The change comes after a critical NRDC blogpost
For those who will be purchasing the Xbox One are going to be directed towards a special screen when they boot up their gaming console for the very first time. The screen gives you a choice between two “instant-on” and “energy-saving” power modes. The instant-on mode is the one that comes as default in the US and within this mode your console is going to download updates and other content when you are not using it. The interesting feature of yelling at your console to turn it on is also available in this mode.
We are quite sure everyone is pretty much aware of this model already but the energy-saving mode is a new one and it claims to consume lesser power and according to Microsoft, the mode is going to help users save average of $6 to $15 on a yearly basis. The mode isn’t entirely a new one but some changes have been made including power choices after a National Resources Defense Council blogpost was being critical of default mode of the console which is usually always ‘on’.
The new feature added to the power saving mode is a direct answer to this criticism. “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.
Those who already own an Xbox One can switch the power on their own by going to the “Power & startup” option under the main heading of Settings. From here the power can be changed and you can save a lot of money and help a cause towards the betterment of the environment.