Microsoft’s lastest console got off to a horrible start on release day, when videos of smoke emanating from the new Xbox Series X went viral. Overheating is a consitent worry for tech companies, who try to balance practicality with visually appealing designs and it seemed Xbox had fallen prey to that age old problem.
The obvious conclusion was that the first batches of Xbox’s sent out had some serious manufacturer malfunctions. Luckily for the gaming company the videos seem to be fake. As is the nature of social media, you have to take what you see with a grain of salt.
The real story behind the smoking consoles seems to be pranksters blowing vape smoke into intake vents at the bottom of the device which escapes from the top creating the smoking effect. The images immediately raised eyebrows due to the sheer amount of “smoke”, but some users on twitter and reddit pointed out the striking resemblence of the vapour to the that produced by e-cigarette. Microsoft tested out the theory for themselves and managed to achieve a similar effect.
The would be disaster turned into a moderately amusing moment for Xbox who tweeted “We can’t believe we have to say this, but please do not blow vape smoke into your Xbox Series X.”
Both the Xbox Series X and it’s rival, Sony’s PS5 dropped in the US this week although the latter is still yet to receive a full global release. Sold out in almost all retailers, we should expect these two gaming systems to be some of the most in demand pieces of tech this holiday season.
