Don't worry, Elon Musk is way ahead of you with his household batteries.
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Microsoft is ignoring Xbox One's biggest energy issue
- Thread starter mocoworm
- Start date
Don't worry, Elon Musk is way ahead of you with his household batteries.
PumpkinSpice
Banned
Any energy you could have avoided using that comes from hydroelectric or other renewable sources could have been sold to another nearby power grid that doesn't use renewable energy. In Quebec for instance nearly all the energy is from hydroelectric dams but any excess is routinely sold down to New York or Ontario.
And yeah 10 watts across 20 million consoles plugged in constantly adds up pretty quick. Just for PS4 that's 200 megawatts.
What kind of light bulb?
Sounds like a plan. That nobody would use.
Hey guys!
Look at this LED bulb with a rest mode that no one uses.
What people actually use:
This is an extremely silly argument.
How many times must it be explained that the power usage is being spread across entire countries?
Shin-Ra
Junior Member
I use that LED bulb (with its always-on rest mode!) and it's not inconvenient to use at all. In fact not losing functionality and changing bulbs every four months or so is very convenient!
Can you still buy incandescent light bulbs in the US? They've been banned in Aus since 2009. I think they're banned in the EU too, but I'm not sure.
As for the common statement 'a games console won't impact climate change'. Unless your home if powered 100% by renewable energy sources, every single electronic device in your home will be contributing to climate change and emissions.
As for the common statement 'a games console won't impact climate change'. Unless your home if powered 100% by renewable energy sources, every single electronic device in your home will be contributing to climate change and emissions.
Have they gone after cable boxes yet? Here's the draw from my two cable boxes and modem at home, holy shit!! over 60W, I better hide!
- Motorola QIP7100 P2: 20W
- Motorola QIP7232: 25W
- Actiontec router: 16W
What a good choice of image, considering you asked the exact same question, and I answered with a link to their white paper about cable boxes, less than one week ago.
The amount of false choices people around here bring up whenever this subject comes up is astonishing. Yes, there are bigger problems than wasteful standby modes on video game consoles. That does not mean this issue isn't worth addressing. No one is claiming this is the solution to all of the world's problems.
You think the carbon doesn't count if it's spread across countries? And you're calling some other argument silly?
Muppet of a Man
Member
Yeah, I don't get why they are just lambasting Microsoft when there are standby modes that use nearly this much power for the other consoles, as well.
I had one of these as well. Got a replacement from MS and the new one is practically whisper quiet. Only annoyance is they make you send your old power brick to them first, wait 5-7 days, then send out a new one, so you're potentially without a functional Xbox One for 2-3 weeks. But it was worth it to me for a quiet power brick with Instant On enabled.
Black_Stride
do not tempt fate do not contrain Wonder Woman's thighs do not do not
Menu at the dashboard -> Settings.
polygon said:
Is this for real, do people actually never go into their settings menus for consoles?
I think that was the first place i went with every console ive ever owned.
Its not like MS is hiding the fact that instant on draws more power....heck the other mode is called energy saving.
Anyway, must be a slow news day if this was a whole write up.
Xbox.com has this information too....but i guess people would rather hear about it from Polygon than MS huh?
The Albatross
Member
It's dishonest to say that this is only about voice commands, which is probably the least beneficial perk of an always on low power state. It's mostly about the suspend/resume functionality, quick boot, and many other benefits of new consoles that would not be possible without always on low power state.
That was very eye opening
That was very eye opening
lifeexpectancy
Member
Why does the hardware manufacturer have to do it for people? The option is right there in the settings. It's not hard to find. It's not hard to figure out. It's not hard to change.
This could've been a tweet. A full article for this? For fuck's sake this is such a non-story I don't even...
The Ars figures are wrong. Since firmware 2.0. all the PS4 power saving options (connected to internet, charge USB) are off by default in the EU and AU, so it draws under 3W.
As others have already said, the WiiU figures are wrong as it only goes into 'quick start' intermittently. You'll notice the LED goes from red or orange while checks the network for updates etc, or when it's charging a USB controller. But the vast majority of the time, the LED is red because its in its low power standby mode which only draws a minuscule 0.4W.
Exactly. For the people who want the higher power feature, they can easily turn them on in the options. But for the majority of users, they won't know or care about these options, so it's an obvious reason to have them off by default. Low hanging fruit to reduce energy usage.
Hans.Gruber
Banned
OMG so many great points.
Just watched a documentary about the German team winning the World Cup.
On an off day, 3 players took a helicopter to go golfing.
So IMO talking about this "energy waste" issue and MS is exactly how Allan Iverson thinks about practice vs. games https://youtu.be/eGDBR2L5kzI?t=1m13s
Black_Stride
do not tempt fate do not contrain Wonder Woman's thighs do not do not
We can turn this in a click-bait article if the default was the other way.
"The best Xbox One feature, Microsoft refuses to tell us about" -The Verge.
Xbox Ones are sold with Kinect, but few games truly use it, one of the best features is actually hidden behind a multitude of menus and button presses.
