An internet meme has become real. During E3 2021, Microsoft revealed the Xbox mini fridge is going to be sold as an actual product later this year during the holiday shopping season.
The company made the announcement with a teaser fit for a AAA video game. “For the first time in Xbox history… a new system that leaves others cold,” the clip says.
The resulting product looks exactly like an Xbox Series X console. Only now it’s a literal ice box you can open up. In the clip, Microsoft jokingly says the fridge uses an “Xbox velocity cooling architecture” to ensure the canned drinks inside stay cold.
“Yes, this is really happening,” the video adds.
How much the Xbox mini fridge will cost was left unsaid. But Microsoft games marketing manager Aaron Greenberg said it won’t arrive as a free perk for Xbox Game Pass members.
The fridge was born from an internet meme; when Microsoft first introduced the Xbox Series X in 2019, many users immediately compared the console’s design to a modern refrigerator. As a result, people began Photoshopping the Xbox Series X inside kitchens.
In response, Microsoft last year unveiled a 6-foot-tall refrigerator that resembled the Xbox Series X. It was later given away to a lucky user through a contest.
In April, Microsoft then decided to produce an Xbox mini fridge after the company won a poll for best brand on Twitter. Xbox narrowly beat Skittles for the best brand with 50.5% of the vote from 341,731 people. So there may be huge demand for the mini fridge product.
