UPDATE 2: Microsoft has now released a statement to GameRevolution regarding the unverified videos that appear to show the Xbox Series X smoking due to an overheating issue.
“We take all product safety reports seriously and our products meet or exceed industry standards,” a Microsoft spokesperson told us. “We are in the process of investigating further.”
UPDATE 1: Videos are now circulating showing Xbox Series X owners using vape kits in order to blow smoke on the console’s vents, with the fan then causing the smoke to rise. While Microsoft has yet to release an official response regarding the videos, this new footage highlights one of the methods that could have potentially been used in order to fake the previous videos.
Watch the new footage below:
CANSADO de las FAKE NEWS.
Os dejo un video MIO explicando porque es Fake lo de la consola "Quemada" y como han logrado este efecto incluso estando la consola "APAGADA" pic.twitter.com/LfXzIBSu6N
— Xbox Studio (@XboxStudio) November 11, 2020
https://twitter.com/MalikLabz/status/1326504119016697856
Xbox Series X owners have reported that their console is smoking from its vents, with videos appearing on Twitter and Reddit alleging that there may be a significant fault with some units of the hardware.
Two videos are circulating that appear to show smoke rising from the vent located on top of the Xbox Series X. While neither of these videos have been verified, they have been enough to cause concern among early XSX adopters.
Xbox Series X smoking videos trouble new console owners
The first video has been shared by Twitter user Arek Adamowicz, who showed a video of smoke billowing from atop his console:
@XboxPL spotkała mnie niemiła niespodzianka zaraz po uruchomieniu nowego sprzętu… 💔. Interfejs byl jedynie w Menu, po minucie/dwóch użytkowania pojawił się zaledwie kłębek dymu… Czy w tej sytuacji mogę liczyć na wymianę sprzętu? Z góry dzięki za pomoc! pic.twitter.com/E4A4UzU132
— Arek Adamowicz (@Arek_Adamowicz) November 11, 2020
The second was first posted on Reddit’s r/XboxSeriesX subreddit, before being shared on Twitter. The user who posted the video, which is said to have been recorded by a friend of his, said that the footage was “unfortunately real” and jokingly said that the Xbox had “came with a campire feature”:
https://twitter.com/AllGamesDelta_/status/1326426369706893313
Microsoft has not addressed these videos, and some viewers have suggested that they may have been faked by either doctoring the footage or lighting a flame inside the Xbox Series X’s casing. However, the XSX wouldn’t be the first console to have faults at launch, even if overheating to the point of smoking is a major flaw that would have likely been uncovered before the hardware was shipped to buyers.
The users who posted the videos of the Xbox Series X smoking have been encouraged to reach out to Microsoft and Xbox Support, though the company has yet to release an official response regarding the footage. Given that such rumors will cause concern among new and prospective XSX owners, it’s likely that Microsoft and Xbox will be looking to respond to these videos as soon as possible.
While some Xbox Series X owners are concerned by these videos, others are finding more pleasant uses for the system’s ventilation system. Recently, it was discovered that the console’s vents can be used to float ping pong balls.
We have reached out to Xbox PR and we will update this story as soon as we have a response.
