McDonald’s offers a "Pro Gamer Menu" with a quirky controller gadget

In Turkey, McDonald’s is offering a “Pro Gamer Menu” that is meant to let gamers enjoy their burgers in peace while playing. The menu includes a Big Mac, medium fries, a medium Coke, eight onion rings and an anti-AFK tool shaped like McDonald’s golden “M”. The tool, called “Archie”, is placed over the controller’s analog sticks and presses them slightly toward each other. This keeps the in-game character moving, allowing players to go to the bathroom or eat their Big Mac without being automatically logged out or kicked from online matches.

Of course, you could achieve the same effect by simply placing the gamepad face-down on the table, but McDonald’s AFK tool is probably the more stylish option for fans of the burger giant. Whether gamers are willing to pay the price is another question. The Pro Gamer Menu costs 550 Turkish lira – around $12. A regular Big Mac menu without the anti-AFK gadget and onion rings costs the equivalent of about $4 less. If you subtract the cost of the onion rings, the gadget itself comes out to roughly $2. That is almost enough to pick up a game on Steam, such as the 4X “strategy hidden gem” Old World, which is currently available at a 90% discount and also runs on the Steam Deck.

Archie is already being discussed on Reddit. Most users see it as a funny marketing gimmick rather than a serious gaming tool. Many also think the price is too high. After all, a comparable gadget could be made with a 3D printer for just a few cents. The Pro Gamer Menu is part of a promotional campaign by TBWA\Istanbul and is currently only available in Turkey. According to the press release, it is a limited-time offer available exclusively via delivery orders. It remains unclear whether the campaign will also launch in other countries.