Microsoft asks gamers not to vape on their Xboxes

Microsoft has a simple suggestion for gamers worried about the smoke coming from their Xbox: don’t blow smoke on it.

The tech titan has offered a tongue-in-cheek response to videos purporting to show all-new Xbox Series X consoles leaping out of clouds of smoke – some of which may have been faked by internet vaping enthusiasts.

“We can’t believe we have to say this, but please don’t blow vaping smoke into your Xbox Series X,” Microsoft’s Xbox team said on twitter Wednesday evening.

Microsoft intervened after clips appeared to show the $ 500 consoles – which officially launched on Tuesday – spewing gray smoke from their cooling vents, suggesting the system had overheated and caught fire.

But another viral video demonstrated how the previous images could have been staged by simply exhaling vapor from a vape pen into the bottom of the Xbox and letting the “smoke” flow through the machine.

It is not known if Microsoft has found any genuine cases of the steaming Xbox, but the debut of the X Series was not entirely without its problems. A Twitter user who complained about the smoke also posted a video from the console making a loud popping sound and suddenly turning off. Other people have reported problems with the machine’s disk drive, according to Polygon.

Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday morning, but the company is reportedly looking into the issues.

“We take all product safety reports seriously and our products meet or exceed industry standards,” Microsoft told a reporter from The Verge. “We are investigating further.”