Stop Wasting Energy on Video Games

It probably isn't a surprise to learn that many of today's video game consoles consume far more energy than those of just a few years ago. Those 3-D and photorealistic graphics require a lot more processing power--and up to twenty times more electricity--than was needed for previous generations of games. Depending on how much the gamers in your household play, your game console could be consuming twice as much electricity as your refrigerator. For example, the latest-generation Playstation 3 consumes more than 150 watts while playing a game or while at idle.

Game consoles consume power in three states: active (while playing); idle (while paused or displaying a menu); and standby/off. Power consumption at idle can be a few watts lower than when playing. When off or in standby, consumption usually drops to one or two watts. Depending on how much time the gaming console spends in each state, it can easily consume $100 per year in electricity! 

Of the latest-released gaming consoles, the Sony Playstation 3 is the most power hungry, trailed closely by the Microsoft Xbox 360. The Nintendo Wii, with its relatively simple graphics, uses approximately one-tenth the power of either system--and it holds the potential for you to get some exercise while playing.   

Like TVs and set-top boxes, gaming consoles are in need of more energy saving features. The Xbox 360 ships with an energy saving feature, but it is turned off by default. Sony recently made a power management feature available for the Playstation 3 through an online update, but it too is turned off by default. Both systems don't automatically save a game when the machine is turned off--leading many users to leave their systems at idle for hours or days. NRDC is working with console manufacturers and game designers to ensure that such features are included and easily accessible in future generations of consoles and games.

Many gamers, young and older, simply turn off their television and leave the console at idle when they are not playing. Instead, always save your game and turn the system off when you stop playing. The XBOX 360 and Sony Playstation have power-saving auto-shutdown modes but are shipped with the mode disabled. It’s up to gamers to enable the auto-shutdown mode to save energy and money. Check out this slideshow to see screen-by-screen how to enable auto-shutdown. Remember to save your game! 
 

Remember to always save your game and turn the system off when you stop playing, don't leave the game running and just switch off the TV.	Enable the power-saving auto-shutdown mode on your XBOX 360 or Sony Playstation 3. Follow these step-by-step instructions.	TVs make up about 10% of the average household's annual electricity bill. Learn how to make your home entertainment system more energy efficient.

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