Tetris on a chicken nugget is the game as it was meant to be played
Enlarge / Who needs a Nintendo Switch when you've got a McDonald's nugget-Tetris? (credit: McDonald's China)
According to gaming database Mobygames, officially licensed versions of Tetris have appeared on roughly 60 different gaming platforms, from the Oculus Quest to the Data Zapper M7000. Now, thanks to a new McDonald's China promotion, you can add "giant plastic chicken nugget with an LCD screen" to that list of official Tetris ports (to say nothing of the unofficial ones).
RetroDodo has the story of this strange promotion, which is centered around the 40th anniversary of the Chicken McNugget's premiere in 1983. That makes the protein-filled treat just a year older than Tetris itself, which was created on a Russian government mainframe computer by Alexei Pajitnov in 1984. And that, apparently, is close enough to make the game part of an International Children's Day promotion that will "take you on the time machine leading to childhood," according to a machine translation of the official McDonald's China webpage announcing the machine.
A video unboxing and demonstration posted by one Chinese McDonald's fan shows crisp shots of nugget-Tetris and its unlit LCD screen, as well as the included customization stickers and carrying case. Another unboxing video includes a better look at the back of the machine, including a removable battery pack, speaker grate, and power switch.