Xbox 420? Those Xbox Series X smoking videos have been proven fake

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Multiple users report smoke coming out of their Xbox Series X consoles, but it's probably fake

xbox series x review
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Update: The Xbox Series X smoking claims have been largely debunked since they first made the rounds. We've updated our original story below.

According to several reports making the rounds online, multiple Xbox Series X units appeared to be overheating and causing smoke to pour out of the vents as a result. You can see one such example in this viral Reddit post, and another here on Twitter.

However, like most ridiculous things on the internet, these videos were quickly proven to be staged from several sources.

Several Twitter users have reported that it's very easy to make the Xbox Series X look like its smoking by using a vaporizer, so it's entirely possible that these videos were faked using that method.

Even Xbox itself chimed in, with possibly the greatest video game tweet of the year:

However, at least one Reddit user commented that they were having their own legitimate smoking issue, noting that "the smoke had a very funny smell" and that they messaged Microsoft Support.

There are a myriad other Xbox Series X launch issues being reported in this Reddit thread, including Microsoft's console shutting down at random times, not allowing owners to insert discs and causing sudden controller disconnects. 

It's not clear how common these issues are just yet, but if you are experiencing any of them, we recommend reaching out to Microsoft Support.

Several members of the Tom's Guide staff have had an Xbox Series X unit for a few weeks now, and none have had any of the above issues. However, faulty models can oftentimes get out to consumers — especially at a product's launch. Here's hoping that we don't have another red ring issue on our hands. 

Michael Andronico
Michael Andronico

Mike Andronico is Senior Writer at CNNUnderscored. He was formerly Managing Editor at Tom's Guide, where he wrote extensively on gaming, as well as running the show on the news front. When not at work, you can usually catch him playing Street Fighter, devouring Twitch streams and trying to convince people that Hawkeye is the best Avenger.