Not A Drill: KFC Launches Its Gaming Console Called The KFConsole
It finally happened. It’s been official for some time now, and yet it feels like a joke gone wrong. Of all brands, KFC has decided to jump into the console wars with its KFConsole (0 marks for creativity). Rumors first began back in June, 2020. Few took it seriously then. However, KFC’s followed through, and there’s an actual KFC gaming console out there. Naturally, the next questions are whether it’s any good? Worth the money? And most importantly, how does it compare to the two major consoles on the market? Read on to learn more about the KFConsole:
KFConsole Development
KFC’s gaming console is likely to be an exclusive piece of hardware. It has been developed in association with Cool Master, a PC hardware manufacturer. However, none of its features are as puzzling, or as attractive as its built-in chicken chamber. If you’re wondering what the chicken chamber is, then, put simply, it’s a built-in fryer for chicken wings.
As per KFC, you don’t have to shut down the console to operate the chamber, there’s no chance of internal damage, and it’s got both an internal heating and cooling feature to make sure your hardware remains cool. You can be forgiven for wondering exactly why is KFC venturing into the gaming market right now? KFC hasn’t addressed that question yet, so watch this space for more answers on that.
Are The Specs Any Good?
This is where you’ll have to start taking KFConsole seriously. It uses Intel’s Nuc 9 Extreme Compute Element. The console houses two pieces of Seagate BarraCuda 1TB SSDs, a 3080Ti-equivalent GPU slot, and VR-ready functionality. KFC claims this console can be the most powerful console on the market for generations. All of this on top of the chicken chamber surrounding via an AMD cooling system.
As far as the design goes, the KFConsole is a matte black cylinder bucket with a simplistic red power button on top of the chicken chamber. There’s no disk space, meaning that the console is supposed to be digital-only.
KFConsole’s price remains to be disclosed. Rumors indicate a starting price of $2,000. In most cases, I’d advise ignoring rumors, but they proved to be right on target in this case. If this does end up being the official price, you’re likely to find the other two major gaming consoles to be better value for your money.
How Does It Stack Up Against The PlayStation 5 & Xbox Series X
The KFConsole was always intended to give both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X a run for their money. In fact, the KFConsole launched officially with a tongue-in-cheek comment about the console wars being over.
The KFConsole supports 240fps gaming while offering 4K resolution on select titles. On the other hand, both the PlayStation and Xbox come with an eight-core AMD Zen 2 CPU with a custom AMD Radeon RDNA 2-based GPU. This, in addition to the 825 GB SSD Storage as well as 10.28 teraflops of graphic power. KFConsole hasn’t revealed the exact GPU specifications, but if it claims to run VR and 4K-gaming, you can expect it to match or outperform both the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Is It More Than Just A Stunt?
This was the question that most of the gaming community had at first? Brands like KFC have a long history of running viral campaigns that are more shock-and-awe rather than any meaningful product. For instance, KFA once partnered with Crocs to launch a limited-edition shoe with a KFC logo called KFC x Crocs in the past.
The only major bottleneck is the price. Will enough gamers be convinced to shell out $2,000 for a KFC gaming console, considering both the PS5 and Xbox Series X can easily be bought in the $400-$600 range.
What initially started as a rumor has turned into an actual product. KFC seems determined to enter this market and give the rest of the competition a tough time? Only time will tell if this is just another ill-fated attempt by KFC to expand its portfolio or a turning point in gaming history.
