We already knew that the PlayStation 3 is a huge space hog, but now it seems that the game console is also munching down on your electric power bill.
Australian-based Choice Magazine decided to test the power consumption of your beloved electronics, including the current generation of game systems. You probably won't be surprised to hear that the PS3 and Xbox 360 are massive power whores.
"Our tests also found that leaving a PlayStation 3 on while not in use would cost almost $250 a year in electricity bills (charged at 15c per kWh). This alone is around five times more than it would take to run a refrigerator for the same yearly period."
I had no idea that these boxes were so power hungry! According to their chart, even after US dollar conversion, your Xbox 360 and PS3 combined are stealing about 8 or 9 games out of your potential future library. On the other hand, if you left your Nintendo Wii on all year, it would only cost you about $25.
Of course, I'm probably writing this for an auidence that has the air conditioner cranked, the stereo at full blast, and 3 computers and two consoles running all at the same time. I'm with you on all of that.
[Via Spong]
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That's silly. No one leaves their consoles on all the time.
...
ZOMG.. That's some major power suckage! I guess that would mean they aren't energystar compliant.
The world ends on 2012 so lets just rape the earth as much as we can before she slaps us back til then.
I guess the poor people can't run folding@home if they want to eat?
I unplug my 360 when im done with it. It's hard to get friends to understand if they don't see the electric bill.
PS3 is just two refrigerators taped together!
when you don't use it turn it off,that's what the nifty power button in the back is for.
oh .. oh... we probably shouldn't say this out loud... there are lot of "green" people around :'
i call bollocks on this one.
you don't have your ps3 on 24/7.
so i don't see the point of this research?
Yeah my electric bill goes up when I use my consoles more... last month was high because of GTAIV
But the Wii uses more than double the energy of the other two consoles when in standby. And when you consider that a typical console probably spends at least 90% of its life on standby, the average power consumption of all three consoles aren't very different at all.
Of course, you could bypass standby and just unplug / switch off everything off when not in use, at which point Wii wins again.
@AlexRADL : Don't you mean 2 Grill plates?! they put out enough heat to bake an egg on... Damn thats not a fridge..
Though that does tell me where my electicity went, my room mates PS3........
crap we have 2 of each... AND A FRIDGE!!
time to go whore myself
why not add the 360 in the title?
OMG DTOID R FANBOIZ
Holy toledo, brotha!
That is some interesting and frightening news...
A while back, I've read of a study concerning the incredible sucking power of "Vampire" electronics. The study stated to unplug everything not in use(televisions, lamps, toasters, chargers, etc.).
I mean, I get the idea, but who has the time and effort to do this?
Honestly...
@ vexed alex
pm me your PSN Tag!
This is another reason I always turn my consoles completely off.
Speaking of Standby mode, I'm getting sick of electronics that don't have an easy way to turn the fucking thing completely off without unplugging it. Ever since Sony did that with the slim line PS2 it's been a pet peeve of mine.
I unplug my consoles when I'm not using them. Moreso for my own pocketbook than for the environment, I'll admit.
Just to clarify:
The article is only talking about leaving consoles completely turned on. Green light, at the menu screen, ready to play. It does not address standby power consumption.
fek... I think in the only bastardo that leaves the ps3 on 24/7...
So it only costs $50 to run the fridge on all year? No way.
I never turn off my PS3 or my Wii or both my Laptops. Now I am going to have to start shutting those things off. That is until I start to forget about it 2 weeks from now.
If you really wanted to "unplug" everything but wanted it done a bit eaiser, you could just place your surge protector in a easy access spot and turn it off, thus giving you the "unplugged" state without needing to unplug.
Another fanboy site.
Should the title read PS3 and 360 rape your electric bill? Just saying...
Um... not to say this is unobjective or the title is written in a biased manner... but the 360 and the Wii don't run on steam or solar power...
@MaxVest
Did you even go to the site and see the chart?
It shows with the systems on standby and on while idle and on while playing a game.
Click here to see!
I recently got a PS3 and a surround sound system. Ouch.
Fortunately, I don't leave them on at all when not in use, and I don't pay the bill.
How can I save on my electric bill?
Turn shit off.
@digweed13:
Sorry, I should have been clearer. I was referring to reading this article and also the source at Spong. There seemed to be a lot of confusion over unplugging the units, etc. Since unplugging a PS3 saves you a whopping $2.50 / year over just turning off the front power (standby), it seemed like people were missing the point.
But you are definitely correct in saying that the full chart at Choice Magazine shows this info. The last paragraph of the Choice Magazine article, though, is misleading and has apparently led to confusion.
@digweed13:
If you want a more thorough and less confusing breakdown, this report on console and PC power consumption made the rounds a while back.
they should do the comparison with the frig door open for a year. a frig doesnt run very often when the doors are closed. just a few mins a day for a little refresh.
I remember reading this when folding@home first came out for PS3. If you've got that running, the system is drawing even more power.
Save money and rape your own power bill!
Or your refrigerator.
