Microsoft's Xbox One is a high-performance console that is battling Sony's PlayStation 4 and Nintendo's Wii U. An Xbox One "Slim" and more powerful version with 4K and Oculus Rift support are rumored to be in the works. Meanwhile, Compulab believes it has a method for developing a new Xbox console that is silent and contains no fan.
The company is in the process of licensing its Natural Air Flow (NAF) technology. It is the hardware that allows the company to keep the super-powerful Airtop systems to run cool even when dealing with heavy workloads.
The NAF system includes dozens of heatpipes in flat panels that can easily remove heat from Intel's Core i7 CPU and Nvidia GTX950 GPU. A two-panel system can handle up to 200 watts, according to Geek.
Compulab notes that removing the console's fans not only decreases noise but also increases reliability. It can prevent fans from getting dusty and failing, and damaged parts due to overheating.
NAF could also make the Xbox slimmer. One Airtop can include four 2.5-inch drives and enough processing/graphics power to run four 4K displays, yet are a svelte 4" x 12" x 10".
Compulab has posted some concept renderings that show the structure of an Xbox with the Natural Air Flow system. It could become a game-changer for the next generation of consoles.
The tech company rolled out its Airtop systems in January, which was its first desktop system.
Compulab reported it took years to develop the NAF heat-exchange tech, and three years to create the Airtop system. It now only works with previous-gen Intel microprocessors.
In related news, Microsoft will reportedly make several big announcements at next week's E3 trade show. The tech giant could be announcing an Xbox One that is 40 percent smaller than the original console, contains a 2TB hard drive, and has a redesigned controller.
Microsoft might also announce new streaming hardware at E3 2016 like Amazon's Fire Stick and Google's Chromecast, according to GameSpot. It would run casual games like Apple TV.
The Windows 10 developer might also announce a VR-ready Xbox One that is four times more powerful than the original Xbox One. It is rumored to have a 2017 rollout.
Here's a 4-display Airtop demo: