What will they think of next? KFC has taken the covers off its next-gen gaming console, the aptly named KFConsole. Made in collaboration with Cooler Master, the rig has something that no other gaming console (not even the Sony PS5) even comes close to replicating: the world’s first built-in chicken chamber.
No, the chicken chamber doesn’t improve your gaming experience—or at least, not in a traditional, computing way. Instead, the KFConsole’s chamber will keep your chicken (or other food, we assume) warm during long gaming sessions. Cooler Master says that the console’s “natural heat” and airflow system will work to keep your chicken hot and crispy between rounds, which sounds pretty good to me.
Do we have a new king of consoles? KFC seems to think so. And yes, there is an actual (official) KFC Gaming account on Twitter.
Are you serious?
When KFC first announced the project earlier this year, the assumption was that this was a publicity stunt. However, the KFConsole appears to be very, very real, and Cooler Master says that the console will support “the latest titles” in 4K resolution, running at 240fps.
Within the custom Cooler master NC100 chassis, the KFConsole is powered by the Intel Nuc 9 Extreme Compute Element, along with an Asus-powered hot-swappable GPU. Thanks to twin Seagate Barracuda 1TB PCIe NVMe SSDs, everything should boot almost instantly—and on paper, this looks like a very powerful machine.
Unfortunately, that’s all the technical information we have for now. Neither KFC nor Cooler Master have revealed other key pieces of information yet, such as a price, release date, or even supported game titles. However, Fall Guys have tweeted that the popular game will be coming to the KFConsole in 2022—which might suggest a 2022 release date for the console in itself.
Meanwhile, a representative from Intel has also confirmed that the KFConsole is real.
Honestly, I barely know what to make of this. Consoles have traditionally been the play space of some big players in the industry: your Sonys, Microsofts, and of course, Nintendos. Getting a foot in the mainstream market’s door would be difficult for anyone (just ask Nvidia about the success of the Shield).
I suppose if there was anyone that could make such an impact, it would be Colonel Sanders. After all, what better way to celebrate your victory than a real, actual, and crispy chicken dinner?