New Xbox update could save you money
Microsoft is rolling out a new update to its Xbox consoles that should make them more energy efficient and prioritise renewable energy.
A new update for Xbox consoles is being released by Microsoft soon that the company says will cause them to use less energy and prioritise the use of available renewable energy.
The news was shared in a news post on the official Xbox website, where Microsoft detailed its efforts to use its Xbox products to help make the company carbon negative. Microsoft says its goal is to make the company carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste before 2030.
The new update is rolling out to Xbox Insiders, who receive in-progress updates earlier than most users, starting today, and it will use a couple of fancy tricks to help Xbox consoles be a little more green. The update will be available to regular users in the coming weeks and months.
The major addition is what Microsoft calls “carbon aware” downloads and updates. Microsoft will use geographic details and some clever scheduling to make sure that the bulk of downloads and updates, both for the console and its games, will happen during times when the most renewable energy is available on the power grid.
Microsoft implemented a similar feature into Windows last year, specifically on Windows 11, which does the same trick to download Windows updates.
The update will also provide new energy settings for Xbox consoles that will cause the consoles to use less power, and thus help users save money on their power bills. It comes in the form of a new setting called “Shutdown (energy saving)”, and Microsoft says that it will cause the Xbox to use 20 times less energy when it’s not in use compared to the usual Sleep setting.
Microsoft says that the new setting won’t affect gameplay performance, and that Xbox consoles using the setting will still be able to receive updates to the system and to games and apps. However, it does come with a small drawback, in that users won’t be able to use remote features while the console is powered down, such as remotely installing a game or waking the console over the internet.
The new features are coming to the Xbox Series S and X, as well as Microsoft’s last generation console, the Xbox One. Users who enable the new energy saving mode on their Xbox One consoles will reportedly experience slower boot times, but for many users the trade-off in using less energy will be worth it.
It comes after Microsoft announced that first-party Xbox games are getting more expensive going forward. New games published by Microsoft themselves on Xbox will cost an extra $10 USD, or about $15 AUD, with the increased pricing applying primarily to games made specifically for Xbox Series X and S, such as the upcoming Starfield and Redfall.
Fans looking to get a glimpse at some of those upcoming games won’t have to wait long, as Microsoft announced an Xbox presentation to show off the new games for later this month. The presentation will focus on Minecraft Legends, Redfall, Elder Scrolls Online, and Forza Motorsport, but Starfield won’t be included.
Written by Oliver Brandt on behalf of GLHF.
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