The Xbox Series X has been an endless font of memes, partly because it seems like it’s so much bigger than the Xbox One. Why is Microsoft’s next-gen console appear to be so much larger than its predecessor?
As Eurogamer explains, the reason comes down to one simple problem: heat. As anyone who has built a high-end gaming computer can tell you, more powerful components simply run hotter. The Xbox Series X is basically a computer with Microsoft’s own special operating system added on and it operates on many of the same principles: it has a motherboard, a processor, RAM, a power supply, and all of the other bits and pieces that a computer needs to run.
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Unfortunately, many of these parts also generate heat — and the more powerful next-gen console is likely to create even more heat than that the last generation. Microsoft is surely anxious to avoid the overheating problems of the Xbox 360, and that’s why the Xbox Series X likely has a lot more cooling inside that big black box.
Microsoft believes that its next-gen Xbox, previously codenamed Project Scarlett, will be the most powerful console on the market. While it’ll certainly be a sizable machine, and one that is much larger than the company’s Xbox One X, it’s hoped by the company that its impressive specs will entice potential buyers even if they need to make room for it in their TV cabinet.
