It took mere moments for Xbox Series X to enter the pantheon of memes following its December 2019 reveal, when its less-than-delicate heft was widely and enthusiastically compared to a refrigerator. Two years on, the meme still lingers and Microsoft has announced you’ll be able to pre-order your very own official Xbox Series X mini fridge starting next Tuesday.
Microsoft initially embraced the Xbox fridge meme (with considerably gusto) last October, when it sent real Xbox Series X fridges – 6-foot, 400 pound, 1:1 scale replicas of the console – out to influencers and rapper Snoop Dogg. The gag was resurrected once again this March when Microsoft produced some mini fridge variants of the full-sized design to use as prizes in a promotion for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s new energy drink.
Interest, it turns out, was high, and Microsoft announced it would begin selling its dinky Series-X-inspired refrigerators after it narrowly won an official Twitter marketing poll pitting brands against each other earlier this year. An appropriately ridiculous trailer aired during June’s Xbox Bethesda Showcase, confirming units would go on sale this “holiday” season.
And now, as 2021 nears its end, Microsoft has revealed its mini fridges will launch at “multiple retailers” (including GAME in the UK) this December, with pre-orders opening 19th October.
The matte-black unit, created in partnership with Ukonic, comes with a DC power adaptor and can hold up to 10 beverage cans (or whatever the equivalent is in cheese, I suppose) across its two shelves. Additionally, the front of the fridge includes a USB port to charge any devices you might happen to have to hand while in its vicinity.
Microsoft’s Xbox mini fridge will cost £89.99/€99/$99.99 USD and will initially release in the UK, US, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Spain, Netherlands, and Poland, as detailed over on Xbox Wire. Microsoft says it’s “working to bring the Xbox mini fridge to as many fans as possible and will continue to expand regional availability in 2022.”