Energy efficiency is a hot topic these days, not only among big tech firms but also for consumers. Microsoft has made its Edge browser more energy efficient and Windows 11 may be getting a dedicated section for the same too. Now, it seems like the company is looking at ways to reduce energy consumption while gaming on both the Xbox and your Windows PC.
According to a survey spotted by Windows Central (image above), Microsoft is asking Xbox Insiders how concerned they are about their energy bills and if they"d be open to lowering the graphical output on their gaming machines in order to reduce the amount of electricity being consumed too. The graphical adjustments may relate to frame rate limiting, resolution, GPU utilization, and more.
The outlet indicates that the survey applies to Xbox, but can possibly extend to Windows PCs too. It"s unclear what kind of savings consumers can expect from such changes, both in terms of energy usage as well as bills. Of course, before any such endeavor actually begins, Microsoft will likely also need a buy-in and support from developers that they are okay with their games being played at a somewhat inferior experience, if a gamer so wishes.
As usual, it is important to remember that just because Microsoft is asking customers about energy efficiency features doesn"t necessarily mean that the company will implement them in the near future. Many functionalities never leave development environments for a multitude of reasons.
That said, an effort like this certainly aligns with Microsoft"s overall strategy of being a zero-waste, water-positive, and carbon-negative company by 2030. It already offers an Energy Saver mode that is enabled by default in Xbox consoles now. It consumes 20 times less power in Standby mode, which can also be used to download updates. The company has also committed to migrating infrastructure for Azure - which powers Xbox Cloud Gaming - to 100% renewable energy sources by 2025.
Source and image: Windows Central