Want to be a Green Gamer? Turn off your console.

[boatofcar]

(From Ars Technica (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20081119-the-cost-of-gaming-consoles-use-more-electricity-than-you-think.html))



<snip>

The report concludes that the power used by consoles each year is roughly equal to the annual amount needed to power San Diego. This massive amount of power usage is due to two factors: a) most modern consoles use far more electricity than other types of consumer electronics, and b) Americans have a habit of simply leaving their consoles turned on even when they're not in use.

http://media.arstechnica.com/news.media/graph-1.jpg

The report also revealed that power-save modes, if available, can help reduce the cost of using a console. There is no such option on the Wii, but the 360 and PS3 both have one. In the case of the 360, power management exists in the form of an "Auto-Off" mode that's a little difficult to find in the system menu (under "Console Settings"). Sony's console doesn't come with a power-save mode, it can use a similar setting via Folding@Home.

<snip>

By incorporating these practices, the NDRC claims that the United States' electricity bill could be cut by more than $1 billion. Not only that, but it would help, "[reduce] emissions of more than 7 million tons of CO 2 each year—an amount equal to the global warming pollution from all the cars on the road in San Jose, our nation’s high-tech capital."

[Vectorman0]

Who leaves their consoles on all the time? I don't, and I don't know anyone that does.

[c0ldb33r]

Who leaves their consoles on all the time? I don't, and I don't know anyone that does.
Think about the Wii, it's Wii-connect 24 feature basically keeps the wii on all the time, albeit in a low power mode.

[The 1 2 P]

My console's only on when I'm playing something. I don't leave it on while I go to the store to get food(like several people I know on Xbox Live do).

[Daria]

Think about the Wii, it's Wii-connect 24 feature basically keeps the wii on all the time, albeit in a low power mode.

Look at the chart. The leaving the Wii on all the time is using the same amount of energy as turning off a PS3 or 360.

As leaving those systems on... I have a bad habit of pausing my game to do something simple, such as getting a soda and not coming back for an hour or two later. I'm easily distracted.

[kewlrabbit]

I think older consoles use much less energy then new ones do. I remember someone in a magazine equating turning on a N64 to using a 60 watt lightbulb. Plus, it kind of defeats the purpose of being a green gamer if you stop gaming to become greener.

[boatofcar]

I think older consoles use much less energy then new ones do. I remember someone in a magazine equating turning on a N64 to using a 60 watt lightbulb. Plus, it kind of defeats the purpose of being a green gamer if you stop gaming to become greener.

Thank you for not reading the article.

[kedawa]

Consoles are nothing compared to computers when it comes to wasting electricity. Having power saving features doesn't help much when the machine is in use all the time. Most desktop PCs eat up a few hundred watts just downloading torrents.

[theChad]

This is sort of relevant, I guess - I have a friend who leaves his PS3 on to heat his apartment. What's amazing to me is that it really works. Now to determine if it's worth it...

[kewlrabbit]

Thank you for not reading the article.

No Prob. It's what I'm here for.

[otaku]

yeah I've always turned my systems off (I did run my wii in wiiconnect for awhile but heat/longevity issues worried me so I shut it off) I do occassionaly leave my ps3 on for folding@home.

What I should do is power down my Pc's

[Aussie2B]

You'd think with so many people getting the RROD and what have you, they'd be smart enough to not leave their systems on all the time and wear them out.

[XYXZYZ]

Who leaves their consoles on all the time? I don't, and I don't know anyone that does.

I know a couple of people who left their PS2s and Xboxes on all the time. The PS2s wore out and stopped working. I personally was raised with a strict "turn it off if you aren't using it" rule which I still apply to everything in my home today.

Why do the current consoles pull so much juice, is it the processors?

[kedawa]

It's definitely the processors, although optical drives and hard drives use a fair bit of power themselves.

[c0ldb33r]

To really save a lot of power, it's a good idea to unplug, not just turn things off, when you're not using them.

I personally don't do this, but I hear it really adds up.

