Bud Light’s Totally Real Video Game Console Keeps Your Lager Cold
The BL6 video game console, which resembles a six-pack of Bud Light, may have been created as a marketing stunt... but we still want one.
The days of corporations simply telling us why we should buy their products are long gone. Today, it’s all about creating viral marketing campaigns. But we, as consumers, are actually pretty savvy and don’t respond well to underhanded attempts to grab our attention. This puts advertisers in something of a pickle, as they need to get us talking about their products without coming across like they’re trying to trick us. It’s a fine line, but one that Anheuser-Busch has always been pretty good at walking. For their most recent attempt at advertising Bud Light, they have created a functional video game console that doubles as a beer cooler.
No, you won’t find the BL6 on the shelves at your local big-box this holiday shopping season. It was created purely as a limited edition promotional item. Some journalists have received them and others will likely be given away in contests. As far as we can tell, there is only one available for a regular Joe like you to purchase and it is being auctioned off. At the time of this writing, the current bid is $1,669.69 and there are more than six days left until the auction ends. Calling this a video game “console” is also a bit of a misnomer, as it’s really just a gaming PC crammed into a very unusual case. That case is designed to look like a six-pack of Bud Light and has two open slots that actually cool the cans you place in them.
Inside of that case, which wouldn’t look out of place on a Jacksonville beach, is a computer with a an Intel i7-1065G7 CPU and a healthy 16GB of RAM. There is no dedicated graphics card, only the built-in Intel Iris graphics. There is, however, an integrated Asus ZenBeam 720p projector so you don’t have to lug a TV to the tailgate party. Two of the “cans” act as storage holders for the controllers, which are just rebranded 8Bitdo N30 Pro+ gamepads. The BL6 comes pre-installed with Tekken 7 and Soul Calibur 6, because apparently someone on the Anheuser-Busch marketing team really likes fighting games. The BL6 isn’t as quirky as the Miller Lite Cantroller, but it is still pretty cool as far as beer publicity stunts go. And yes, we are a little bit envious of the journalists who were able to get their hands on this weird gaming machine.