Game Consoles Are Multi-Million Dollar Energy Wasters?

GamesIndustry.biz has details from a UK government report on energy wasted by consoles in standby mode. The information comes from a larger study by the government on energy wasted by consumer electronic devices, and confirms statistics gather here in the states. From the article: "Last month, a group of bloggers in the United States reported that while the original PlayStation leaked just 0.2W - accounting for some 1.752kWh wasted each year - the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 2 both leak a massive 2W, or 17.52kWh each year. The energy review proposes a number of measures to minimize energy waste, including working with electronics companies to phase out costly standby routines that drain energy while the device is not in use." The Gamers with Jobs site has some insightful commentary on the issue.

Comments

Then there's the Wii

[Anonymous Coward]

The Wii, on the other hand, is actually technically "on" 24 hours a day-- there's that WiiConnect24 thing, remember? Of course, Nintendo actually knows something about power consumption, so it may be that despite this they'll leak less power when in standby mode.

Re:question?

[Ironsides]

1) Internal clocks/batteries

2) IR Remote ports that need to be monitored as they can be used to turn on the consoles.

Politicians will fix it!

[CtrlPhreak]

The tubes are clogged and I'm not getting my internets. Now the consoles stole all my power and stood by wasting!

This isn't the first time power being wasted has been an issue, but at least these consoles have a stand-by mode, because people don't like turning them off. Looking here, I have a laptop running right beside me just for aim, tell me that isn't a waste of power and a second monitor that I use right now just to shove itunes onto. The biggest way to conserve power is to convince people that power needs to be conserved, otherwise I'll just keep wasting it. I've never had an issue with not getting enough power, just keep paying the bills and it keeps flowing. And as far as cost, the numbers are really low when it comes down individually, you have to multiply by populations to get the numbers to a size that makes you go wow. A couple cents to a dollar a month, why do I care about that wastage from my console?

Re:Politicians will fix it!

[LWATCDR]

So what you are saying is that you need a totalitarian government to make and enforce rules for your own benefit because you are too weak and stupid to do it for yourself?
Boy you remind of a guy at work I know.
He is a very liberal and enlightened fellow. He has read Hilary Clinton's book, hates Bush, and even has a free Tibet bumper sticker.
He started yelling at me because I didn't believe his "proof" that man has caused global warming and that is it going to be the end of life as we know it if we don't do something about it.
I tired to explain the difference between proof and evidence. Both of which his source lacked.
Of course that Free Tibet bumper sticker is on the back of a big SUV.
He also just put in a heated pool and didn't use solar. Did I mention he lives in South Florida?
He has also not replaced any of his light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.
I on the other hand, car pool to work every day, don't own an SUV, don't have a pool, and have replaced my light bulbs.

Dude get off your lazy but and hit a power switch before you make the effort to pass a law.

seriously, they're worried about 2 watts?

[briancnorton]

how about shutting down the millions of PCs that are sucking 150 watts each when idle. How about Xerox machines that keep the lamp hot, etc.

If by multimillion dollar you mean $2-$3 a year

[Clockwurk]

then yes, I suppose they are. Assuming 20c/kwh, you would waste a whopping $3.50 a year by keeping your PS2 plugged in all the time.

Mob Rule

[brunes69]

If the Mob (read:people like you) would care more about wasting "a couple cents to a dollar a month", then the cost of power would *go down* buy *a couple of dollars a KW a month*, because we wouldn't be in such a power crisis.

As in, if everyone cared about saving their 10 cents a month, they would end up actually saving tens of dollars a month(or more).

But good luck getting everyone to care.

Re:Mob Rule

[aafiske]

It's hard to care about wasting a couple of cents when you're knowingly wasting 5 times as much on other things. Mobs aren't too bright, but I think it would appeal to people much more if you said something like (using a computer purely for illustration):

Your computer uses the most idle energy in your home. Most devices have a little wasted wattage, but this device is 10 times worse. That makes it the best place to start conserving, let's all pay attention and turn it off, or lobby for better energy efficiency.

