Xbox consoles can now download updates in Energy Saver mode

Microsoft is improving its Energy Saver mode on the Xbox console. Whereas Xbox owners traditionally have to enable Standby Mode to receive game and system updates while consoles are turned off, Energy Saver Mode will now support downloading updates in the background.

"Now, system and game updates can be downloaded during Energy Saver Mode, which saves energy," explains Dave McCarthy, corporate vice president of Xbox Operations. "Energy Saver Mode consumes approximately 20 times less power than Standby Mode when the console is not in use or receiving updates."

Microsoft has now made Energy Saver Mode the default option when Xbox owners initially set up the console. Energy Saver Mode means that restarting your Xbox is slow, especially on older Xbox One consoles. The latest Xbox Series S/X console boots up so quickly that the tradeoff in energy usage is definitely worth enabling Energy Saver, especially with games and system updates supported in the background.

Elsewhere, Microsoft has also switched to using post-consumer recycling (PCR) resins on its Xbox Series S consoles. "The updated Series S console contains at least 28% mechanical component plastic post-consumer recycling (PCR) resin by weight," says McCarthy.

Microsoft has also embedded an "advanced power monitoring system" in a small number of consoles for anonymous telemetry collection. "This is important because accurate, per-unit telemetry helps us identify the best opportunities for future improvements that will help us save electricity," explains McCarthy. Microsoft wants to make Xbox cloud gaming even better. Since it is powered by Azure, Microsoft will move towards a 100 percent supply of renewable energy by 2025.

All of these sustainability efforts are part of Microsoft's broader pledge to become carbon negative by 2030. Much of this involves Microsoft's data centers, and the company is ramping up its plan to make its data centers less thirsty by cooling servers without using water. ,

Achieving Microsoft's overall goals will be challenging, and the software maker acknowledged today that some of its emissions have increased year on year. “Our experience over the past year has provided us with important and additional early learning towards our 2030 carbon negative milestone, and we will use this learning with additional measures to strengthen our Scope 3 emissions reduction efforts. Want to take advantage. "Quickly implementing," says Microsoft President Brad Smith.