False Facts About The Series X You Shouldn't Believe

With the hugely successful launch of the Xbox Series X on November 10, many gamers may have missed out on purchasing the next-gen console. The Series X is sold out all across the board, including online stores such as Walmart, Amazon, and GameStop. Those who were unlucky enough to miss out will just have to wait until retailers are able to restock, and in the meantime, they can check out reviews and read up on the experiences of the fortunate ones who managed to secure their own Xbox X console.

Of course, fans shouldn't believe everything they read — or, in some cases, see. A number of shocking claims have cropped up about the Series X, from the console's bad "smoking" habit to a nifty ping pong ball trick. These rumors might have Xbox fans feeling a bit nervous, or disappointed when something that seems like a cool "feature" doesn't pan out — but don't panic just yet. 

Here's the truth behind those curious rumors.

One of the biggest hoaxes to make its way to the forefront of Xbox X rumors came from a video posted on Twitter by Arek Adamowicz, which shows the console supposedly smoking like a chimney. "I had an unpleasant surprise right after starting the new equipment," remarked the user in Polish. "Can I count on the replacement of equipment in this situation?" 

This video was met with some skepticism, and one Twitter user demonstrated how someone could use a vape to simulate the towering smoke effect. An article written by Jez Corden of Windows Central corroborated the vape theory by pointing out how the Xbox Series X fan system works. "The Xbox Series X is designed to vacuum cool air from below the console and feed it up through the components with a very large, very quiet fan," said Corden. "The fact the Xbox Series X in Adamowicz's video is sitting on a frame, which is conveniently cropped in the video, could also indicate smoke being fed in from another source below the console itself." So nice try, Arek, but it's doubtful you'll get a new free Series X anytime soon.

Despite reviews indicating that the Xbox X runs quieter than any of the previous-generation consoles, there are still concerns that the Series X has some heating and noise issues. This may be because of issues with past consoles, such as the 360's overheating, which led to the dreaded "Red Ring of Death." However, most have reported the Xbox X to be quiet and cool under pressure.

Windows Central conducted their own heating test on the Series X using a thermal imaging camera and found that the console's temperature was no hotter than previous generations — maybe even a bit cooler. As for noise, Windows Central used top-of-the-line microphones and a sound meter to confirm that they "were effectively unable to detect any noise coming out of this system."

Other reviews, like one from Tech Radar, called the Series X "a silent weapon." The review claimed that the sound is around 30dB and went no higher than 45 dB. "We've almost become accustomed to consoles revving up like they're about to take off when running a game that really puts it through its paces," Tech Radar's Vic Hood wrote. "But the Xbox Series X is the quietest Xbox I've had to pleasure to play."

Unfortunately, no. But that would be super awesome. This rumor began with a Reddit post which showed a ping pong ball appearing to hover over the vents of the Xbox, indicating that the fan system was strong enough to hold the ball aloft. Twitter user TmarTn even posted a video with step-by-step instructions on how to recreate this nifty trick — "It actually works!" claimed one caption.

However, on closer inspection, one Twitter user was able to point out that looking carefully at one of the frames in the video will reveal a string tied to the ball and holding it up. One Xbox owner tried the experiment with even lighter objects, like a piece of toilet paper, and even a feather, to no avail. While it is true that the Xbox fan does blow warm air out of its top vent, it is nowhere near that powerful.

So, sorry Xbox fans, your Series X won't do cool tricks. But if the critics are to be believed, there are still plenty of other impressive features on the latest Xbox console to enjoy.