Microsoft: "Please Do Not Blow Vape Smoke Into Your Xbox Series X"

Update: A Microsoft spokesperson has sent GameSpot a statement about the videos of smoking Xbox Series X units discussed below. As you can expect, the company isn't too keen on people doing this. You can read the full statement below:

“We take all product safety reports seriously and our products meet or exceed industry standards. Findings from our initial investigations do not align with some of the claims being broadly reported, however we are in the process of investigating further.”

The original article follows.

A series of viral videos purporting to show the new Xbox Series X pouring plumes of smoke from its air vent have been circulating on social media, but these appear to be fake. Multiple people have replicated the smoking effect by blowing vape smoke through the Xbox, prompting Microsoft itself to address the situation in a tweet that looks like a real non sequitur.

A debunking video from the fan account XboxStudio shows how to recreate the "smoking" effect, even when the console is off. Others have suggested that smoke from an electrical fire would not look so similar to vape smoke. Some of the viral videos have also included strange sounds coming from the console.

Although Microsoft had not issued an official statement on the viral videos at the time we originally published this story, it has since responded by way of a PSA-style tweet, in which it advises users that no, you should not, in fact, blow vape smoke into your $500 gaming machine. In potentially related news, Microsoft stock is up 0.046% in after-hours trading.

Xbox Series X launched on November 10 alongside the more compact Xbox Series S. Xbox's latest competitor, Sony's PS5, launched on November 12. For more on Xbox Series X, check out our Xbox Series X review, and our in-depth interview with Xbox head Phil Spencer.