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Microsoft is ignoring Xbox One's biggest energy issue
- Thread starter mocoworm
- Start date
You in the US?
BigTnaples
Todd Howard's Secret GAF Account
So polygon read the thread on GAF the other day an decided to make an article of their own.
Cute.
I'll take my instant on, and leave it on. Thanks.
For those who don't want to, it's in the settings plain as day.
This is a non issue. And Microsoft is ignoring nothing.
Cute.
I'll take my instant on, and leave it on. Thanks.
For those who don't want to, it's in the settings plain as day.
This is a non issue. And Microsoft is ignoring nothing.
In Service
Member
Totally agree. This must be a slow news day.
Shock - console in instant on mode uses power.
mine is dead quiet. send yours in.
goldenpp72
Member
I turned this off because I got annoyed hearing the power brick running when it was off, lol.
No, not at all. The only way to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions to slow down climate change (let alone try and stop it) is to address things like this. Legislation like in the EU which mandates 1W standby power consumption doesn't stop you playing games or using as much or as little power as you want.
Studies done on national energy consumption around the world gets a figure of 8-22% of energy usage comes from devices in standby. That is massive on a global scale, and if that alone is addressed, countries would be well on their way to meeting their CO2 targets.
All that's being asked is the power hungry standby modes being turned opff by default,. End users can opt in and enable them if they want. Its just the the vast majority of end users will never change default settings in anything.
If you want to be proactive, turn off your consoles if you're not using them. I'm using the suspend mode on my PS4 a lot now, as I'm playing Bloodborne and it's perfect for it. When I'm not hooked on a game like this, I'll go back to turning my consoles off after use. And turn off your TV and amp when not in use.
Another source of power consumption that uses a lot, but most people are unaware of is chargers AC adapters. If you have a charger plugged in all the time, it's drawing power even when it's not charging a device. Chargers are also a very common cause of household fires as they can overheat and combust.
All three in my house are basically inaudible and that's with one of them being 2 feet away sitting on a desk.
Fan noise volume is greatly influenced by your environment. So the position and distance you sit from them, plus how many hard and soft surfaces there are in the room. Because the fan is inaudible for you doesn't make that the case for others.
I had a real issue with fan noise on all my consoles and plasma TV until I moved house. I sat the same distance away, but in normal usage, the fans were inaudible. The only thing that changed was the environment.
TIL climate change is silly.
PortablePanda
Neo Member
12.5 W = 0.0125 kW
If you don't touch your system for one day, that makes 24 hours
0.0125 kW times 24 hours/day is 0.3 kWhr/day
For an entire month, multiply that by 30 days/month to get 9 kWhr/month
Now, just take your rate that you can get from your utilities company and multiply it by that amount. Mine is $0.0672 per kWhr
9 kWhr/month * $0.0672/kWhr = $0.60/month
I would pay 60 cents per month. It's my understanding that my energy rate is "low", but I literally have no clue about other area's rates. I'm confident, though, that even getting anywhere near $3/month is incredibly rare
Why should we be concerned about this again?
I never even knew the power brick had fans or made a sound until this post lol I guess i need to check it when I get home. Mine's inaudible.
ChosenPredator
Banned
I really dont hear it either - actually i didn't even know the brick made a noise from what that guy said, lol.
It's just recently i noticed that xbox one is much more silent then ps4 - im not sure if anyone here has bloodborne but that makes your ps4 sound like its turning super saiyan.
An individual console won't make the slightest bit of difference, no. But when you're talking about tens, or hundred of millions of console, then of course they do.
There is good reason why countries have put in place legislation to limit standby power. Because it's a major contributor to CO2 emissions and climate change. This isn't just my subjective opinion, its an empirical fact.
CloudyTuba
Member
A while back I kept hearing this strange noise while walking through my room and I was going crazy to find it. Very quiet and almost not there, but I heard it.
Eventually I figured out it was the power supply on my new Xbone. After checking online I found that a lot of peoples xbone power supplies made a tiny little noise and that it was fairly normal. My memory is a bit fuzzy but I think it may have been a little fan.
Anyway, it drove me crazy so I found out how to put my Xbone on power save and actually shut all the way off. No more noise. I prefer it this way anyway, I am perfectly fine waiting less than a minute for it to boot up. I do the same with my PS4, no problem with just shutting your electronics off. All this instant-on stuff just seems impatient and wasteful to me.
Eventually I figured out it was the power supply on my new Xbone. After checking online I found that a lot of peoples xbone power supplies made a tiny little noise and that it was fairly normal. My memory is a bit fuzzy but I think it may have been a little fan.
Anyway, it drove me crazy so I found out how to put my Xbone on power save and actually shut all the way off. No more noise. I prefer it this way anyway, I am perfectly fine waiting less than a minute for it to boot up. I do the same with my PS4, no problem with just shutting your electronics off. All this instant-on stuff just seems impatient and wasteful to me.
You seem to think you're more of an expert in power usage and climate change than climate change scientists, environmental groups and governments.
Are you a Republican congressman by any chance?
7DollarHagane
Banned
I just keep the ones I'm not using unplugged. The xb1 and wiiu are usually unplugged unless I'm actively playing something on them.
The ps4 and PC are always plugged in.
The ps4 and PC are always plugged in.
Addressing climate change is a political issue.
I'm not attacking anything. I'm just giving the reason why people are wanting MS to change the default settings. People are getting confused by looking at the power difference of running their console in the high power standby mode and downplaying it as a minor thing. That's myopic, as you have to think of this at the national or global level.
I know you freak out when anyone or anything criticises Xbox, but c'mon. This is more important than brand loyalty.
