In an unusual turn of events, the McDonald’s-branded Nintendo DSi briefly appeared on the shelves of used equipment stores in Japan before it was quickly pulled from sale. This specialized DSi was originally created by McDonald’s as a training tool for its staff, with software known as the ‘eCrew Development Program’. McDonald’s used these DSi consoles for training purposes until 2018, after which the company switched to using tablets. The recent listing of one of these exercise consoles for sale prompted a reaction from McDonald’s itself, expressing disappointment at the situation.
The store in question, Hard-Off, immediately apologized and temporarily stopped selling the McDonald’s DSi. They stated: “Regarding the DSi McDonald’s training model…we are currently discontinuing sales and currently officially confirming with McDonald’s. We will inform you later, so please wait for some time. We apologize for the inconvenience.” While there have been previous instances of McDonald’s-branded consoles appearing on second-hand markets, this listing appears to have garnered significant attention, possibly due to its viral nature. It’s unclear why McDonald’s decided to intervene in this particular case, especially having in terms of history of similar sales.
It’s worth noting that McDonald’s may be exploring other exercise device possibilities, such as the Nintendo Switch, though that remains speculative. What do you think of this list of McDonald’s DSi in Japan? Do you think McDonald’s was right to intervene? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
