Whenever picking up new tech on day one, it's always a risk that there's going to be something fundamentally wrong with the hardware. Most of the time, these are minor things that fans really don't have to worry about or can easily accept, but some of the time, they can be a real problem. There are also those who receive hardware with no faults, and that's just the Russian roulette game of day-one hardware. This is no different for consoles like the recently released PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Both consoles play host to a variety of day-one problems, per this standard fare. For Xbox Series X consoles, that seemingly ranges from nuisances like de-syncing controllers to full game crashes or shut downs. It's also worth mentioning that being aware of these launch problems is incredibly important, but it's also something fans should always attempt to verify. For example, many bought the "smoking" Xbox Series X hoax with little-to-no research in it, despite many claiming that smoke caused by an electrical problem doesn't look like that. In fact, it turns out that someone just blew vape smoke into their Series X console, and Microsoft even issued a statement on the matter.
Xbox Series X Shutting Down
There have been multiple reports of the Xbox Series X simply shutting down. Most commonly, this seems to occur when loading up a game, but it doesn't seem to be caused directly by the game. It has happened with everything from Assassin's Creed Valhalla to Ori, and as of now, Microsoft has yet to issue any statement here. Hopefully, this is something that can be fixed with a system patch and is not an actual hardware fault, but the only resolution for now seems to be booting it back up and hoping that this isn't causing long-term damage IF it's a hardware problem.
- There are similar reports of this also being caused by playing Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, with the problem here (but not in every shut down instance) being that the Xbox One version of the game is installed. Players will need to make sure they upgrade to the Xbox Series X edition of Black Ops Cold War to avoid shut downs while playing.
Xbox Series X Controller De-Syncing And Not Pairing with Console
Some users are encountering a problem where the controller appears to disconnect from the Xbox Series X during use, and using the pair buttons doesn't reconnect the two. Seemingly, the problem may lie in the controller, which once again, a patch may hopefully be able to fix. Nonetheless, the exact cause has not been pin-pointed, but there are a couple of easy fixes. Players can attempt to hardwire the Xbox controller to the console, wait for about 3-5 seconds, and then unhook it, and it'll be working again. If without a USB-C port or if that doesn't work, resetting the console appears to fix the issues as well.
Xbox Series X Corrupt 4K Display
When attempting to play with selected HDMI 2.1 TVs at 4K resolution with 120HZ and VRR support, some players may meet a "no signal" or "corrupted image." No workaround has been identified at this time, though making sure the TV is updated and playing around with those specific settings may help.
Xbox Series X Strange Noises
There are some reports of strange noises coming from the Xbox Series X, although in all reports, it should be noted that no mechanical failure or other severe issue has been identified by a noise. For now, fans should keep an eye on the noise and look for an acknowledgement from Microsoft.
Xbox Series X App Issues
Microsoft has acknowledged issues with Remote Play, PeacockTV, BBC iPlayer, as well as issues with capturing screenshots and recordings. There are no known fixes for these at this time, but at least in regards to the captures and recordings, they should be fixed with an update seemingly set for this November. Furthermore, attempting to watch a DVD or Blu-Ray will sometimes result in a black screen, which a console restart should fix.
Xbox Series X Smart Delivery and Quick Resume
Smart Delivery titles may result in the game not recognizing the game as fully install, typically occurring due to moving a game from an external hard drive to the SSD. To correct this, fans will need to restart the console.
A few titles are also not quick resuming correctly, and Microsoft is working on a fix. Some titles have had the feature disabled while attempting this fix.
Xbox Series X "something went wrong. 0x800708ca"
The above error message affects some games when launching them. The best fix is to uninstall and re-download the affected title.
Xbox Series X Headphone Game/Chat audio mix
Some third-party headsets won't allow players to adjust game/chat audio mix when paired with the new Xbox Series X controller. There is no fix as of yet, but players can still adjust the audio mix via the Xbox on-screen guide.
Xbox 360 Backward Compatible Games Not Working on Series X
Launching Xbox 360 games on the Series X is forcing some users back to the dashboard instead of playing the game, and to correct this issue, fans will need to clean Xbox 360 storage. This can be done via Settings > System > Storage > Clear local Xbox 360 storage.
Xbox Series X Early Adopters Shouldn't Worry Too Much
As aforementioned, every console launch has seen unit defects and the like upon launch. As many reports as there seems to be, there are as many and likely more that have received consoles that work without fault. Xbox Series X consoles seem to have a decent variety of small nuisances and the like, but hopefully, these are fixed over the next few weeks and months. If experiencing an issue that seems severe (or even minor), the best thing early adopters can do is contact Microsoft.
The Xbox Series X/S is available now.
Source: Microsoft