Microsoft has issued an important update for Xbox Series X and Series S consoles that should lessen your electricity consumption and assist the company’s sustainability goals.
The consoles will be able to download game and system updates while in Energy Saving mode. This mode has been recommended by users since the beginning of the year.
This update follows on Microsoft’s improvements to Energy Saving mode which consumes 20% less energy per hour than Standby Mode. Until now, Standby Mode has been required to download updates when the console isn’t up and running during normal use.
In today’s update on posted Xbox Wire, the company said: “Last year, we made improvements to the consoles Energy Saver sleep mode. When the console isn’t being used or receiving updates, Energy Saver mode consumes 20 times less power that Standby mode. Energy Saver mode also allows for the downloading of system and game upgrades, further reducing energy consumption.
“We also made Energy Saver mode the default option when players initially set up their consoles, which offers a significant opportunity to enable energy savings across the entire Xbox ecosystem.”
If you haven’t enabled Energy Saver mode already, you can head to Settings > Sleep Mode & Startup > Sleep Mode > Energy Saver and save yourself a few quid on your electricity bill.
Microsoft was criticised shortly after the Xbox Series X consoles were released for not shipping consoles with Energy Saving mode enabled as default. The National Resources Defence Council It was estimated thatThis decision, along with wasted energy, could lead to gamers paying approximately $500 in electricity bills.
Microsoft has now fixed this issue and has made Energy Saving mode even better, which is a good thing for gamers as well as the environment. Microsoft stated that it is currently investigating power management strategies for its console, which would lower energy consumption.
Microsoft as a whole company has committed to being carbon negative by 2030. This includes console hardware, cloud improvements, and software.