We've always assumed that we don't notice the cold while we're playing video games because we're being warmed from within by the light of joy. But Jeff Ramos has dispelled our childish illusions on his blog, cheerfully describing how his Xbox 360 makes a fine space heater that helps to warm up one room of his chilly New York City apartment. Not the most serious reading, but it certainly warms the heart, doesn't it?
We've always thought that the amount of heat put out by the 360 was a bad thing (especially when it melts its own brains from within), but don't be surprised if crafty console makers spend as much time in the next generation talking about BTUs as GPUs.
Reader Comments (53)
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 9:16AM Spartan117458 said
Funny that this comes up...we got a new furnace yesterday, which meant no heat. I sat in my room with the door closed and 360 on, and it was much warmer than the rest of the house.
Reply
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 2:07AM (Unverified) said
Although Steve Jobs used "funnest" in his presentation, it doesn't make it an actual word :)
Reply
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 2:11AM (Unverified) said
My room doesn't have good access to heat and I was always freezing. When I got my 360 and HDTV (and PS3 does it too), I really haven't felt cold in here since... as long as I played something.
Reply
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 2:32AM (Unverified) said
Hey! Thanks for the post! I told my room mates I'm just going to put a 360 in every room from now on. Winter is stupid.
Reply
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 2:25AM (Unverified) said
My old 360 actually heated the room by itself...
Reply
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 2:26AM CaramelZappa said
During the winter for the past couple years I've left my 360 on 24/7. It keeps my room really warm, plus I don't have to wait for it to turn on when I want to play a game. win/win.
Reply
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 2:39AM (Unverified) said
my whole house is cold.. when i step in my room its a fucking sauna, pc, tv, 360 :(
Reply
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 2:43AM The Albatross said
I can't really tell as much in my living room. But, one of my roommates lives in the smallest bedroom in my house and, with his 360, PC, and LCD TV, the room is an oven.. which he actually likes, it's weird. After long hours of CoD, he'll open the door and the hot air will pour out of it.
Reply
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 2:57AM PepeSilvia said
No kidding. I got a small little room in my house. With my 360 running constantly to play videos and what not, plus my computer running to stream said movies to my 360 my room is quite warm.
Reply
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 3:04AM TheDrizzle659 said
The only reason it's funny is because a 4 year old photoshopped it. That's prob the worst photoshop I have ever seen.
Reply
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 3:25AM (Unverified) said
Dude, I think it's supposed to look bad. Sarcasm is kind of lost on some folks?
Reply
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 3:12AM (Unverified) said
Let's just hope it doesn't get red ring, then things would really heat up.
Reply
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 3:23AM Alex R said
My LCD TV gives out more heat than my 360, but it gives out 'electric smells' too.
My old PC used to give out buckets of heat, and there is actually a slightly darker patch on the wall behind where the fans were. I don't think that particular computer was good for my health.
Reply
My old PC used to give out buckets of heat, and there is actually a slightly darker patch on the wall behind where the fans were. I don't think that particular computer was good for my health.
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 3:35AM (Unverified) said
i have both the 360 and PS3 and both kick out lots of heat and the PS3 makes way more noise
Reply
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 4:13AM B3astofthe3ast said
My 60gig PS3 generates way more heat than my 360 in my opinion. In fact, Im going to turn it on right now, feeling a bit cold.
Reply
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 5:34AM ouenwoof said
Yes, although the warmth is very pleasant, I can't help but worry about the hardware integrity of my 360 when it's pushing hot air very slowly, AND having occasional graphical issues (black dots forming around random objects and edges). I'd rather not have to end up paying 100$ for a repair. :/
Reply
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 6:31AM PoisonedAl said
My old PC and it's HUGE 19" CRT used to heat the room quite well, but my newer, cooler gamer case with branded parts inside and the widescreen TFT aren't as good as replacement radiators. Pity, as I hate putting the central heating on as it gives me a headache.
