Xbox one addresses energy saving option

People that buy a brand new Xbox One will be taken to a special screen when turning the console on for the first time: End-user will choose between “instant-on” or “energy-saving” power modes. USA default is “instant-on”, which enables updates and content downloads while the console is off, and allows users to talk commands to their Xbox Ones to turn them on. The “energy-saving” mode takes less energy and can save players some money on their energy billin the US. This isn’t a new mode option added, but the move does offer power choices up front, which follows a March blog post from the National Resources Defense Council that critizised Microsoft’s Xbox One’s instant-on default.

“Although Microsoft reduced the power drain from its ‘instant-on’ mode from 18 watts to 12.5 watts, the mode is still the default when it comes out of the box and the user is not even given the option to disable it during the initial setup,” the NRDC wrote on the blog. The new option directly addresses this criticism

Current Xbox One owners can power switch themselves by going to “Power & startup” under Settings. Change power mode because you want to save on energy bill, or because you’re thinking green.