Heineken, the renowned multinational brewing company, has pulled off a surprising and captivating move in the realm of gaming.
In line with their latest campaign, Not All Nights Out are Out, launched earlier this year to celebrate the synergy of the gaming industry and social interaction, the brewing company has introduced a unique innovation: a gaming PC that doubles as a cooler for your Heineken beer.
As per Heineken, the inventive hybrid, which reminds us a lot of the Xbox fridge BUT better, will henceforth be referred to as “TH3 G4M1NG FR1DG3.”
This isn’t just any gaming system. Crafted from a repurposed Heineken 0.0 fridge, this rig doesn’t just house a PC but also makes space to chill your Heineken beers. While this might seem like a gimmick to some, Heineken ensures the system is top-notch. The specs include an ASUS Phoenix NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 V2 OC GDDR6 4 GB GPU, an Asrock B550M-ITX/ac Socket AM4 mini ITX AMD B550 motherboard, and an AMD Ryzen 7 5700G 8-Core 3,8 GHz processor, among others.
The technical team behind this innovation faced challenges, especially in crafting an efficient cooling mechanism that would be apt for both the PC and the beverages. The answer lay in a custom cooling system, which not only maintains a low temperature for the hardware but also prevents any condensation due to the chilled beers. The recorded temps of the rig are impressive, maintaining a cool 0-2°C when idle and 3-6°C under full load.
Andrey Tyukavkin, the Global Executive Creative Director who played a pivotal role in bringing this idea to fruition, was candid about the challenges and intricacies involved in this project. One of the significant issues was the limited space offered by a standard Heineken bar fridge, requiring optimal placement and arrangement of the PC components. More importantly, keeping the system within a thermal budget of 150-300W was crucial, necessitating choices that optimize both performance and heat generation.
The collaboration also has a social aspect. Teaming up with Gaules, a major Twitch streamer from Brazil boasting over 32 million watch hours as of Q2 2023, Heineken intends to promote their latest innovation through a giveaway.
As part of the celebration of Heineken’s 150th anniversary, the beer company will showcase this gaming system on the popular Twitch show, Aprovado. The highlight, however, is set to be at CBLoL 2023, Brazil’s premier League of Legends Championship, where the winning team will receive a set of TH3 G4M1NG FR1DG3.
This isn’t the first time a brand has ventured into custom-branded gaming PCs. In 2020, KFC presented the world with “The Cooler Master’s KFConsole,” a $2,000 gaming rig that featured a built-in chicken warming rack.
Such collaborations, though unusual, emphasize brands’ drive to connect with contemporary trends and communities.
While it’s uncertain if Heineken’s gaming fridge will see a release outside Brazil, one thing’s for sure: they’ve managed to create a buzz. With a tagline that promotes staying in and gaming as a form of socializing, Heineken aims to cater to the niche but passionate community of PC modders and gamers who enjoy customizing and sharing unique builds. This move aligns with Heineken’s strategy to further establish its presence in Brazil, indicating a broader focus on tapping into novel markets and trends.
