McDonald’s Chicken McNugget device lets you play Tetris

This Chicken McNugget-shaped gaming device comes with Tetris

McDonald's Tetris-playing Chicken McNugget device

McDonald’s fan-favorite Chicken McNuggets are celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and to mark this amazing milestone, the fast-food giant has released a handheld, Chicken McNugget-shaped gaming device that lets you play the classic puzzle game, Tetris.

What is McDonald’s Tetris-playing Chicken McNugget device?

The handheld gaming device is a fully-licensed merchandise item created through a partnership between McDonald’s, The Tetris Company, and Tetris Holding LLC, which owns the worldwide rights to the popular puzzle game.

As seen in the video and photos below, the device features arrow buttons that allow you to move Tetris pieces left and right, as well as a couple of downward arrow buttons that let you drop the bricks at a regular pace or much faster. There’s also a button for rotating the Tetris pieces, but apparently, only in one direction. Also, unlike in most modern Tetris ports, the Chicken McNugget device doesn’t seemingly have a way to “hold” a piece.

McDonald

While some may find the device cheap-looking, its Chicken McNugget shape makes it a very cool collector’s item. Even the packaging it comes in adds to the product’s overall appeal. The gaming device arrives in custom Chicken McNugget-style packaging and comes complete with a colorful carrying bag for protection along with McDonald’s-themed stickers.

Where to buy McDonald’s Tetris-playing Chicken McNugget device

The device is exclusive to McDonald’s restaurants in China. Priced at 30 Chinese Yuan or about 4.25 United States Dollars, the gaming gadget reportedly launched on May 24th, 2023 in Mainland China and sold out immediately. According to a fine print on the official McDonald’s China website, only 400,000 units of this device were made available.

There’s no word yet whether McDonald’s and Tetris are going to bring the device to the U.S. and to other countries. So, the only way for fans living outside of China to get the collector’s item is to purchase one on secondary markets. As of writing, the device is currently selling on eBay at about $30 each.

What do McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets and Tetris have in common?

If you’re wondering what Tetris has to do with the 40th anniversary of McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets, here’s probably the most obvious connection: the puzzle game and the fast-food menu item have both been around for about 40 years.

Chicken McNuggets were first released in select markets in the U.S. in 1981 and were made available nationwide in 1983. The first version of Tetris, on the other hand, was released in 1984.

Who invented McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets?

McDonald’s Chicken McNugget device lets you play Tetris 1
McDonald’s chicken mcnuggets

McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets were invented by René Arend, a Luxembourgian chef who was the company’s first executive chef. Arend was tasked with creating a new menu item that would appeal to children and families. He came up with the idea for Chicken McNuggets, which are small, bite-sized pieces of chicken that are easy to eat and fun to play with.

The nuggets were made from small pieces of reconstituted boneless chicken meat that had been battered and deep-fried. They were an instant success and quickly became one of McDonald’s most popular menu items.

Over the years, Chicken McNuggets have been the subject of some controversy. Some critics have accused McDonald’s of using unhealthy ingredients in the nuggets, and of marketing them to children in a way that is unhealthy. However, McDonald’s has defended the nuggets, saying that they are a convenient and affordable source of protein.

Despite the controversy, Chicken McNuggets remain one of McDonald’s most popular menu items. They are sold in over 100 countries around the world and are enjoyed by millions of people every day.

Who invented Tetris?

Tetris puzzle game
Tetris puzzle game

Tetris was invented by Alexey Pajitnov, a Soviet software engineer, in 1984. He was inspired by his childhood memories of playing pentominoes, a game in which the user creates pictures using its shapes. Remembering the difficulty he had in putting the pieces back into their box, Pajitnov felt inspired to create a game based on that concept. Using an Electronika 60 in the Computing Centre, he began working on what would become the first version of Tetris. Building the first prototype in two weeks, Pajitnov spent longer playtesting and adding to the game, completing it on June 6th, 1985.

Tetris quickly became a popular game in the Soviet Union, and was soon exported to other countries. It has since become one of the most popular video games of all time, with over 100 million copies sold worldwide. Tetris has been ported to a wide variety of platforms, including computers, consoles, and mobile devices. It has also been adapted into a variety of other media, including books, movies, and television shows.

Pajitnov has said that he is proud of the impact that Tetris has had on the world. He has said that he hopes that the game will continue to be enjoyed by people for many years to come.

Sources: ComicBook.com, Kotaku, Nerdist
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