Video games and energy efficiency- just not gonna happen with today's consoles!




Posted by Tyler Durden

Video game consoles consume a "staggeringly high" amount of energy, according to a [URL="http://www.nrdc.org/energy/consoles/contents.asp"][COLOR=#006699]report[/COLOR][/URL] the [URL="http://www.nrdc.org/"][COLOR=#006699]Natural Resources Defense Council[/COLOR][/URL] is releasing on Wednesday. How much electricity do they use each year? About as much as it takes to power the city of San Diego.
There's plenty of room for improvement. We can cut our nation's electricity bill by more than $1 billion and avoid 7 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, according to the report.
How much can you personally save? Depends on what brand you choose. The [URL="http://www.us.playstation.com/"][COLOR=#006699]Sony Playstation 3[/COLOR][/URL] and [URL="http://www.xbox.com/en-US/"][COLOR=#006699]Microsofts Xbox[/COLOR][/URL] 360 use as much as nine times more energy than the [URL="http://www.nintendo.com/wii"][COLOR=#006699]Nintendo Wii[/COLOR][/URL].
Habits play a crucial role as well. The systems use nearly the same amount of power when they are turned on and idle as they do when you are actively playing a game or watching a movie. If left on continuously, the Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 will consume the same amount of energy as two new refrigerators over the course of a year.
Here's how the three major brands stack up against each other:

[CENTER][IMG]http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/grn/gr/arts/nrdc_price_of_play_350x.jpg[/IMG]
[COLOR=#cccccc]Image from NRDC "Lowering the Cost of Play" report[/COLOR][/CENTER]
[LIST]
[*]Sony Playstation 3 is the most power-hungry model. For the 2007 version, you'll spend about $12 a year if you turn the console off when you're not using it, compared to about $134 if you leave it on all the time. Microsoft Xbox 360 ranks a close second. If you shut it down when you're not playing a game or watching a movie, it costs about $11 to operate annually. Leaving it on continuously will cost you $103.
[*]Nintendo Wii uses significantly less energy than the others. It costs about $3 a year if you turn it off after use, compared to about $10 if you don't.[/LIST]The comprehensive report outlines significant changes industry needs to make. For now, though, here's what [URL="http://www.simplesteps.org/"][COLOR=#006699]consumers[/COLOR][/URL] can do to make a difference.
[LIST]
[*]Always turn the system off when you are done playing a game or watching a movie. Don't assume that just because you turn off the TV that your console shuts down too. It doesn't. If you're in the middle of the game, save it so that you can pick up where you left off. Enable the automatic power down feature, which will shut down your device if it's left idle for a certain amount of time. This isn't always easy to do and you might need to install software first so click [URL="http://www.nrdc.org/energy/consoles/contents.asp"][COLOR=#006699]here[/COLOR][/URL] for step-by-step instructions.
[*]Limit movie watching on gaming devices. Viewing movies on a stand-alone unit is a lot more efficient. The Playstation 3, for example, uses five times more power than the stand-alone Sony Blu-Ray player to play the same movie.[/LIST][URL="http://green.yahoo.com/blog/the_conscious_consumer/21/stop-wasting-money-video-games-and-energy-efficiency.html"]Source.[/URL]




Posted by Linko_16

So by "on" do you mean when you turn it off, but the power switch in the back is still switched on? Because I can't think of any reason to turn a console on all the time.




Posted by #061402

Holy ****, I never really thought they were that energy-hungry. At least I pull the plug on everything when I go to bed.




Posted by Tyler Durden

[quote=Linko_16;904204][COLOR=indigo]So by "on" do you mean when you turn it off, but the power switch in the back is still switched on? Because I can't think of any reason to turn a console on all the time.[/COLOR]
Hell if I know, some ***** reporter for Yahoo! wrote this peice mayne.. :cool:

Just keep your consoles unhooked from the A/C supply when not in use and hit the manual switch-off when you shut them down. That's my best advice-

Haha.. my friend keeps his PS3 on at all times and mostly uses it to download porn and show off porn at porn parties with porn and beer!
I touched it (PS3) once to turn it off and got burnt on my fingertips, felt like I had coddled a mini toaster oven.

