This is a question that has been thought about. Should next-gen consoles come with built in dust-filters?
We've all seen the problems associated with the last-gen consoles including the overheating on both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. This led to people having to open up their consoles, void the warranty, and clean out the dust, but what if filters came built into the system? I imagine these filters would be on the intakes of the consoles and the screw for removing them hidden under a plastic cover on the outside of the console. This would make it so users can simple remove cover, unscrew a single screw and pull out the dust filter for cleaning.
Benefits: -Less dust on the consoles components. -Better cooling (If the filters are cleaned every 6 months) -Longer lifespan
Drawbacks: -Users won't know this filter exists. -Could clog if uncleaned for years.
That would depend heavily on how much you plan on cleaning the Dust Filters. Consoles generally already have issues with airflow, but adding yet another thing to obstruct the air, it'll only cause more issues
The ideal solution is that the hardware goes fanless. There are already plenty of things that are fanless out there, and by some reports, you can PC game on them fine (like the Macbook 15). If things continue to progress towards lowering the power consumption and whatnot of parts, we will get there.
In a perfect world where people cared about their things and would clean the dust out of the filter it'd be a fantastic idea as it would prevent dust from getting inside and make an easy way to clean. But most people don't care so as @VXAce was saying it'd only cause more issues due to airflow restrictions once dust builds up.
For now we're probably at the best it can be, the next best solution would be to make consoles easier to clean for those who do want to be able to do so. Right now opening one up and attempting to clean it is a nightmare and it really doesn't have to be
To be honest I wish dust filters were in consoles, as once the system is dead and out. You try to open the system. Seeing this monster mass of dust is unnerving at times. When I opened up my old original Xbox just the dust inside...was awful. I agree with @Meow_Mix_Please this is a great idea on paper, but no one is going to take the time to do something that is pretty simple. With what @100557662 said make the console easier to clean. Hopefully by making it easier to clean it wouldn't break the warranty by opening it up, but they will probably figure something out around that.
Either dust filters or make them easier to clean would really be great.
Will there even be a next generation of consoles? Since they went the facebook machine route this time, they are getting closer to PCs than gaming machines. Given the big focus on pre-built compact build PCs now from various brands, the only thing differentiating them will be that with PCs you can plug in any controller you want and use a keyboard and mouse, while not having an anti-consumer walled garden software wise, and having actual proper HDD and SSD capacity that are replaceable unlike consoles. Or at least, that's the way i see it.
But yeah, everything should have dust-filters everywhere from the box, from consoles to PC cases. Not only because of the dust, but also the god damn insects, or in worst case scenarios ants.
Dust filters in consumer electronics? Hahaha... That's funny.
In all seriousness the chance of consoles getting dust filters is slim to none. Dust filters aren't exactly a brand new concept and the fact you'd be hard pressed to find a dust filter in a consumer device shows that they were deemed unnecessary.
Most console gamers are lazy and will never clean the filters so there is no point. There is also the fact that dust build up causes system failure and people buying a new console.
Actually I should have mentioned one thing that my laptop has. The Lenovo G510's drivers comes with a power management thing that has a function to blow out air from the fan system. It ramps the fan up for a good minute or two and forces dust out. Dunno how effective it is, but it seems to work. Maybe consoles would have that and fix some problems.
