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McDonald’s Debuts NFC-Powered Happy Table

By on September 7, 2013

Seemingly just to prove that the mega-fast food chain is still a mover and a shaker, McDonald’s has tapped into Near Field Communication (NFC) in order to turn the tables on technology-obsessed children.

Starting in Singapore, McDonald’s is deploying the “Happy Table,” which contains the ability to turn NFC-enabled smartphones and tablets into race cars. Smartphone-carrying children simply need to hold an NFC-compatible phone up to the table, follow the onscreen prompts and, voila, the phone becomes part of a deadly Hamburgler race kart-style race. You even get to play as classic McDonald’s characters like Birdie, Grimace, Mayor McCheese, and Captain Crook.

Given the simple installation — the race track is really just a set of NFC stickers stuck under the table — racing is not the only thing that McDonald’s has in mind. There’s a whole set of McD’s-themed mini-games to entertain the young customer, including Whac-a-Mole and Battleship.

It’s worth noting that this interesting concept is coming first to Asia. As many travelers already know, McDonald’s can be like mini-sanctuaries for Americans abroad, but at the same time, these fast food restaurants are often fancy overseas. They offer restrooms, air conditioning, ice, and even Wi-Fi.  Once this “Happy Table” takes off, there’s no telling where it will end — Happy Meal, Happy Table, Happy Garage, Happy Heart Check, Happy Tax Return…

[via TAXI]

About Brian Hoss

As a video game designer, I have worked for years with companies like Activision, Electronic Arts and Zenimax. Naturally, my fascination with technology, the internet, and the age-old social sharing of storytelling has prompted me to indulge writing for The CheckOut. Google BMH

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