While Sony battles criticisms from fans over anti-consumer practices largely revolving around Spider-Man Remastered, Microsoft has found itself fighting an entirely different war against misinformation.
Over the last week or so, unsubstantiated reports have started circulating online suggesting that the upcoming Xbox Series X suffers from a particularly troublesome overheating issue. Several tech outlets have already confirmed, of course, that they’ve been provided test kits of both next-gen consoles in order to put them through their paces, so there’s no foul play involving hardware leaks to speak of here. What is incredibly suspect, however, is the seemingly untraceable source of the aforementioned rumor and the markedly different message it offers contrary to reputable publications.
In its own preview article, for example, The Guardian’s Keith Stuart has been overtly positive, labelling the Series X as both “whisper quiet and superfast.” Stuart even admits that the console previewed wasn’t the final version, meaning those that will ultimately find their way into the hands of consumers have every chance of being even more impressive.
Microsoft’s own Aaron Greenberg, on the other hand, has responded to one fan’s concern over on Twitter in regard to overheating issues with the following statement:
The console will output system heat out of the exhaust, just as any other console will. Our engineering team confirmed the heat leaving the console is not significantly different than Xbox One X. This matches my experience at home quiet, fast & impressive power for the size.
Reassuring words, then, though it’s worth noting that gaming hardware does get hot, even when countermeasures are in place, so early adopters shouldn’t at all be surprised to find their new console(s) exuding substantial heat after extended gaming sessions. By no means does that mean the device is in danger of overheating, however – the heat has to go somewhere, and if it’s escaping, that can only be a good sign.
Xbox Series X is out next month, November 10th, alongside a cheaper, less powerful alternative, the Xbox Series S.
