Sony and Taco Bell Team Up for Early Vita Giveaway
Want a Vita? FOR FREE? Before it's in stores?! How much damage can your digestive track take?
Published: January 11, 2012
Sony seems to have a handle on this whole "team up with a fast food place for cross-promotion" thing, what with multiple successful contests last year using Subway to allow winners access to free copies of games before they hit stores. It's obviously been a big draw, which may be why they've teamed up with a place even more ubiquitous than Subway: Taco Bell. Oh, go ahead and make your jokes now, get it out of your system. We can wait.
Finished? Good, because we thought the exact same thing when we heard about the contest, but here's the problem: this isn't just about free games anymore, it's about getting a 3G/Wi-Fi version of the Vita early. As in, before it goes on sale to the general public (unless you're in Japan, of course), and along with the system, winners will get a copy of Little Deviants, a 4GB Memory Card and a choice of ModNation Racers: Road Trip, MLB 12: The Show or LittleBigPlanet -- though some of those are "launch window" titles and will ship out later.
That's a draw we're finding extremely hard to deny, and it gets worse: there are multiple ways to win. The most obvious is to "Unlock the Box" by snagging a 5 Buck Box (which gets you a drink, a taco, burrito supreme and cheesy gordita crunch) that has a code that can be entered online. Thing is, Sony is clearly embracing this whole augmented reality thing, teaming up for a Taco Bell smartphone app that uses the 5 Buck Box as an arena for Reality Fighters Dojo, an AR game set inside the box. Oh, and if you truly have no shame, you can always post on the online portal that lets users upload pics and videos of what they'd do to get a free Vita. One would think eating at Taco Bell would be brave enough, but we're guessing that's probably not the case. Either way, the winner will be fan-voted, so appealing to the crowd isn't a bad idea.
"Taco Bell has always been a brand of firsts and we wanted to kick off the year with an innovative combination – our great food, PlayStation's cool new technology and multiple ways to play and win," mused Brian Niccol, Taco Bell's Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer. "We have an incredibly engaged customer fan base and we are excited to leverage this partnership and help them become early adopters."
"This partnership is the perfect way to deliver PS Vita's game changing technology directly to our passionate fans in the weeks leading up to launch," gushed Guy Longworth, SVP of marketing and PlayStation Network at Sony Computer Entertainment America. "We know anticipation around PS Vita in the U.S. is reaching a fever pitch, and we're happy to be working with Taco Bell to give away one PS Vita for every fifteen minutes, ensuring thousands of gamers get their hands on the revolutionary entertainment system before it becomes available in stores."
Though it wasn't in the quote, we're pretty sure Guy Longworth finished delivering his line by hopping on a majestic steed that appeared from out of nowhere and bellowed, "HA HAAAAAA! Longworth, awaaaaayyyyy!!" Again, we can't prove it, but... c'mon, wouldn't you do that if you had his name? Of course you would, just like you're going to be pounding on the doors of the nearest Taco Bell when the contest begins on January 26th. Though the contest will only go until March 11th, a Vita will be given away every 15 minutes. That means there's a whole hell of a lot of 'em to give out, so grab your bottle of Pepto and get ready to 5 Buck Box it up. We'll be right there in line with you. May god have mercy on our intestines.
Finished? Good, because we thought the exact same thing when we heard about the contest, but here's the problem: this isn't just about free games anymore, it's about getting a 3G/Wi-Fi version of the Vita early. As in, before it goes on sale to the general public (unless you're in Japan, of course), and along with the system, winners will get a copy of Little Deviants, a 4GB Memory Card and a choice of ModNation Racers: Road Trip, MLB 12: The Show or LittleBigPlanet -- though some of those are "launch window" titles and will ship out later.
That's a draw we're finding extremely hard to deny, and it gets worse: there are multiple ways to win. The most obvious is to "Unlock the Box" by snagging a 5 Buck Box (which gets you a drink, a taco, burrito supreme and cheesy gordita crunch) that has a code that can be entered online. Thing is, Sony is clearly embracing this whole augmented reality thing, teaming up for a Taco Bell smartphone app that uses the 5 Buck Box as an arena for Reality Fighters Dojo, an AR game set inside the box. Oh, and if you truly have no shame, you can always post on the online portal that lets users upload pics and videos of what they'd do to get a free Vita. One would think eating at Taco Bell would be brave enough, but we're guessing that's probably not the case. Either way, the winner will be fan-voted, so appealing to the crowd isn't a bad idea.
"Taco Bell has always been a brand of firsts and we wanted to kick off the year with an innovative combination – our great food, PlayStation's cool new technology and multiple ways to play and win," mused Brian Niccol, Taco Bell's Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer. "We have an incredibly engaged customer fan base and we are excited to leverage this partnership and help them become early adopters."
"This partnership is the perfect way to deliver PS Vita's game changing technology directly to our passionate fans in the weeks leading up to launch," gushed Guy Longworth, SVP of marketing and PlayStation Network at Sony Computer Entertainment America. "We know anticipation around PS Vita in the U.S. is reaching a fever pitch, and we're happy to be working with Taco Bell to give away one PS Vita for every fifteen minutes, ensuring thousands of gamers get their hands on the revolutionary entertainment system before it becomes available in stores."
Though it wasn't in the quote, we're pretty sure Guy Longworth finished delivering his line by hopping on a majestic steed that appeared from out of nowhere and bellowed, "HA HAAAAAA! Longworth, awaaaaayyyyy!!" Again, we can't prove it, but... c'mon, wouldn't you do that if you had his name? Of course you would, just like you're going to be pounding on the doors of the nearest Taco Bell when the contest begins on January 26th. Though the contest will only go until March 11th, a Vita will be given away every 15 minutes. That means there's a whole hell of a lot of 'em to give out, so grab your bottle of Pepto and get ready to 5 Buck Box it up. We'll be right there in line with you. May god have mercy on our intestines.