What I don't understand is how this is being presented as an issue for every Xbox owner -- as if every Xbox owner is using more energy than necessary due to this feature.
However, wouldn't it be better in the long run (i.e.: the whole gen) if a user downloads updates via the system's instant on/low power mode instead of turning the system FULLY on and having to wait for the system to download all of the updates (especially if the person has an average or slow internet connection)?
That's what I don't get.
However, wouldn't it be better in the long run (i.e.: the whole gen) if a user downloads updates via the system's instant on/low power mode instead of turning the system FULLY on and having to wait for the system to download all of the updates (especially if the person has an average or slow internet connection)?
That's what I don't get.
I've been thinking of this since the beginning....
Not to mention downloading very large games.
Would you rather a Xbox One download a game for six hours at 12.5~ watts or 70~ watts.
Downloading a game in navigation mode equals the power usage of 33.6 hours of standby mode.
IndoAssassin
Banned
The difference is, when you hold the PS button to shut off your console, you get an option to either yurn off or put into rest mode.
The Xbox is preset, so of you decide you want to completely turn it off, you have to go into the settings and change.
I don"t see what the problem is if MS just put out an update that let us choose when we hold the xbox button.
Steverulez
Member
If you're already holding the controller then just go to settings and change it? It will take about 5 seconds. Or go and hold down the button on the console for 10 seconds.
You can also hold the power button on the console to turn it fully off.
You seem to be big into power savings in the household. What kind of water heater you got? Heating/air? LEDs? Cut off power to your router/wifi/cable box/desktop when not in use? What kind of stove do you have? Lets talk energy turkey here. I've made my house pretty darn energy efficient. I burn wood in an EPA certified wood burning stove during winters. Wood I cut myself from my own land. Every little bit helps, but there are easier more helpful things the US could regulate over.
No it's not, having devices not in use consuming power is simply wasteful and irresponsible.
You as the owner probably won't notice, but there are somewhere over 10 million XB1s out there all wasting power if left like this. Is 12500000 watts reasonable just so people can say 'xbox on'?
IndoAssassin
Banned
Because remebering to do that vs just having the option at the shutdown prompt? I'm more likely to choose it when the option is there while I'm turning off the console, than remembering to goto settings to change it.
Yes, but if you just tap the button it goes into instant on mode. How many people will know to hold it to completely turn it off when you will hear the chime as soon as you touch it?
Also this is more of an inconvenience, have to open my entertainment centre's door door to hold the power button.
Anyways all I want is an option at the shutdown prompt screen, don't know why people are getting so defensive about it.
mr teaspoon
Member
It's amazing how many people are missing this point. We're on GAF, we all mess with the settings out the wazoo, it's not about being a revelation to us, it's about the millions of people who plug it in, turn it on and never think about it again.
Misterthirsty
Member
I thought for certain it asked me this with my day one console.
Addressing climate change requires changes to multiple things. Normally enforced via new legislation, or by providing tax incentives to me more economical,
You'd all have a point if standby power was the only thing that groups and governments are wanting to change, but that's obviously not the case. Power efficiency of new devices in use and standby, home insulation, incandescent light bulbs, efficiency of new cars, renewable energy sources, stronger powers for environmental agencies etc all combine to tackling climate change. If you point to any one in isolation and single it out as pointless, you are failing to grasp how governments are combating climate change.
The point is, most people don't know or care about energy efficiency, so manufacturers didn't care either. If you force manufacturers to care by limiting the power draw of new devices or having high power modes off by default, it's a net positive for everyone. If you want to leave every light in your home on, or buy a power guzzling gaming PC, or turning on your high power standby options on consoles, or anything else, you still can.
This works for Microwaves, cable boxes, blu ray players, and receivers too btw.
Don't forget routers and modems.
Dammit how could I forget.
As best I can. Not fanatical about it, but mindful, sure. As I mentioned already, I've been using the PS4 rest mode since the last firmware as it's perfect for dipping in and out of Bloodborne. But normally, I have all my consoles powered down.
I make sure all chargers are off when not in use, and turn of TV and amp. But having kids makes this harder as we're still instilling the need to turn things off after use.
We moved into our house a couple of years ago, and replaced all the lights with LEDs and had double glazing fitted. Will look to get solar panels installed, once our budget allows. Our evaporative cooling system is old, so will be replaced. But again, once we have the budget for it.
I wonder how many people on GAF dispose their Mercury filled lightbulbs properly.
Pathfinder
Member
Hmm, but I was told Polygon writes only positive articles about Microsoft, because Microsoft paid for their website.
Now I don't know what to believe.
Now I don't know what to believe.
Shin-Ra
Junior Member
What kind of light bulb?
Sounds like a plan. That nobody would use.
I wonder about this as well. I haven't seen any kind of break down that explains the power draw when certain settings are turned off. Is it all or nothing with the instant on mode, or does unchecking features reduce the draw? I don't even have a Kinect and "Xbox On" functionality was turned on.
The Kinect sensor listening for "Xbox on" is worth 1W of the draw. Without it plugged in, it doesn't take that watt. But it is still basically a PC in standby mode. The boot up time is significantly longer without instant on turned on, because it's loading up the OS from boot instead of recalling from the standby state.
I'm willing to bet pretty much everyone wastes far more energy than that on other things. From driving to places they could have walked to, to accidentally leaving their tvs, computers, microwaves and whatever else on. Blah blah blah
Give me a break. I'm all for minimising impacts but why people are going on about this is beyond me. There are much, MUCH worse things out there destroying our environment.
Give me a break. I'm all for minimising impacts but why people are going on about this is beyond me. There are much, MUCH worse things out there destroying our environment.