Nintendo sends President Bush DS Lite, Brain Age

by Jason Wishnov { Jul 5th 2006 at 8:03PM }

At first glance, you might think we were kidding. We're not. President Bush turns a whole sixty years old tomorrow, and Nintendo of America felt fit to send him a birthday package of their own creation: a white DS Lite, a copy of Brain Age: Train Your Brain For Minutes A Day, and a nice congratulatory letter (read it after the break).

Aside from being absolutely ridiculous (guy at Nintendo who thought to do this, I love you), one must wonder if President Bush will receive the package personally and actually attempt to play a round. Just think! With rigorous training, President Bush may usher in a new era of world peace! Sudoku transcends all cultural barriers.

Marketing genius, Nintendo. I wonder what his initial Brain Age would be... (watches as the commenters rush to post the largest number they know)

Once again, the full letter from Nintendo after the break.

[via GoNintendo]

Dear President Bush:

Happy Birthday!
Don't worry, turning 60 is an exciting milestone. As you know, you've joined millions of other baby boomers in an invigorating new decade of your life. And, like many boomers, you may be looking for ways to keep your mind sharp. That's where we come in.

Please accept our gift of a new Nintendo DS Lite system and a copy of Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day. You now join millions of people around the world who have fun challenging themselves with Brain Age. If you have never played a video game before, don't worry. Brain Age is part of our new Touch Generations brand, which includes games that are easy for people of any age - regardless of their video game experience - to pick up and start playing immediately.

It's obvious you don't have a lot of time to play games, which makes Brain Age such a great activity for you - just a few minutes a day with more than 15 daily training tests will help keep your mind sharp. Training tests include categories like math, reading and memorization. Try it for a few days and watch your score improve. Brain Age also comes with more than 100 sudoku puzzles - these could make your next long flight on Air Force One a bit more fun! (Perhaps copies of Brain Age for journalists joining you on your next flight would be a nice distraction!)
Have fun exploring Brain Age with your Nintendo DS Lite and be sure to let us know your brain age!

Have a tremendous birthday!

Sincerely,

Your Friends at Nintendo

Tags: Air Force One, Birthday, Brain Age, President Bush, PresidentBush, Sudoku

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Marc @ Jul 5th 2006 8:26PM

HAHAHAHA!!!!!!

Oh wow! The only numbers that are going up higher everyday and, at the same pace as his apporval ratings are dropping, is his Brain Age!

Oh GOD I've been waiting for an excuse to say that!

DSgirl @ Jul 5th 2006 8:28PM

Hahaha, that's so awesome Nintendo!. I'm definitely not going start Bush-bashing, I'll leave that to everyone else.
I bet he won't play it though! It would be cool if he did tho... :P

...Jan... Medi @ Jul 5th 2006 8:32PM

Wow, they actually sent a present. I'm suprised they didn't make a special edition DS lite for him.
So 60. Let's see his Brain Age. Then let's compare it to those country wide tests he approves.
Anyway, I feel like Sony would try the same thing. Except, what good game would they give? Grand Theft Auto. lol...

Andres @ Jul 5th 2006 8:51PM

/_/ Hey! no fair! he doesn't deserve it! Give it to me! Im a needy nintendo fan! -.-'

peregrine @ Jul 5th 2006 9:01PM

Has anyone stopped to think about how BRILLIANT a marketing tactic this is?

This is exactly the kind of story that a major news network (especially FOX news) would pick up as a light hearted filler between stories. And who watches the news? The people that commute to work every day, or that takes business trips � Exactly the kind of person that Nintendo wants to reach with their "Touch Generations" brand.

So imagine hearing a story like this: Everyone's heard of Nintendo, and now, hundreds (or even thousands) of middle-aged folk hear Nintendo DS, Brain Age, AND Touch Generations in the same happy news blurb, and it brings a smile to your face.

So marketing guy at Nintendo that thought of this, we may salute you, but Nintendo's bottom line gives you a standing ovation!

Viewtiful @ Jul 5th 2006 9:07PM

pwned

dc @ Jul 5th 2006 9:48PM

Brilliant.

Nintendo just scored a definite buyer for the Wii. I have a DS Lite, but almost never play console games, but this just earned Nintendo so much respect. Ridiculously awesome.

Let's see if it translates into any intelligence for our oh so worthy leader.

Marc @ Jul 5th 2006 10:56PM

peregrine,

riiiiiight. I'm fine with letting middle-aged people see this on the news, but don't ruin the fun for the online community O.K.?

Crazylink @ Jul 6th 2006 12:02AM

I wonder if they'll give one to Jack Thomson.

Mr.F @ Jul 6th 2006 1:06AM

I won't bother taking a potshot at Bush..It started to feel more like schoolyard joking. But if it is true, it should get them atleast a littlepublicity. People making a big deal over at QJ because of that white PSP ad was hilarious.

Gonzo @ Jul 6th 2006 12:24PM

I'm guessing it won't register at all.

So are they trying to help him or make fun of him? I can't tell anymore. Either way, it's hilarious trying to imagine him shouting colors at the screen. "Red.. I'mean blue!... Blue!...BLUE!!!"

I can't help but think that giving Bush Brain Age is about as usefull as giving a mime a megaphone. I only hope it'll do him some good but while I've read stories about it staving off dementia, I don't think it can help nigh retardation.

GTA and Mercenaries does seem more like Bush's bag. "Now I got a tank. hehehe"
He might like Burnout R too. It takes him back to his liquor & coke days when he would drive like that and get away with it.

Maybe they can send Dick Cheney a microwave too.

For the record: I hate all of our useless politicians on the right and the left. They really aren't good at anything but making their opponents and themselves look like idiots and let's face it, that's not too hard at all.

Washingtonion @ Jul 6th 2006 3:33PM

For the record- I was a White House intern for a summer. The President recieves tons of gifts, so many that they have an office dedicated to tracking them. Almost every gift he gets goes to charity though. I dont think he will ever even know that he got this (The staffers open up his packages).

Not like he needs it. He did graduate from Yale with a higher GPA than John Kerry.

Eric @ Jul 7th 2006 4:01PM

This is hilarious in one sense and disrepectful in another. Yes, it�s funny that a President of our country is receiving a gift from Nintendo, in that we are of the video game generation and he is not. It�s funny to imagine that he would play it daily given the trivialness of it compared to the serious burden of responsibility none of us can imagine.

Which leads to the disrepectful part. Nintendo�s letter, while lighthearted for sure, immediately associates the Presidency with baby-boomer status. Marketing language right away in the face of the most executive office of our country. And Nintendo says that the President is now joining millions who play Brain Age. First, how can Nintendo assume he will play it? Second, why would Nintendo think that a President would be glad to jump on any bandwagon?

�Be sure to let us know your brain age.� So a President can help you make money. Well, if the President feels he needs to reach out to the video-game generations he can use this opportunity.

But this seems to be inevitable. Presidents in the future, by necessity, will graciously stoop to us and endorse our entertainment. It will help the economy, I suppose. But Nintendo sure knows how to not write a letter to the President but to a symbolic figure whose presence is so enigmatic that yes, even what has gravity and prestige and seriousness must become trivial for the time being for the sake of the dollar.