Airport Vending Machines Selling DS Systems and Games (1UP 4/1/08)

Over the years, movies have shown a variety of insane inventions we could expect in the future -- flying cars, time machines, oppressive uniforms everyone in society would be forced to wear, etc. But how they failed to warn us about electronics-selling vending machines is beyond us: Like the U.K. vending machines that sell PlayStation 3 games we saw back in November, it looks like Best Buy is now distributing their own vending machines in airports that sell Nintendo DS systems and a variety of DS games (via Ars Technica). Surely, the future is now.


These "Best Buy Express" machines -- the one pictured above spotted at Atlanta International Airport -- offer such games as Mario Kart DS, Brain Age 2, and Guitar Hero: On Tour, just in case anyone is actually brave enough to be seen playing Guitar Hero: On Tour on a crowded flight. The games are priced the same as any other retailer, so there aren't even any steep markups you might expect for anything purchased inside of an airport.

It's worth noting that the machine apparently only sells DS systems and games (in addition to other electronics like digital cameras and headphones), and no PSP products. Might Nintendo have some sort of exclusive distribution deal with Best Buy... or did the retail chain decide on its own that PSP games weren't worth stocking? More than likely it's the former, but still, it's an interesting indication of how much more visible the DS is to the general public these days.