To show how digital payments work on arcade games, the folks at Taito set up a teeny, temporary game center at Akihabara Station in Tokyo.
Digital money payments are not new at Japanese arcades. Over ten years ago, you could use mobile phones to make e-money payments to play arcade games at, for example, Sega’s Joypolis.
[Photo: Game Watch Impress]
But what is old is new, and Game Watch Impress reports that Taito has outfitted its arcade machines with e-money readers, allowing players to touch their train passes or digital money cards to play prize games.
Since this is a demonstration, they will not actually be charged! Players do get to take home any prizes they win.
What does make these e-money readers different from earlier ones is that a wide variety of e-money cards can be used with them. Here, you can use one of nine different kinds of e-money cards, such as Suica (below).
[Photo: Game Watch Impress]
[Photo: Game Watch Impress]
These cards are also used to charge subway tickets and commuters just touch them to a sensor at the subway entrance gates. This is why Taito set up the mini arcade in a subway station.
[Photo: Game Watch Impress]
The mini Taito Station will be set up at the station today and tomorrow.
Top photo: Game Watch Impress
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