by CIO Staff

Sony PSP Coming to Japanese Bullet Trains

News
Jul 26, 20061 min
Consumer Electronics

Passengers on Japan’s high-speed “bullet train” will soon be able to play video games thanks to a service to be offered by Sony Computer Entertainment and train operator East Japan Railway (JR East).

From Oct. 1, 2006 through March 31, 2007, the two companies will offer customers in the first-class compartments of the “Hayate” Tohoku Shinkansen trains the opportunity to borrow a PlayStation Portable handheld terminal and games for the duration of their journey. To keep the noise down, passengers will also be lent a pair of headphones.

To qualify for the service, customers must buy tickets at JR East ticket shops and obtain a coupon, which can be exchanged with the train guard for a PlayStation Portable. The devices will be collected back 10 minutes before passengers reach their destination.

The Tohoku Shinkansen runs from Tokyo to destinations north of the capital city.

-Martyn Williams, IDG News Service (Tokyo Bureau)

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