Here’s what we know about the Xbox mini fridge, which was announced at E3.
Last year, when Microsoft released its boxy black console, the Xbox Series X, people joked that it looked like a fridge. Other people said it looked like a PC, or a trash can, or one of the monoliths from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. (And I invite you to imagine what Microsoft might be building now if the latter idea had taken off.)
Anyway, these are times in which no-one can make a joke online without a corporate giant seizing the opportunity to prove to its fellow kids that it can not only take said joke but capitalise on it for fun and profit.
The first Xbox Series X fridge
So, in October 2020, Xbox gave avid gamer Snoop Dogg an Xbox Series X fridge for his birthday. The Xbox fridge had come to life! This, however, was not a mini-fridge. It was a huge, 6ft, 400-pound custom-built appliance, with green interior lighting and an Xbox logo on the front.
The Xbox Series X mini fridge is promised
Press releases were released, memes were launched and Snoop got a new home appliance.
But the idea of building a mini fridge arrived earlier this year, via a competition moderated by Twitter Marketing, in which people were encouraged to vote for which corporate giant should win the #BestOfTweets Brand Bracket champion.
This nail-biting contest was brought to a close when Xbox tweeted that if it were to triumph over rival Skittles, it would put Xbox Series X Mini Fridges into production.
Ok…here goes. Help @Xbox win this and we’ll put into production this year REAL XBOX SERIES X MINI FRIDGES! Yep, you read that right. Not an April Fools joke. Not clickbait. #Xbox #BestofTweets https://t.co/vm5B0kZht1 pic.twitter.com/A28hWBP3Db
— Aaron Greenberg 🙅🏼♂️💚U (@aarongreenberg)
April 2, 2021
As Skittles had only offered to bring back its lime flavour sweet, which can apparently in no way compete with a branded mini-fridge, the victory went to Xbox, with 50.5% of the vote, over Skittles’ 49.5%.
So, where can you buy the Xbox mini fridge?
The stage was set.
At the end of the Xbox showcase at E3 2021, the mini fridge was announced, courtesy of a bombastic trailer. It will be “the world’s most powerful mini-fridge” and it will be available for “Holiday 2021”. And that’s all the information that was given.
It does definitely appear to be a small fridge, suitable for drinks and snacks, and not some form of Franken-console.
What we don’t know is how many fridges will be produced, what they’ll cost, or if they’ll be widely available from retailers.
It’s possible that they’ll be a limited promotional product, or only available to competition winners, or multi-millionaire hip-hop superstars. However, we imagine a limited production run in time for Christmas retail purchasing is most likely.
So don’t start making space by your gaming chair just yet. We still have a (now somewhat dusty) spot all ready for our KFConsole, which has yet to materialise.
In the meantime, if you want an affordable mini-fridge for summer, check out Russell Hobbs’ portable mini cooler. It can also keep chicken warm (we’re really not kidding).
