Microsoft pleads with gamers not to vape into their new Xboxes

Microsoft has a simple suggestion for gamers worried about smoke billowing out of their Xboxes: Don’t blow smoke into them in the first place.

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The tech titan offered a tongue-in-cheek response to videos purporting to show brand-new Xbox Series X consoles spouting clouds of smoke — some of which may have been faked by vaping internet hucksters.

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

Microsoft chimed in after clips circulated appearing 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 earlier footage could have been staged by simply exhaling vapor from a vape pen into the bottom of the Xbox and letting the “smoke” circulate through the machine.

It’s not clear whether Microsoft has found any authentic cases of smoking Xboxes, but the Series X’s early days haven’t been entirely free of glitches. One Twitter user who complained about smoke also posted a video of the console making a loud popping sound and abruptly shutting down. Other people have reported problems with the machine’s disc drive, according to Polygon.

Microsoft didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment early Wednesday, but the company is reportedly looking into the problems.

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