Microsoft has announced that Xbox Series X|S consoles can now download updates in Energy Saver mode.
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The change is part of the company’s sustainability efforts, with Microsoft detailing its plan in a blog post. The company hopes to be carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste by 2030. By the same date, it will also design Xbox products and accessories and all packaging to be 100% recyclable.
Last year, Microsoft tweaked the Xbox’s Energy Saver mode to consume about 20 times less power than Standby mode. From there, it has expanded its functionality. Now, system and game updates can be downloaded through the mode, meaning there is little reason for many players to keep the console in Instant On mode.
Energy Saver mode is now also the default mode for new owners of Xbox consoles. Existing users will need to change the setting for themselves via the console’s System Settings.
To enable Energy Saver mode, go to Settings->Sleep Mode & Startup->Sleep Mode->Energy saver. Many users have found the time to boot up their console in Energy saver mode to be not much longer than via Instant On. Besides being good for the environment, it may also help with energy bill savings.
Microsoft has also embedded an “enhanced power monitoring system” in a small number of consoles so it can identify the best ways to introduce future power-saving measures.
The statement also explains that Xbox has changed its gift cards from plastic to paperboard. Because of this, the company will save over 500,000 kg of plastic annually.
In other gaming news, the Dead Space remake has a tentative release window of early 2023. The news broke during a livestream with the game’s developer. Plenty of details regarding its sound design were also provided.