Xbox Series X “smoking” is fake

As always, the internet is full of conspiracy theories and rumours about the Xbox Series X overheating - but now that consumers have their hands on the console, this time we're getting some dubious video footage claiming the new Xbox is (quite literally) smoking hot. At least two videos appear to show "smoke" rising from the top of the Xbox Series X, and are now being widely shared around the internet.

(Here’s footage of the Xbox Series X “smoking” on launch day.)

Although the videos remain unverified, the footage alone was enough to alarm people, with many on Reddit and Twitter sharing the videos with messages of concern. But others pointed out the smoke looked similar to the vapour produced by a vape or e-cigarette, and someone has now taken the theory a step further with a demonstration.

(Please note that it probably isn’t a great idea to intentionally fill your brand-new console with water vapor, either, for what I’d hope are obvious reasons.)

The meme has gone far enough that Microsoft itself has dignified it with a response:

The hoax is vaguely plausible. Microsoft did have to deal with the “Red Ring of Death” issue back in the Xbox 360 days over a decade and a half ago, and the idea of gadgets catching fire isn’t completely unheard of. For example, Ring just recalled some of its video doorbells today, and there’s the infamous Samsung Galaxy Note 7 debacle that saw the entire product get recalled and removed from the market due to concerns over it catching fire. But gadgets that tend to ignite are typically battery-powered, with the fire risk usually coming from the onboard battery — not something that you’d have to worry about with an Xbox Series X.

Xbox news account Xbox Studio decided to test the vaping theory themselves, and managed to achieve a similar effect by blowing vapour into the bottom of the Xbox Series X, for it to then be sucked up out the top of the console. Those who created the original videos claimed their footage was real as their Xbox had "shut itself off": but the video from Xbox Studio shows that air is still cycled through after the power light has gone out. Long enough to create a fake smoking Xbox video, at least.

Microsoft is very much aware of the smoke videos, with Xbox Poland having replied to one of the accounts. I asked Xbox for comment on the footage, and received the following statement from a Microsoft representative:

"We take all product safety reports seriously and our products meet or exceed industry standards. We are in the process of investigating further."

The first round of Xbox overheating rumours began when some early reviewers claimed the console was a little "toasty" - and it seems the new smoke videos are an extension of this idea. Digital Foundry's Richard Leadbetter carried out thermal tests on the Xbox Series X, and found that while it was hotter than consoles he'd previously tested (peaking at maximum 62C at the top), this could be explained by the sheer power of the new Xbox - and noted the power consumption (210 watts) was far lower than something you'd expect from a high-end PC.

"In common with any console really, you do need to ensure that hot air can escape, so keeping Series X in an enclosed space is not a good idea," Leadbetter said of the heat escape.

Well, from all this I guess we know you can technically vape or smoke through an Xbox Series X, although I would not recommend it for the sake of your console's health. Now that really would be a hotbox. Who knows, we might even get a Xbong Series 420.

Similarly, another viral post has been going around claiming the fan on the Xbox Series X is so powerful that the drafts it produces can suspend a ping-pong ball in midair over the console, like some sort of kinetic sculpture.

Here, too, there’s some actual science that makes the possibility plausible. You might have even seen a similar demo in a middle school science class, where a hair dryer is used to levitate a ping-pong ball (thanks to some physics — specifically, Bernoulli’s principle, which describes the relationship between speed and pressure of a fluid flow).

And while that science is real (and does work with something that pushes air as fast as a hair dryer does), unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that the Xbox Series X’s fan — sizable though it may be — actually puts out the kind of airspeed needed to suspend the ball.

Given how new the Xbox Series X is, it’s possible there might be some issues that crop up, just like any other new piece of hardware. There appear to be some isolated incidents of disc drive issues, for example. But as with any other viral hoax on the internet, it’s always good to take reports of problems with a healthy grain of salt, no matter how compelling they sound.