Xbox Series X Temperature Test Cools Fan Concerns

The first round of Xbox Series X gameplay previews left many convinced that the next-gen console may have a heating problem. However, a new round of tests suggests that may not actually be the case.

For instance, VentureBeat ran a fairly simple Xbox Series X heat test in which they ran Hitman 2 on the Xbox Series X, Xbox One X, PS4 Pro, and a PC with an RTX 3080 GPU and Ryzen 9 3900XT CPU. For this test, each platform was allowed to cool down for about 30 minutes before the tester played Hitman 2‘s Mumbai level for about 10 minutes on each. They then recorded the temperature of the various devices.

By the tester’s own admission, this isn’t exactly the most scientific method, but these results should provide a basic snapshot of how hot the Xbox Series X really is:

Well, the Xbox Series X runs a bit hotter than a high-end PC, but that’s hardly a surprise. Otherwise, this test reveals that the Xbox Series X runs cooler than the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro under these conditions. While it’s worth repeating that this isn’t the definitive word on the matter, we strongly suspect that if the Xbox Series X did have any notable temperature problems, we’d probably see them impact even a simple test such as this one.

So why did some people suspect that the console might run hot? Well, if we rule out trolls and other sources of pure misinformation, then we’d suspect the problem may be that people are just more aware of a console’s heat output when testing a new console. It’s also possible that the Xbox Series X prominent topside vent just makes it easier to feel the console’s heat in comparison with older consoles.

That said, we still have some questions. The most notable unanswered factor at this time is how the Xbox Series X runs when you’re running a next-gen optimized game for a longer period of time. It makes sense that the console will outperform older platforms when it comes to running older games, but how does it fare when faced with a newer, more demanding title? We’re also still waiting to see an extensive test of the Series S’ cooling capabilities.

So while you’ll want to wait until a release model of the Series X has been put through its paces before drawing any long-term conclusions, the short term results suggest this shouldn’t be a notable issue.