Skip to main content

Microsoft outs bizarre Windows 8 ads … and pulls them down quickly

Windows-training-campWe’re sure most of you are no strangers to weird advertisements, but Microsoft’s newest Windows 8 ads might just be in a league of their own. The bizarre ads, which were made to elicit something between a hearty laugh and an awkward snort, don’t even show Windows 8 computers. They do, however, feature face smashing make-up routines, butt pingpong, and watermelon fingering – yes, you read that right. 

None of the ads entitled are in English (but trust us when we say you don’t need to understand anything being said to find them funny and/or weird), and with all of them starring Asian actors, they’re oddly reminiscent of the Difficulty Level: Asian meme. The folks at Microsoft posted the three “Windows Training Camp” ads on YouTube but quickly pulled them down without explaining why they’re depriving us of our entertainment for the day. Luckily, someone else saved copies of the videos and have put them up again on the same website – check them out below!

Recommended Videos

Don’t be fooled by the geeky kid in the video. His watermelon-fingering skills are top-notch.

Next time your girlfriend takes an hour to put on a full face of make-up, show her how the woman in this video can do it in 9 seconds.

Ever skipped a music lesson or a practice day? All you’ll feel after watching this ad is regret, because you’ll never be able to play butt pingpong.

Mariella Moon
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Mariella loves working on both helpful and awe-inspiring science and technology stories. When she's not at her desk writing…
Nearly six months later, you can finally try out Windows 11 Recall
Recall promotional image.

After a tumultuous initial reaction and months of reworking, Microsoft is finally releasing the first preview of its controversial Recall feature today. If you're a Windows Insider with a Qualcomm Copilot+ PC, you can install a new build of Windows 11 that includes both Recall and Click to Do.

If you're not part of the Windows Insider Program but you want to try out this feature, it's pretty easy to sign up on the Microsoft website. Recall was first announced back before any of the Copilot+ PCs were released and was meant to be available at launch, but an outcry of privacy and security concerns forced Microsoft to delay it.

Read more
Microsoft is forced to halt the Windows 11 24H2 update on some PCs
The Surface Pro 11 on a white table in front of a window.

Microsoft’s recent Windows 11 24H2 update is off to a bumpy start. According to a report by Bleeping Computer, users are facing compatibility issues across various hardware and software configurations, prompting the company to temporarily block the update for some devices.

The affected systems include specific Asus laptop models and configurations involving software like Voicemeeter, Safe Exam Browser, and older versions of Easy Anti-Cheat, commonly used in gaming.

Read more
Microsoft is fixing my biggest problem with Windows 11 on handhelds
Asus ROG Ally with the Windows lock screen.

We're finally starting to make some progress on the handheld experience of Windows 11. Although Windows 11 handhelds like the ROG Ally X are some of the best handheld gaming PCs you can buy, that's despite their use of Windows, not because of it. Now, the latest Windows 11 Insider preview (build 22631.4387) adds a feature that should make navigating the OS much easier on a handheld -- a keyboard built for gamepads.

Windows has included an onscreen keyboard for years, and updates over the last couple of years have even made it usable with touch inputs. On a handheld, however, there are two problems with the keyboard. You can't invoke it naturally -- you have to bind Windows + Ctrl + O to a hotkey -- and you can't use your controller to navigate it. With the new update, Microsoft is fixing that last point, at the very least.

Read more