See what I mean? If you tell someone 'you waste 50w a day, let's try to get that to 49w' everyone will shrug. Tell 'em they'll cut it to 35w and it might be worthwhile. I.e., focus on the biggest targets first, not the piddly bits.

Re:Hmm

[AcidLacedPenguiN]

as far as I know from the article about it a month ago was that the nintendo consoles weer always significantly less than the competition. So, in pulling numbers straight from my ass I bet it would be ballparked around .9 to 1.9W.
I mean, considering how their system has significantly less powerful parts than the competition, it couldn't possibly drain as much as the competition (well atleast at full power) especially since there isn't an internal hdd to spin, that's probably about 60% of the power used by a whole system.
It could be a whole other ball game though for standby leakage. on another note, too many comments and you look like William Shatner, too few and you look like a 12 year old. I for one would rather look like the Shat!

WTF?

[Psychotext]

Ok, so we have aircon, satellite / cable systems, television, hi-fi, lights, heating, washing machines, dishwashers, toasters, kettles and all manner of other household goods that suck power in standby and otherwise... ...but somehow games consoles get singled out? Honestly wtf is that all about. Would have been more meaningful if they'd grabbed a bunch of other gear and compared to see just how much power these things waste in comparison.

must disagree with commentary

[buddyglass]

I must disagree with the "insightful commentary". "Off" should mean "off". If there are useful tasks a console can perform while in standby mode, incorporate a "standby mode" state into the machine's design, separate from "off". Currently "off" really means "stand by", with a true "off" state completely absent. This is unfortunate. Of course there's a workaround, i.e. unplugging the machine from the wall, but that's unnecessarily burdensome for the consumer.

Re:question?

[XenoRyet]

A computer has a battery dedicated to that purpose, and your TV will draw power to monitor the IR port just like all the other devices mentioned.

The newer consoles, like the 360, will also have to power the reciver that listens for whatever wireless band the controller input comes across, since you can power on that way as well.

Let's put things into perspective here.

[glindsey]

2W consumed 24/7. Yeah, that sounds like a lot. 336 watt-hours per week, to be precise.

Unless you consider, say, the typical 60W incandescent hall light that is on for four hours each night. 1,680 watt-hours per week.

I'd venture to guess that the majority of families have at least one light of this sort that is turned on between the time the sun goes down and the time the family goes to sleep, and probably more than one (porches, foyers, outdoor sconces, et cetera). So there you have it, folks: throw out five PS2s... or use one less lightbulb.

Yes, I can see how this is a horribly pressing problem.

Overhyped...

[thebdj]

I think people focus on this a lot, or I just notice this more then other things. But it is highly overstated. There are far worse devices then a console. Check this out. Look at the listed items (the list is a bit old, consoles still showing at 1.1 W): Digital Cable Box - 23 Watts. A regular one is still over 15 W in idle. I would be far more concerned with those then I would be consoles. (I am pretty sure there are more cable boxes in the US and Worldwide then game consoles that are actually plugged in, not counting those dust collecting NES and Atari).

Actually, let us take a look at the soon to be average (if we ever get converted to digital) TV setup. Digital TV = 8.8W, Digital Cable Box = 23W, and DVD Player (don't most people have these?) 4.4W. Now, idling that is 36.2W of power usage. This is for something that is very likely more common then a console is. Power "leakage" (such a horrible word) is bad, but it is a sympton of two things:

1) Instant Gratification: Devices receiving power constantly are that much closer to being instant-on, allowing you to get to enjoying your DVDs and television programming faster. They have to keep certain things in standby modes to keep load times down.
2) Features and Adv. Functionality: You know, being able to power on devices with the remote, having time-of-day clock setups (there are a few devices that really do not need them), and external displays with time and other information on them at all times.

I am sure there are other reasons related to technology needed certain power requirements, but I really believe some of the great increases in idle power usage (cause that really is what "leakage" is) are not necessity. I am sure governments will attempt to regulate this a bit better, but we all know what a joke government regulations can turn into.