NEW YORK — Confused by Windows 8? Best Buy hopes it can help.

The consumer-electronics retailer is hoping to capitalize on the launch of Windows 8. It’s trying to lure customers with exclusive computers and staffers trained to explain and demonstrate the new operating system from Microsoft Corp.

Retailers and manufacturers typically look to major launches to drive customers into stores. But analysts aren’t certain how much the Windows 8 launch will help Best Buy. The company has been struggling with tough competition and a shift in consumer tastes away from big-ticket computers and TVs toward smartphones and tablets, which are less profitable for retailers.

Windows 8 has a new look that’s intended to create a seamless experience for users, whether they’re on PCs, tablets or smartphones. Featuring a colorful array of tiles that fill the screen instead of the familiar start menu and icons, it’s designed especially for touch-sensitive screens. Windows 8 will come pre-installed on almost all new PCs.

Microsoft’s radical remake of Windows arrives at a time when Best Buy is struggling to avoid the fate of Circuit City, which liquidated in 2009. Best Buy has reported a net income decline or loss for the past eight quarters. Earnings fell 90 percent to $12 million in its most recent quarter.

The Minneapolis company hopes the new Windows will spur sales as it faces tough competition from online retailers and discounters. Consumers are increasingly using Best Buy stores to browse for electronics before they buy the items online.