But then I started thinking, you know what? Imagine all those games I'll miss; Imagine how wonderful life is. But then I saw this. Goodbye cruel world.

DeezNuts420 @ Dec 1st 2006 12:46PM

Isn't she Tina Woods' boyfriend???

mike @ Dec 1st 2006 1:41PM

this video has no class like which is unlike anything that MS makes.

--

... Just wait... Vista's coming out next year..

Matt @ Dec 1st 2006 12:52PM

Hot lesbians ftw!

Dan @ Dec 1st 2006 12:53PM

This is awful. Just... awful.

IslandLife @ Dec 1st 2006 12:57PM

You see what happens kids when your career highlights include hosting a now cancelled show on one of the lowest rated cable network *cough* G4. As you can see by this video, there's no where to go but down.

WebPimp @ Dec 1st 2006 1:03PM

#7

You couldn't have said it better. It is pretty bad.

Matt @ Dec 1st 2006 1:04PM

While the concept to this video is funny, and it's obviously tongue in cheek, the actual song makes me want to shoot myself in the face.

Doom @ Dec 1st 2006 1:07PM

Wow, this somehow made a Justin Timberlake song seem better by comparison.

Pete C @ Dec 1st 2006 1:09PM

I swear some of you are fucking idiots. You actually think MS produced this video? Use your brains for once. This video was absolutely NOT produced by Microsoft. Kyle Orland has his head up his ass for saying something that stupid. Go read the actual story on the site...Laura Foy produced the video because of all the PS3 and Wii love, and wanted to give some back to the Xbox. It's supposed to be a JOKE.

Joystiq...stiq to the facts. This article has a blatant lie in it.

BIGGEN @ Dec 1st 2006 1:10PM

good god dicks, take a fucking joke for what it is. you people that analyze this kind of shit really need to get a life. just laugh, it's ok to.

AG @ Dec 1st 2006 1:35PM

Wow,

MS has stooped to a new low. If anything, I would think this would make people want to purchase the PS3 or Wii more!

Rob @ Dec 1st 2006 1:18PM

WOW...that was a train wreck. That was not needed at all.

Jason @ Dec 1st 2006 1:46PM

I couldn't watch the whole thing - it was that bad. I just feel bad for the girl when she's making such a fool of herself...and she seems to enjoy it...

x876543 @ Dec 1st 2006 1:22PM

I think I'm going to vomit...

Can we have a disclaimer on videos this bad, Joystiq?

Papa @ Dec 1st 2006 2:14PM

Tina Wood >>>>> Laura Foy

All day.

Spartacus @ Dec 1st 2006 1:27PM

LOL. Yeah, it was funny. But no, MS didn't make this, it's not quite their style. Funny how half the comments here are about how people don't want to buy a 360 due to a fan made parody simply because it insults the competition... Sony has been doing that for a long time.

Did I mention this video is funny?

Sithlet @ Dec 1st 2006 2:05PM

Entertaining idea with poor writing. If you're going to put stuff in a pardoy song, at least mock things that make sense. Point out Wii's current lack of online play. Point out the PS3's cost and scarcity. Etc etc. Use actual things. Don't say the PS3 isn't backwards compatible (it is), don't say the Wii lacks a d-pad or buttons (it doesn't), don't say the XBox has a huge harddrive (one 360 SKU does and the PS3 has bigger), etc etc.