GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.

Xbox Series X Fridge Sells Out Immediately, Gets Review-Bombed, And Attracts Huge Scalper Markups

It's not just the Series X, PS5, and Switch that are facing shortages--the Xbox meme product has sold out, too.

123 Comments

Microsoft's newest piece of hardware is the Xbox Series X mini-fridge and it went on sale this morning at Target and other retailers around the world. The $100 meme product quickly sold out, got review-bombed, and emerged on auction sites at a huge premium.

Orders opened for the mini-fridge this morning and almost immediately sold out. People who secured the fridge, which can hold 12 cans, celebrated their accomplishment on social media. Many people were not so lucky.

Xbox marketing boss Aaron Greenberg, who has been the main point of contact for all questions and concerns about the mini-fridge, said the product is not a limited-edition release and more stock will be available in early 2022. The instant sell-out was no surprise, either, as Greenberg warned people ahead of time that this would happen. It seems even if it's not the Xbox Series X, something that looks like it is just as good. Well, there is still the American Girl Xbox accessories kit.

If you didn't secure a Series X mini-fridge online, the good news is that the majority of units will be available in-store at Target as opposed to online. So your best bet might be to go to a store instead of continuing to hammer the refresh button on the retailer's website. The mini-fridge should start appearing in stores this December, Microsoft has said. Greenberg went on to say that Microsoft will continue to manufacture more units to meet demand, and it will release the mini-fridge in more markets around the world over time.

Scalpers are already taking advantage of the initial sell-outs, as eBay is filled with listings for the Series X mini-fridge with prices starting at $300--a huge markup over the MSRP. This is standard procedure for any in-demand product; the same thing happened with the Series X and PS5 consoles due to the ongoing shortages for those devices.

On Target's website, the Series X mini-fridge is getting slammed by reviewers--that is, people who do not have the fridge yet but are writing reviews anyway. The product has an overwhelmingly negative aggregate review score. Presumably some of the low review scores are due to people getting frustrated that they were not able to secure an order in time. As of yet, there have been no professional or fan reviews of the fridge from people who actually have one.

When the Xbox Series X design was first revealed in December 2019, people immediately pointed out how the system looks like a refrigerator. Microsoft leaned into the memes, but it wasn't until a social media contest that things really heated up. Microsoft promised that if it defeated Skittles in a Twitter branding competition that it would manufacture the mini-fridge for real, and the company has followed through. In a gesture of good-will, Microsoft said it would send the first Xbox mini-fridge off the production line to Skittles.

The Xbox mini-fridge has a 10L capacity cooler that can be used in a home or in a car. It can fit 12 cans and also has two shelves on the inside door for storing anything else. It also has two removable interior shelves, while the top of the unit has the Xbox logo and vents designed to look like the Series X itself. The fridge can cool items down to 36 degrees Fahrenheit.

Microsoft also created a standard-size Xbox refrigerator, but it is not mass-producing them, instead opting to send them to influencers like Snoop Dogg to promote Xbox.

All of this mini-fridge madness went down on the same day that Microsoft announced a 20th anniversary Xbox livestream event for November 15. There will be no new game reveals, but the showcase will celebrate Xbox's 20th anniversary and the notable achievements of the past two decades. Additionally, Microsoft has announced a Game of the Year edition of Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com

Join the conversation
There are 123 comments about this story