The new Xbox Series X update could save you money
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The ‘Carbon Aware’ update has now rolled out for Xbox Series X, adding new power saving modes that can help lower your energy bill.
This new firmware was first offered to Xbox Insider members in Januarybut it is now available to everyone Xbox Series X owners. It’s a simple press of a button to get started with the new power-saving modes, all you need to do is enable “Instant On” in the settings menu, which effectively replaces the previous sleep mode.
Microsoft claims (opens in new tab) that the new shutdown setting for the system is up to 20x more efficient. This is evident in the power consumption figures, as the new mode draws only 0.5W of power, as opposed to the Xbox Series X’s 10-15W power draw in sleep mode.
The Instant On mode lets you share some of the best xbox series x games and install firmware updates as you would before, so things have become more efficient now that the system is dormant as soon as you put the controller down. If rising energy bills worry you when playing your Xbox Series X console, this update over the coming months may help.
It’s all part of Microsoft’s comprehensive plan to “build a more sustainable future of gaming,” which has been on the agenda for nearly a year now. The exit setting was originally announced in March (opens in new tab) 2022, so it’s been a long time.
It’s far from the only proposed action the hardware manufacturer wants to consider for the system. Microsoft has also experimented with the idea of reducing graphical fidelity and game performance to keep costs low. This has yet to happen, but the survey of Xbox Insider members polled pointed out that this is a feature some gamers wanted.
Microsoft’s efforts are ultimately a step in the right direction. When people struggle to keep the lights on and heat their homes, giving gamers more control over the energy output of their game consoles is appreciated. Since it’s also completely optional, you don’t need to sign up and you can keep things in standby and sleep mode if you’d rather not rely on the auto-wake and schedule mode.