Purebi, a Japanese consulting company for arcades, is collaborating with Hitachi to build a "crane game" (e.g. "UFO Catcher," "Puppy Yanker," "Knob Twiddler") in which all the stuffed animals are to be RFID-chipped and used as consumer loyalty cards.

Scenario would be as follows: after a couple of hours playing the UFO Catcher, you begin to cry. Later, when the obsessive kid you know finally manages to catch a lovely stuffed pikachu you gut punch him and take it. Now wave your pikachu to an RFID-enabled kiosk terminal in the arcade, and you have a chance to win a free gift. —RD

Why Stuffed Animals Must Get RFID'd [RFID in Japan]

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