[quote=#061402;904285]Holy ****, I never really thought they were that energy-hungry. At least I pull the plug on everything when I go to bed.

Bed?
asl




Posted by Vampiro V. Empire

who leaves their consoles on 365 days a year?




Posted by BLUNTMASTER X

[quote=Vampiro V. Empire;904405]who leaves their consoles on 365 days a year?nobody, but it makes for some totally ballin stats that greenpeace can throw around




Posted by Vampiro V. Empire

totally irrelevant stats


More relevant is leaving computers on all the time. Since I've turned mine off at night, that alone has seen a huge drop month to month over three years. Video game machines? No real difference.




Posted by mis0

Who the hell would let their stupid PS3 idle all year? They're annoyingly loud.




Posted by Vampiro V. Empire

PS3's are pretty quite. Compared to the 360 anyways.




Posted by Zeta

Nothing sucks up energy like the good ol' NeoGeo.




Posted by Linkman

All electronics drain power unless they're unplugged, even when they're turned off. Somethings more than others, but they all do.




Posted by Vampiro V. Empire

the amount of power is minimal as **** though




Posted by Skitzo Control

Yeah, less than an Xbox Live Gold subscription. :-/

My laptop is almost always plugged in, turned on, and downloading a movie. On top of all that, all my normal electricity usage (hot water, refrigerator, stove, microwave, etc.) and my monthly bill changes a whole $10! WOW!

Okay, enough with the sarcasm. Yahoo! news is the worst source for real news: go to CNN.com if you actually want info that's... you know... useful.




Posted by Tyler Durden

The way I see it, the AC supply for the 360 is nothing more than a complex capacitor. Which, almost all electronic devices require a capacitor built in series with their AC supplies (common transformer) to power on with minimal effort. That way you have less of a strain amoung most of the little electronic components within your hardware every time you power on the device. And when plugged in all a capacitor is going to do is suck up energy and store it. They only stop building up an energy reserve when full. Even then they tend to leak off the reserve (eletricity can't be contained forever) and repeat the whole storage process over again.




Posted by Aioros


Quoting Tyler Durden:
Haha.. my friend keeps his PS3 on at all times and mostly uses it to download porn and show off porn at porn parties with porn and beer!


[COLOR="Yellow"]!!!

And John McCain thought he found his soulmate in Sarah Palin.[/COLOR]



Posted by Kutlass

man, it's a good thing the wii is the only console out of all those i actually want to play




Posted by Vampiro V. Empire

you think you do until you actually buy one.




Posted by BLUNTMASTER X

when did tyler get banned?! whoaly ****




Posted by Vampiro V. Empire

today. for the fate thread.




Posted by Vampnagel P. Wingpire

How about you just tell us why here so I don't have to go check it out.

I don't leave computers/consoles on unless I'm using them. But I don't unplug them once they're turned off. Nobody does that.




Posted by Stalolin

[quote=The X;905863]when did tyler get banned?! whoaly ****

man x, learn to have mod board access

it doesn't even matter if you moderate a board or not

just get access

it's pretty much the secret orgy room




Posted by BLUNTMASTER X

i should be a mod




Posted by Synth2012

I think we should all pick a day and simultaneously turn ON our computers, Wiis, blenders, tvs, etc... So the environment can just blow up already and all the **** hippies at my "liberal arts" college can STFU.




Posted by BLUNTMASTER X

if you go to a liberal arts college you're a hippie by association *charges up the fire hose*




Posted by Synth2012

I can't help it that it's the school that gave me the most money! Take pity on me!




Posted by WillisGreeny

Makes sense. Liberals love giving away money.

Politics...Punch!




Posted by The Judge

I'm proud to announce my PS3 is personally sucking the life out of this worthless planet.




Posted by WillisGreeny

I like how Judge says "his" PS3, as if only his is ruining the planet and noone elses.




Posted by Vampiro V. Empire

no one else is using their's




Posted by BLUNTMASTER X

NUKE BURN FROM ORBIT

KAPOW




Posted by Vampnagel P. Wingpire

Judge recently bought a PS3? I didn't think people did that anymore.




Posted by Vampiro V. Empire

Bought it in the summer iir.