There is a flip side of being better in summer, and the insides of my PC not boiling is a plus too.
Reply
There is a flip side of being better in summer, and the insides of my PC not boiling is a plus too.
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 7:13AM (Unverified) said
My PS3 puts out substantially more heat than my 360. Sometimes it's pretty scary how hot it gets.
Reply
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 8:25AM Katana Master said
This is very true. I had to open my window last night due to hours on hours of gaming on my 360.
Reply
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 9:18AM (Unverified) said
The heat and noise is quite ridiculous. Especially when you live somewhere like Australia at this time of year when the heat is already unbearable. As much as I enjoy my games of the 360, I still think it is one of the most rushed and poorly designed consoles of this generation. In actual fact the only reason I prefer my PS3 for media etc is because of less heat it produces and it is much much much quieter
Reply
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 11:15AM Boo Radley said
My MW2 console never even gets warm. The whole thing is dissapointingly cool to the touch.
Reply
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 12:06PM SitriStahl said
right around christmas my room started getting a lot warmer, thanks to finally getting the audiophile achievement in ODST, and the hours i pour into borderlands
Reply
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 12:28PM SmilinGoat said
when we play games for 8+ hours our small apartment usually gets to near 80F during the winters. mostly do to the 50in plasma/xboxorPS3/HDtvbox(makes a ton of heat even when not in use)/and AV receiver. we have our heater set to 65 degrees so its definitely the electronics... (oh and the PC)
Reply
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 1:49PM Starcade said
Vlad Cole pretty much blogged about the same thing shortly after the introduction of the 360. While it does put off heat, it doesn't put off that much heat. It barely warms my feet. My laptop on the otherhand will scorch your legs.
If I had one complaint about the 360 it would be the noise level. I bought a new model recently and it's louder than my previous two models. By now, I really wish Microsoft would have addressed the noise issue with quieter compontents. I must have been one the unfortunate ones to get one of the noisy drives.
Since I'm dreaming, I wouldn't mind seeing a smaller more compact version of the 360.... but I suspect any serious redesign is probably not forthcoming.
Reply
If I had one complaint about the 360 it would be the noise level. I bought a new model recently and it's louder than my previous two models. By now, I really wish Microsoft would have addressed the noise issue with quieter compontents. I must have been one the unfortunate ones to get one of the noisy drives.
Since I'm dreaming, I wouldn't mind seeing a smaller more compact version of the 360.... but I suspect any serious redesign is probably not forthcoming.
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 8:34PM (Unverified) said
Yeah, it's kind of a matter of luck. Plus, there are different versions of the fans, some louder than others.
Reply
Posted: Jan 1st 2010 9:26AM (Unverified) said
Installing games to the hard drive makes it almost silent.
Reply
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 3:24PM Alphathon said
I don't usually bother with heating in my bedroom. My PC, Receiver and monitor (which gets surprisingly warm) are more than sufficient. The PS3 and 360 just add to the toastyness. In fact I have no heating on now dispite the bitter Scottish weather outside (its about -15°C or maybe even -20°C I think, which is about 0°F for all you backwards people out there - I'm looking at you America)
Reply
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 5:52PM (Unverified) said
my family never turns on the heat but luckily I normally use a plasma, 360, and a computer at the same time which makes for a great source of heat.
Reply
Posted: Dec 31st 2009 6:11PM (Unverified) said
hm i guess that's why the shitbox is a electricity hog with a gigantic power brick
Reply
Sorry, you must be logged in to leave a comment.
Featured Stories
The most popular posts
in the last 7 days
- Vita 'UMD Passport' won't be offered in US 220 comments
- Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning review: A tempting fate 153 comments
- David Jaffe leaves Eat Sleep Play, layoffs hit developer [Update] 108 comments
- Don't call it a remake: Final Fantasy X is a 'remaster,' to be clear 95 comments
- Battleship movie adapted into FPS by Double Helix 93 comments











