The new February update is now available for Xbox consoles and, among other things, contributes to climate protection.
The new, carbon-conscious game downloads and updates make it possible.
How does this work?
The basis for this is “regional carbon intensity data”, which the console retrieves as soon as it is connected to the Internet. Downloads for games, updates and so on are automatically rescheduled to specific times during the nightly maintenance window.
“Since the electricity then usually comes from rather low-emission sources, the CO2 footprint of your console is also reduced,” it says. “You may even save on electricity costs this way.”
You can adjust this in the options at any time. With the shutdown option (energy saving) you reduce the power consumption when switched off by a factor of 20 compared to the energy saving option.
“Two consoles that are each switched to shutdown (power saving) for a year save as much carbon as a tree that grows and thrives for a decade,” says Microsoft. “This value is based on the average of multiple Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One consoles that were shut down (sleep) for 20 hours a day for a year.”
What else is new?
Other new features include the option to hide game graphics on the home screen.
So you deactivate the game graphics in the background of the start screen when you select a game tile. You can now always have the color you have selected displayed here.
Furthermore, the Google Home app can now be used as a touch remote control for the Xbox and ways are being tested to make it easier to get back into a party.
“During the introductory phase, a randomly selected group of gamers will have the opportunity to try them out. To get started, you need to go to the ‘Parties & Chats’ tab in your Xbox’s Guide and then select the ‘Party’ or ‘Party History’ button . You will then be presented with a list of your previous parties, which you can use to either start a new party or create a new party. Alternatively, you can choose which friends you would like to invite yourself.”
