Microsoft has announced tweaks to how itsXbox Series SandXbox Series Xconsoles work, making them save power when possible and only turn back on when greener energy is available.
The new features were announced by Microsoft as a way forXboxto become the first carbon-aware console. It’ll do that by making tweaks to your console’s existing settings while also adding a new feature that Microsoft says will provide “carbon-aware game downloads and updates.”
That first feature is actually pretty impressive. Microsoft says that “When your console is plugged in, connected to the Internet and regional carbon intensity data is available, Xbox will schedule game, app, and OS updates for your console at specific times during the nightly maintenance window that may result in lower carbon emissions because a higher proportion of electricity is coming from lower-carbon sources on the electric grid.”
In practice, that means that Xboxes will no longer automatically power on and do their updates and downloads willy-nilly. Instead, they’ll choose times when they know that greener energy is being used. Apple introduced a similar feature last year, dubbedClean Energy Charging. In that example, iPhones only charge when they know that cleaner energy is available.
The next change is one that might actually catch a few people out. Microsoft says that it’s going to change the power-saving setting that Xboxes use. “Xbox Insiders will notice that their Xbox Series X|S consoles automatically update to the Shutdown (energy saving) power option,” Microsoft said via ablog post. “This one-time update to your power settings will reduce your power consumption while your console is off, and will not affect performance, gameplay, or your console’s ability to receive overnight updates to system, games, or apps.”
It’s worth noting that remote play won’t work in this mode, so make sure to switch back to Standby mode if that’s a problem for you.
These changes are only going to affect people who are on the Xbox Insider program right now, but Microsoft says they’ll roll out to all Xbox owners soon enough.