[icbrkr]

I have a ton of consoles (probably about 20-25 or so) hooked up to a UPS. Leaving them all (with all those power bricks) would kill my electric bill so the systems get unplugged when not in use.

[Cornelius]

To really save a lot of power, it's a good idea to unplug, not just turn things off, when you're not using them.

I personally don't do this, but I hear it really adds up.

This is true. All those ac adapters pull juice whether the console is on or not. I've got most of my older systems hooked into an accessible power strip that I flip off when I think of it. It isn't a huge amount per year, but I think it is enough to get a new game, or something like that.

[SegaAges]

Thank you for not reading the article.


hehehehe, reading.

i did not read the article, i just looked at the colorful picture (what is bad is that i am not talking trash on the other dude, i really did do that, hehehe)

[heybtbm]

This is silly. It's another example of people using data to misrepresent an issue and presenting the "worst case scenario" as if this was happening in reality. Dumb. The kind of person who actually leaves their systems on all the time is not the kind of person who cares about becoming a "Green Gamer". Seriously, how many people leave their systems running 24/7? 1%? 2%?

Also, it seems several people in this thread completely missed the point (and the graph). "Keeping your console on" has nothing to do with using the powersave option. They're two different things. The dark orange bar doesn't represent consoles using the powersave settings. It shows people running their systems full bore, i.e. always on.

The authors of the article took the total number of consoles sold and multiplied that number by the cost of running the console 24/7. Does that make any sense? Of course it doesn't.

Just remember to use the powersave option and we'll all be fine. In other words, use common sense.

[shopkins]

How long would a modern console even last if you left it on all the time? I can't imagine an Xbox360 holding up very long under those conditions, not that it's even designed to.

[unwinddesign]

I accidently left my 360 on for two weeks when I went to school last year, but beyond that, I've always turned 'em off when not in use. My roommates don't...a lot of shit gets left on over night when I'm not playing, but that's because they don't give a fuck about my shit. Nice, right? Still, worst case scenario the PS3 or 360 is on like a combined 8 hours a day.

This article = teh dumb.

[j_factor]

I remember leaving certain games on overnight because they didn't have a save option. Other than that, I've always turned my systems off, and I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't.

[jahvybe]

I remember leaving certain games on overnight because they didn't have a save option.

I did the same thing sometimes when I was a kid. I especially remember doing playing smb3 before I was trying to play through without warping. But half the time it would be frozen in the morning.

These days I have everything in my entertainment center on a surge protector that I can get to easily. And it gets turned off when not in use. I have to have a separate surge protector for my tivo, so it doesn't get turned off to record stuff.

[boatofcar]

I did the same thing sometimes when I was a kid. I especially remember doing playing smb3 before I was trying to play through without warping. But half the time it would be frozen in the morning.


AFAIK, old systems with no moving parts use a much smaller amount of electricity, more akin to a light bulb, when left on. Of course, maybe I just say this to make myself feel better about doing the same thing with countless NES games :)

[Rob2600]

I have a ton of consoles (probably about 20-25 or so) hooked up to a UPS. Leaving them all (with all those power bricks) would kill my electric bill so the systems get unplugged when not in use.


This is true. All those ac adapters pull juice whether the console is on or not. I've got most of my older systems hooked into an accessible power strip that I flip off


These days I have everything in my entertainment center on a surge protector that I can get to easily. And it gets turned off when not in use. I have to have a separate surge protector for my tivo, so it doesn't get turned off to record stuff.

Excellent!

Jahvybe, I have the exact same setup. When I'm not watching TV, using the DVD player, or playing video games, the power strip is turned off. My cable box/DVR is plugged into a separate power strip, which I leave on most of the time so it can record shows. That's the only device I have that stays plugged in.

I do the same thing with my computer, mobile phone chargers, etc. When I'm not using them, the power strips are off.

I don't want my electronics using up "vampire power (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standby_power)," which wastes energy and raises my monthly bill. "Around 10 percent of total residential consumption" is vampire power. Turning off your power strips could reduce your electric bill by 10 percent and, of course, would conserve energy.

It's so easy, I feel stupid not doing it.