With a simple Voice command of Xbox On, the Xbox one can turn on your TV, Sound System and Cable Set Top box.
But microsoft has hidden this feature behind a menu that requires you to hunt through power settings and turn on Instant On mode.
Not only does this mode allow for the console to be turned on with a voice command it also lets the console turn on much much faster, saving up to 76% waiting time.
etc....etc......why does Microsoft hide these feature, why default to a mode which doesnt utilize the Kinect for arguable the best features it brings to the table. yada yada yada.
Look at your settings menu people.
MS aint hiding shit. Its pretty obvious.
Hans.Gruber
Banned
Exactly!
People here keep saying "oh users don't care" about the benefits of instant on, when in fact its one of the most amazing features. I don't ever wanna work 3 remotes again to power on my gaming setup even if it uses double the energy.
I think this is a perfect example of “how much do I care“. Do I really care about climate? Then I open my window, throw out my consoles and every other device that is not really needed to reduce power usage and help earth. Kill my fridge, get rid of my washer and live like our ancestors.
It all depends on what is important to you. A difference of a few watts in a house hold with many “consumers“ which zare way above the xbone or any other console shouldn't make a big difference, though.
It all depends on what is important to you. A difference of a few watts in a house hold with many “consumers“ which zare way above the xbone or any other console shouldn't make a big difference, though.
Miles Quaritch
Member
You're assuming people are smart enough or care enough to go through the menus and decide if they want it on or off.
I mean, some of these people are the same people who buy a 1080P TV but continue playing and watching content in 720P or lower as they don't know or care about the resolution once it's in in their home...
Alx
Member
Yeah people should be aware of power consumption in general, but unless you want to get to extreme ways of life you will always accept some unnecessary power "leaks". Do you really need to use a vacuum cleaner when a broom will do ? Do you really need ambient music when you could listen to the birds chirping outside ? Do you really need to eat cooked food at all meals ?
In the whole ecosystem of powered device we're using, the few watts spent on standby modes are a drop in a bucket. Sure any gain is good, but as for myself I feel happy enough with my low footprint on transport, cleaning and cooking to allow myself minor exceptions with electronics.
Misinformed. It does 3 things in rest mode. All of which can be turned off.
I don't see the story here. When I bought a BONE it's on AT LEAST three different pieces of paper in the box that it has this instant on mode and the procedure to go through to enable/disable it.
It's not like they're hiding it from you, although I do find it odd that MS would include it all with all of the furore around TV standbys and how they're going to be phased out in future, although similarly I can see the advantage to some people.
I used it for a bit, but my wife kept turning off the electronics at night, so it was useless in the end.
It's not like they're hiding it from you, although I do find it odd that MS would include it all with all of the furore around TV standbys and how they're going to be phased out in future, although similarly I can see the advantage to some people.
I used it for a bit, but my wife kept turning off the electronics at night, so it was useless in the end.
blastprocessor
The Amiga Brotherhood
The XBOX uses more than two of my LED bulbs (5 watts gives me 50 watts equivalent).
No-one cares for instant on? So I don't care for waiting hours for all my games to download/update and the system to update.
All that benefit only adds around $1 dollar onto my energy bill? Count me in.
Green groups, they're annoying. It's not the devices drawing power which is the problem, it's how the power is created. Looking at you, fossil fuels.
All that benefit only adds around $1 dollar onto my energy bill? Count me in.
Green groups, they're annoying. It's not the devices drawing power which is the problem, it's how the power is created. Looking at you, fossil fuels.
Boaty McBoatface
Member
The Polygon article is stupid. But I had to turn off instant on mode because Forza Horizon has an issue with resuming your game when it's left on (it just hangs during the first loading screen). To be honest I think this is more of an issue worth writing about than this energy debate!
ShutterMunster
Junior Member
Mine is an audible hum, not super loud, but in a dead quiet room I can hear it. It annoys me. PS4 on the other hand, dead silent.
Black_Stride
do not tempt fate do not contrain Wonder Woman's thighs do not do not
Might have an issue.
I got that sometimes every now and then.
But ive found if shut the console down, like literally while on the road, resume works 100% of the time.
When id pause or be in a menu, when i relaunch it could hang at that first start screen.
12.5W standby is nothing, my PC draws 70W idling and i dont bother with turning it off.
In the EU there are laws that control standby power. I think it's now called LOT3 testing. Requires a default configuration that has under 3W standby when delivered off the shelf. But if a service is delivered of significant value then the standby usage can be argued for. So this nothing unusual.
In the EU there are laws that control standby power. I think it's now called LOT3 testing. Requires a default configuration that has under 3W standby when delivered off the shelf. But if a service is delivered of significant value then the standby usage can be argued for. So this nothing unusual.
What they really need to do is have an option to force the console off when no controller input is received like the ps4.
I fell asleep to G4 icons episodes last night and woke up to it still playing....it should have shut off. But because there's video being played it won't.
I fell asleep to G4 icons episodes last night and woke up to it still playing....it should have shut off. But because there's video being played it won't.
