Xbox’s new “carbon aware” energy saving feature – which launched for Insider testing last month – is now available to everyone as part of the console’s February update.
Essentially, Xbox’s new energy saving feature allows a console – provided it’s connected to the internet and has access to regional carbon intensity data – to schedule game, app, and OS updates at time a higher proportion of electricity is coming from lower-carbon sources on the electric grid. Microsoft says this decreases fossil fuel dependency and CO2 emissions and could potentially saves users money.
Additionally, Microsoft once again highlights Xbox’s Shutdown (energy saving) mode in its February update blog post, claiming it cuts power use by up to 20x compared to the Sleep power option. Shutdown mode was enabled automatically during recent Insider testing, but it’s not clear whether this is the case for general release.
