Xbox Mini Fridge pre-orders sell out, thanks to scalpers

Stop me if you've heard this one before, but a product in high demand has been swallowed up by networks of scalpers for purposes of resale at a substantially higher price.

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It was one of the odder, yet cooler (no pun intended) stories of the year. In an effort to further get into the spirit of its new console, Xbox wanted to offer a new Xbox Series X-shaped mini fridge, a perfect complement to any gaming space. Unfortunately, just hours after it went up, it appears to have sold out. Truly, Xbox has underestimated the fervent demand for mini fridges among the gaming populace. No, I'm just kidding, of course, it's sold out because of scalpers and bots.

Reporters like PCMag's Michael Kan (tweet embedded above) have observed that scalpers and their bots sprung into action as soon as the Xbox Mini Fridge went up for sale at Target. And, of course, because nobody ever seems to learn anything when it comes to this sort of thing, there was never a limit instituted on how many of these items could be purchased in a single transaction. That means bots were collecting up to 16 of these at a time.

Dreams of an Xbox Mini Fridge first began formulating back at Microsoft's E3 showcase back in June. Undoubtedly dreaming of convenient beer cans within arms' reach, excitement for this console-shaped icebox soon hit a fever pitch. Created in partnership with Ukonicl, the Xbox Series X-shaped mini fridge contains LEDs and can hold up to 10 cans of any 12-ounce beverage. There are two shelves along the side, in order to hold smaller snacks. It also contains a USB port and a DC power adapter.

The good news is, this isn't the end for the Xbox Mini Fridge. The bad news is, it's going to be a while before average users get another crack at one. Microsoft stated late last week that the miniature appliance will expand to additional markets and retailers in 2022, at which point everyone should probably brace themselves to take this ride all over again. Or, if you absolutely have to have this thing ready for the holidays, you can always surrender to these fiends and pay their exorbitant demands.

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?

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