The Truth About The Smoking Series X
Before the official release of the Xbox Series X, a few reports surfaced which suggested that the console had a major problem with overheating. Later on, this rumor was seemingly disproven with further testing from various news outlets. Now that the console is out and in the hands of customers, the rumors of overheating issues have risen again. This time, a few videos are making the rounds that appear to show the Xbox consoles getting so hot that smoke has begun billowing out of them.
The first of these videos to gain a bit of traction was posted on Twitter by AllGamesDelta. The clip shows an Xbox Series X sitting in the middle of the floor with a column of white smoke slowly rising from the vent on top of the console.
Is this viral marketing for Firewatch 2? pic.twitter.com/hgYAtQBQx4
— AllGamesDelta (@AllGamesDelta_) November 11, 2020
This was followed by a similar clip from another user, which was retweeted by AllGamesDelta. Although brief, both videos seem to paint a grim picture for the future of Xbox's new console.
The good news is that these videos are almost assuredly fake. Paul Tassi of Forbes has posited that the people who made these videos may be trying to piggyback off of the rumors of the Xbox Series X running extra hot. Tassi wrote, "[G]etting your Xbox Series X to 'smoke' is likely just a trick to get some internet points and cause Microsoft PR to scramble."
Tassi's theory regarding these videos is that the users who uploaded them more than likely blew smoke from a vape pen into the top of the console. Then, these Xbox owners started filming as the smoke rose back up out of the top of the console. This may also explain why the videos being posted of the phenomenon are so short. If the smoke pouring up is from a vape pen, then there probably wouldn't be enough vapor to sustain a video much longer than about ten seconds.
Twitter account @XboxStudio (not officially affiliated with Microsoft) showed users how this could be achieved in a short video of their own. In the video, this user can be seen blowing vape smoke into the back of the Xbox console while it is powered down. The smoke then rises up through the console and gives it the appearance of being overheated or on fire. XboxStudio explained, "I want to show you, how, with a Vapor and turning off the console, you can make a situation that looks like the console is 'On Fire.'"
Microsoft has yet to comment on the smoldering Xbox videos, but it looks as though these clips are already being debunked without direct interference from the company. Interestingly, AllGamesDelta has also shared a copy of XboxStudio's clip, asking their followers to weigh in on whether they think the original video was a fake.