Alx
Member
How can it tell if you're not watching whatever is playing though ? You're not supposed to use a controller when doing so (technically you could use Kinect to detect that the viewers left the room, but there's a risk of false negatives if you're not in its field of view... and it wouldn't help if you're still there but asleep)
There are features for automatically shutdown after long periods of inactivity, but that's usually measured in hours.
There is one, after 1 hour or 6 hours in inactivity.
DryvBy
Member
How so?
I mean if we're worried about $250 million in energy (potentially) across maybe 10 million consoles over a year, I guess we're all doomed. Because NYC doesn't shut down. LA hardly does. Atlanta has a downtown that doesn't shut down. Dallas. Houston. San Francisco... That's just in the United States.
I work a 4am shift. There's probably 5 people in this entire building, and it's a pretty big building. My company has every light on in the building 24/7 with servers running constantly. The gas station down the road has all of their lights on and no one's there.
Then we have politicians flying all over the world, sometimes just for a vacation. That's gotta do some damage. Super Bowl, NBA finals, WrestleMania. How much is that damaging the Earth?
Yeah, $250 million across that many users (again, potentially) really isn't that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things.
PrivateRyan
Member
When I switch my Xbox One off I do it at the mains.
Then I unplug my Xbox One from the wall.
Then I go to the power box and switch the electricity off to my flat.
Then I go to the basement and disable power to the building.
You might think it's a lot of effort to go but those sweet savings quickly add up.
Then I unplug my Xbox One from the wall.
Then I go to the power box and switch the electricity off to my flat.
Then I go to the basement and disable power to the building.
You might think it's a lot of effort to go but those sweet savings quickly add up.
Easy......again do it exactly the same way as the PS4, it gives a warning to just turn on the controller really quick and turn it off when it nears the time its going to shut off.
Yes, and if you don't turn off autoplay on Hulu it will run.........for the next 365 days until hulu decides to stop sending you a video signal or you run out of content to watch.
again it doesn't turn off if you happen to be watching a streaming service that doesn't stop after a couple of episodes. If the unit detects any media playing as well, that turn off while inactive is moot.
Frankfurter
Member
I get totally different readings from the Wii U. I have disabled the Gamepad messaging stuff, but enabled the quick start menu and it's drawing a grand total of 0.4W + the color of the LED turns (and has always turned) to red when I switch it off.
DryvBy said:
So just because energy is wasted in New York and the building you are working in means that wasting even more energy for games consoles is fine? You gotta start somewhere and deactivating a pretty much useless option to save quite a bit of energy sounds like a good idea.
I'm using standby on my PS4 as well, I'm not saying that standby shouldn't be an option. But what amazes me is that there are so many people here speaking out against the opt-in method in favor of opt-out. It's been said a few times in this thread, using opt-in would go a long way and those who really use the features in standby mode can still use them, at the very minor inconvenience of ticking a checkbox.
Also just because some people waste even more energy with lighting doesn't mean it's pointless to save energy elsewhere. It's like saying "deepwater horizon oil spill happened, so it's OK if I pour this barrel of oil into the ocean."
You gotta start somewhere.
Even if the app isn't running?
Why wouldn't it be running, once you hit play on hulu it goes until you either turn off autoplay (which isn't disabled by default) it will play episode after episode after episode............until you either
A.Turn off Autoplay Feature in Hulu
B.Lose power to the Xbox One
C.You turn off the console
Youtube which doesn't give the option to disable autoplay. Once you hit play a video on youtube it will keep playing whatever video is next in the queue (which it auto populates based on the content you are watching).
Example:
Last Night I watched the video game crash by G4 Icons, once the video ends it will just pull another video to start playing and it will do this until (Woke up to Metal Gear Series from G4 Icons as well.)
A.You lose power to the Xbox
B.You turn off the console
Inactivity does not work if media content is being played by any application
Because people watch TV shows while going to sleep.......they don't put sleep modes in consoles (or TV's) to make a feature completely useless
its the same reason I don't use the FireTV, and Chromecast while going to sleep.
So you'd prefer it to shutdown after an hour of "inactivity" while you are watching a movie then?
for the love of all that is good.....did you not read the earlier posts.
They can do exactly like how the PS4 does it....ala turn your controller on for a split second when they give the warning and wallah.
they also need more options then just 1 and 6
And what if you are using a media remote and not a controller?
I agree with the "more options than 1 and 6" point though.
feint_ruled
Member
Man, people get so defensive in these threads. It's not a personal judgement on your individual decision to use standby mode. It's saying that they should be upfront about it in the install (or default to the low power mode) for people who wouldn't normally look in the settings menu or think about these things. People not like you. (You may think of them as stupid people if it makes you feel better.)
And it is the cumulative effect of all these consoles using more power than they have to, and yes people should also not leaving lights on all night or driving at 200MPH on the autobahn but this is something we can do AS WELL.
And it is the cumulative effect of all these consoles using more power than they have to, and yes people should also not leaving lights on all night or driving at 200MPH on the autobahn but this is something we can do AS WELL.