Xbox Series X smoking consoles a hoax

The Xbox Series X has only been out for two days now. At least for the lucky few who were able to grab a pre-order, or stupid enough to pay a scalper. Well, already the console is generating some controversy after some units allegedly started smoking due to overheating. This would be a pretty serious issue for Microsoft, except for one teeny tiny problem; it’s all a big hoax.

The videos posted to social media show an Xbox One X throwing out huge plumes of white smoke out its top vent. Now, as someone who’s no stranger to letting out the magic smoke, this does not look like flaming electronics to me. It usually comes out in fine wisps of black, acrid smoke. Certainly not in big billows like that. What we’re seeing in the video does look suspiciously like vape juice. In fact, Microsoft confirmed this to be the case on their official Twitter account yesterday.

It’s worth noting that vaping inside your Xbox for click bait and fake internet points has the potential to damage your console. Vape juice is mostly water vapour mixed in with some pretty nasty compounds. I’m sure you’ll remember from grade school science that water and electricity don’t mix. This can cause shorts and corrosion, which can wreck sensitive computer components. I’m pretty sure excess moisture is not covered under the warranty.

So far the launch of the Series X has gone off fairly well. Or as well as anything can go in 2020. There have been isolated reports of disc drive loading issues, but nothing major. Just goes to show that you should never take anything you see at face value. Especially stuff posted to social media.