A couple of weeks ago, Microsoft announced new default settings for the Xbox, which make the consoles perform maintenance (updates and so on) during hours when there is more renewable energy available.
They also made it possible to put the console into deeper sleep during hours when you usually play very little (like the middle of the night or when you’re at work/school and so on). All in all, a smart way to reduce the use of more polluting energy, use all the hours of renewable energy production more efficiently – and reduce your electricity bill (which, frankly, has not been a fun read lately).
But not everyone is happy about this. The American news agency Fox News has managed to find a big problem with people using energy smarter and saving money, as the host Jimmy Failla pointed out during the program Fox and Friends:
“We understand what this is. It’s not that it’s actually going to offset emissions, okay — the level of reduction is infinitesimal. But they’re trying to recruit your kids into climate politics at an earlier age: make them climate conscious now.”
Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who once came very far in the same Republican primary as Donald Trump to become their presidential nominee, also seemed to have heard this and was not happy. He tweeted: “First gas stoves, then your coffee, now they’re gunning for your Xbox.”
Should Microsoft and other companies avoid adding energy-saving options to their consoles to ensure that no children become aware of climate issues, or is this just the worst political angle yet in the still very young 2023?
