Xbox has officially announced it will take a huge step in providing environmentally friendly products after its new update with the Xbox one console. According to Microsoft, the new update will automatically change the energy-saving mode to the default mode in all Xbox consoles.
The tech giant says they are taking steps to reduce its carbon footprint around its products.
When this update is installed on several Xbox consoles, it automatically reduces the power consumption of the console when it is turned off. Microsoft says that despite the reduced power consumption, it won't stop any Xbox one console from downloading new updates overnight or affecting performance.
However, Microsoft was clear that with the news energy saving mode, users can remotely turn on their Xbox consoles again. They also mentioned that booting up the console might be a bit slower with this mode.
All these are optional for the players as they can choose to continue with the powers saving mode or the normal mode. But Microsoft says that those using the power-saving mode contribute to making the environment better than before.
Microsoft, while announcing the update, said, "We are constantly looking at the ways in which we can innovate, learn, and improve upon our measures, as well as continue collaborating with industry partners and game developers. We not only hold ourselves accountable to the carbon emissions in the production and distribution of our products but to the emissions created with the use of our products in the homes of our fans as well. So, the way we design our hardware and software to be more efficient and optimized for renewable energy can have a big impact."
Xbox Becomes the First Carbon-Aware Console
With the new update that Xbox has just implemented, it will become the first gaming console focusing on improving the environment.
With the new power-saving mode, the Xbox will try to slow the use of energy sources that leave less or no carbon footprints. "When your console is plugged in, connected to the internet, and regional carbon intensity data is available, Xbox will schedule game, app, and OS updates for your console at specific times during the nightly maintenance window that may result in lower carbon emissions because a higher proportion of electricity is coming from lower-carbon sources on the electric grid," Microsoft added.
Microsoft, in their announcement, also told their users that installing the new update not only reduces carbon footprints but could potentially reduce the amount of money they spend on the power supply. "This decreases fossil fuel dependency and CO2 emissions and could potentially save you money. While only available to Xbox Insiders that use Shutdown (energy saving) right now, all Xbox gamers will have the chance to update soon so that your Xbox console is carbon aware," Microsoft added.
Besides the reduction in carbon emissions, the new update Microsoft released this February comes with other perks. The new update also comes with personalization changes that allow gamers to change certain display options within the game. The new update allows users to hide certain game art while choosing tiles on the homepage. Additionally, more remote control options have also been added to the new update.