Image: Xbox / Kotaku / UniversalImagesGroup / Anadolu Agency (Getty Images)
Today, Microsoft announced a bunch of power-saving updates coming to Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. Naturally, these updates were packaged with the humble conceit that Xbox is the first carbon-conscious console.
Read more: Video game companies promise action on climate change, but critics say they need to do more
In 2019, 21 gaming companies, including Microsoft, Sony and Google Stadia (RIP), announced their commitment to be more environmentally conscious under an industry-wide initiative called Playing for the Planet. During the United Nations Climate Action Summit, Microsoft promised that it would involve gamers in sustainability efforts alongside its 2012 commitment to make Xbox consoles carbon neutral.
“We are not only responsible for the carbon emissions in the production and distribution of our products, but also for the emissions created by the use of our products in the homes of our fans,” wrote Blaine Hauglie, Xbox Technical Programmer in a recent blog post. “So how we design our hardware and software to be more efficient and optimized for renewables can have a big impact.”
The rest of the post details upcoming power-saving updates for Xbox Insiders (basically a fan with access to work-in-progress content) coming to Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
G/O Media may receive a commission
Up to $100 credit
Book Samsung
Reserve the next generation Samsung device. All you have to do is sign up with your email and boom: your pre-order credit on a new Samsung device.
The first new update is the shutdown power saving option. According to the blog post, this new option “reduces power usage by up to 20 times when off compared to Sleep.” While this update will not affect the performance, gameplay, or nightly update capabilities of an Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One consoles will take slightly longer to boot.
The second environment-aware update is an update to the console’s active schedule settings. While Insiders with Xbox Series X/S will have their active hours automatically activated based on the player’s active game hours, Xbox One users will need to set their active hours manually.
At the end of the blog post, Hauglie encourages Xbox users to be more environmentally conscious by selecting the off (power saving) option, having games update automatically, and customizing power options of the consoles so that their shutdown duration is faster.
Who would have thought that being an environmentalist would be as easy as letting your console be updated? If only I could convince Microsoft to stop ignoring my pending Windows updates, we’d really be on our way. The ball is the Earth.