Japanese tourist trap: machine dispenses panties, not PSPs
by Vladimir Cole 
{ Oct 3rd 2005 at 8:11AM }
We've been sitting on this post for a while because, frankly, it's a little embarrassing to
feed a street vending machine outside an Akihabara porn shop nearly $50 bucks (¥5,000) for a chance to win a PSP and
end up with nothing to show for it except five pairs of synthetic lace panties. But we did it in the name of research.
It is better to have gambled and lost than to regret forever never taking a chance to win one of Sony's sexy little
gaming devices.
Of course, the brilliance of this strategy on the part of the vending machine caretakers must not be overlooked. It allows gambling husbands to return home and say, "look what I got for you, dear!" What's more, the vended undergarments do not have "My husband went to Tokyo and all I got was some damned underwear" emblazoned on the rear. We're thankful for that, and stuff.
Here's a photo of one of the prizes won.
How many times would you play the game at ¥1,000 per play?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
funkyflea @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Haha.. What next.
ralph @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Depends if they are new or used...
Jones Kingsu @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Hehe... I would've emptied the damn thing! bwahahaha!
Wahetever @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
How the hell are you gonna get a psp in such a round ball?
And how can a psp get trough the hole, or is there one ball with a ticket in where you can get your brandnew PSP?
Caleb @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
#2 Ralph
The PSP or the panties?
I knew it! @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I passed that same store when I was there in August. A friend told me I should buy one, whatever it was. I told him repeatedly, "What would a porn store carry for the PSP that would be worth sticking in a capsule?" He insisted it would be a good purchase, and granted panties are useful, but I'm the wrong gender to make proper use of them.
mike @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
It is better to have gambled and lost than to regret forever never taking a chance to win one of Sonys sexy little gaming devices.
---
Um, you do know that DS is absolutely shit-kicking that thing in software and hardware sales right?
You make it sound like the Japanese are killing each other for a shot at the PSP. They're really not.
Dragon @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Yeah, the most surprising thing to me is that you can win a PSP. Living here, I found that just about anything can be sold in a vending machine. You don't even wanna see the vending machines outside the pay-per-hour hotels...
ill trooper @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I read on PantyCentral that some of the pairs of panties have a dead pixel on the ass.
vc @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Mike -- I understand that the DS is "shit-kicking" the PSP in terms of HW and SW sales, but I want GTA:LCS.
Cem @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
@Mike:
I'd rather have a white PSP with GTA and PES than a DS, although I love my DS too.
By the way, read this and you'll see that by 2008 the PSP will have equal sales as the DS:
http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/09/29/news_6134710.html
Zoe the Kitty Cat @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Yay! ANOTHER GTA! Which is, in essense, basically a port of GTA III, anyway.
But wait! There's more! They threw in an ad hoc multiplayer mode! Sweet! Now I can sit and play this tired game in my lonely living room, wishing that I knew anyone else who was also stupid enough to have purchased a PSP. PSP's one game that might be worth playing is one we've all played 3, 4 times over already. When do we get something new?
Bah, what do I care? I've never cared for the series anyway. It was lame on PSX, and it's still kinda lame.
yay @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Is there really nothing else going on in the gaming world besides this?
White Rose Duelist @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Pretty much. TGS is over, holiday release season hasn't kicked in yet.
Imp @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
#6, you are never the wrong gender for a pair of panties
Night Walker @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Cem.
a) That's an analyst, paid to talk BS that isn't worth the paper it's written on.
b) They clearly don't know the first thing about the handheld market.
c) They clearly don't know anything.
Furthermore to suggest the PSP will catch the DS alone is a bold statement, but to suggest the PSP can take on both the DS and Game Boy line is idiotic to put it politely.
Finally, if it wasn't bad enough, suggesting the Revolution will only sell 500k in 2006 is showing such a lack of industry knowledge I wonder how these guys can be paid to spout such nonsense. Nintendo have a very loyal fanbase and they alone could gather over a Million in sales within the launch window of a month, many suspect the launch around the middle of the year but heck, it could hit worldwide in November and get much more than that.
~ When will the industry learn to stop posting news from such flawed sources?
Christopher7xii @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I was under the impression that there's no PSP inside the capsule, just a ticket that you exchange inside for a PSP. Otherwise, why not just steal the machine?
Also love how someone has to come in and ask why a cheap PSP is bad? How about this, would you rather have $250 or $130? Even if you don't want a PSP(extremely biased), you could always sell it. I know a lot more people that much rather have a cheap/free PSP than a DS.
1337Thespian @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
We already had a thread about the idiots who wrote that article...
haneef Saleem @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
thats just too funny.
josh @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
why, oh god why.
why does every thread about the PSP or DS turn into a "my Console is bigger then your console" cat fight. i hate you flammers.
you disgrace your family name, i feel sorry for your ancestors. stab your selves, please.
benhc911 @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I love the beaver on th capsule hole cover flap dealie.
Oshi @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I wear those on my head. It is great fun!!1
Segal @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
That's not a trap. My friend was visiting TGS and won PSP in one of those. He spent 13000 yen for it and got 12 panties and one PSP. It is a fair deal :)
thetrash @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Is that a fetus on that little silver door? I cant make it out.
benhc911 @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Its not a fetus, its a beaver on some logs. I know, I'm Canadian. lol. Its also on lots of our vending machine (ball type) in Canada. Go to http://www.beavervending.com/product-catalog/gumball-and-candy-machines/index.cfm?c=115&i=121
then click o0n the pic, you'll get a similar beaver, the older models had the raised/embossed beaver. Instead, now they have flat ones, but I live in a small town, so we still have the old furry beavers, with depth.