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Xbox Series X owners experience bugs — and hoaxes — after launch day

Giovanni Colantonio
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The Xbox Series X is officially out in the world and owners are sharing a few quirks and problems with the system. Some issues seem to be real, while others may be viral hoaxes.

The biggest launch day hiccup came from Xbox Live, which experienced issues on Tuesday. The Xbox Support Twitter account confirmed the problem, which prevented users from logging into Xbox Live, and pushed out a fix just a few hours later.

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We're aware that users are currently unable to sign into Xbox Live. Our teams are already on it. We'll provide updates here and on our status page. https://t.co/PzAdjUFMJj

— Xbox Support (@XboxSupport) November 10, 2020

On a hardware side, Series X owners have reported a wealth of issues that range in scale. That’s not uncommon for new console launches. After the Nintendo Switch launched in 2017, the internet was flooded with videos showing off doomsday scenarios like bricked consoles and loud noises.

The same has been true for the Xbox Series X so far. A thread on the console’s subreddit collected a list of videos and posts about certain issues that have been popping up around the internet. Multiple Series X owners have shown off a bug where the console appears to shut off immediately after turning on. Others have reported overheating, console shutdowns, and loud noises coming from the system.

The console’s disc drive has come up a few times, with users showing that they’re unable to insert a disc. Some of these videos are accompanied by loud clicking noises as the console blocks the discs.

Hey @XboxSupport!

I think my #XboxSeriesX might have a defective disc drive. I've tried inserting a few different compatible games (both Xbox One & 360) & the drive won't let me insert it. Nothing is in there (to my knowledge). I just set it up.

Any help is appreciated! ???? pic.twitter.com/2r1mQkYSLY

— Travless (@Travless_) November 10, 2020

Some of the more viral issues may not be real at all. At least two videos have surfaced showing a plume of white smoke emitting from the top of the console. In a comical twist, other users have theorized that the “problem” is actually caused by users blowing vape smoke through the console to achieve the effect.

how to get your Xbox Series X to blow up:

1) buy a vape
2) blow vape into bottom of Xbox
3) feel proud of the smoke you created
4) post to Twitter and profit

video via @XboxStudio ????pic.twitter.com/RxLI62uxmg

— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) November 11, 2020

Both legitimate issues and hoaxes are expected when a new console launches, and the Xbox Series X doesn’t seem to be out of the ordinary in that regard. While there do seem to be some real quirks with Microsoft’s latest system, potential buyers should remember to take individual videos with a grain of salt.

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Giovanni Colantonio
Giovanni Colantonio
Section Editor, Gaming
Giovanni is a writer and video producer focusing on happenings in the video game industry. He has contributed stories to…
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