Claw vending machines have caused wide-spread frustration in arcades the world over for decades. Known as UFO catchers in Japan, and sometimes as 'teddy pickers' or 'skill testers' in other countries, ...

The crane machine—also known as claw machines, crane games and, in Japan, as “UFO catchers” due to their proclivity for aerial abductions—first gripped the public imagination in the early 1900s. Even ...

Whether let loose in a state of furious determination or grunted in dull resignation, this sentiment is part of what makes crane games so alluring even 40 years after the Japanese version’s debut.

Which claw machines are best? Many people can recall a time when they attempted the addicting claw game at their local arcade. These simple machines feature a metal claw that can be lowered to ...

TOKYO – Crane games, claw machines, or UFO Catchers. Call them what you will, but these brightly lit consoles offering the promise of a prize, through a delicate dance of claw and chance, are ...