Or your PS3.
Or all three!
So, I should unplug my refrigerator?
Actually, in our area my neighbors pay upwards of $500/month for electricity whereas I've gotten mine down to $125 during the summer and $150 during the winter without turning my house into a ice or heat box. Turning off my consoles when not in use is one of the primary things I do, alongside my lights, PC monitors (actually hit the power button and don't leave it on power mode), and other things.
The wife used to complain about me buying a new game once or twice a month (or more often during Holiday season), then I showed her how much I've been saving us on our power bill and she hasn't complained since then.
I did research on this last year. If you leave your Wii on standby it takes up 10 times as much energy as a 360 or PS3 on standby because of the Wii 24 feature.
PS3s and 360s are about 200w when switched on, a fridge on average is about 300w so they are talking out of their botties, and who leaves their console on 24/7 anyway?
I only have mine on when I play, screw folding @ home!
Some people leave their PC's on 24/7 and I would guess that a PC running 24/7 would cost more than a PS3 would to run. Unless you have a sissy gilry PC with some 300w PSU in it, I Arnold LOL at that.
Are you kidding me? The PS3 uses less power when on standby ($2.33) than both the Xbox 360 ($3.16) and the Wii (with WiiConnect24 OFF $2.50). Seeing as most people turn their consoles to standby when not in use, I think those are the more interesting numbers. Again, it's a conspiracy against the PS3!
Well, it’s a good thing that I’m at college for much of the year, because my PS3 is on 24/7 (when I’m not using it, it’s Folding@home). Hopefully, my parents won’t notice the summer spike in the electricity bill...
Why would I leave the PS3 on for a year? I'm not folding either. Also, I thought this was OFN.
yeah.......the title says PS3 power hog and yet in the article it self it says that the 360 does it also...hmm..alright.
guess I'll be switching it of with that big'ol powerbutton in the back from now on :-)
@mistic He said if you left it on, he didn't say anything about leaving it in standby.
In fact the writing of the article here at Destructoid needs to make everyone aware that ON means actively on and off means standby mode, standby costing $15 a year. As far as I know NO ONE leaves their PS3 on constantly.
Well I wonder how much the equivlent gaming PC costs to run over the same period of time - somebody get one of those power monitor thingies and find out!
Says right here. Though it lists a very weak computer.
*slowly Gets up and turns off his ps3*
I'm kind of over Destructoid's (generalization, yeah) inability to place PS3 and 360 on the same level for anything. All you people complaining about it need to just read the news here with a grain of salt when they complaining about the PS3 or lauding the 360. The reviews typically are still worthwhile and the news comes in from various sources that it is worth ignoring the bias.
thank fuck i'm loaded!
So I guess it's a good thing that I have hardly turned on my PS3 since I bought it a month ago.
What we need now is a Sony rep to pick this news us and spin it as positive PR: "See, the lack of decent games is good for the environment!"
@ loki and hells and any other moron complaining that this article is anti-PS3
Bias? Are you retarded? Why is it that anytime any news that you don't like it automatically becomes an issue of bias?
I own all three consoles, so you can't accuse me of beign a fanboy. I find nothign wrong with the article's title or content.
i used to run f@h when i wasn't home then winter rolled and i quit leaving it on. i literally save $40 a month not running it constantly.
@cainball, You need to think on your own. Stop taking what you read as fact. The Xbox runs at $200+ they say a medium refrigerator runs at $50 a year. Ok now check the title of the article. Notice only PS3 is in the title.
Explain how that is NOT biased. Stop being a fucktard please and use some brain cells.
I guess the PS3 won't get Al Gore's seal of approval.
Volomon: what got your panties in a twist?
You do understand that the purpose of a title in an article is to gain the readers attention, right? If you read THE REST OF THE ARTICLE, you will see that the 360 and PS3 are given the same reaming over power issues.
So, let me recap:
Title- used to gain attention, not a valid indicator of bias if article in question is balanced.
Article- equal emphasis on 360 and PS3 being power hungry.
You- PS3 fanboy with syphillis. (Just guessing on the syph.)
Stop judging an article on its title alone. And get some penicillin for the STD.
Volomon changing Destructoid into Joystiq one post at a time....
Oh wow! That's around $20 a month!
Stupid statistics.
Who leaves their consoles on all the time in the first place?
@cainball No actually the article doesn't go into any detail, it only says that the Xbox is a power hog. Clearly PS3 is the main focus of the article and that magazine. It might be using PS3 as the focus because PS3 is more popular in every other place except America. It still doesn't make the title any less bias.
If the title said cainball was retarded, then the article explains he's retarded when next to a bunch of geniuses it doesn't make the title any less BS.
@zeroword Newbs don't get to talk here. Go back to Kotaku.
Not only that but they don't even compare the lower nm PS3s. So don't tell me its not biased. Its clearly attempting to shine PS3 in a bad light. Xbox consumes that energy no matter which console depending on the features sometimes more, for instance Xbox doesn't come stand with a HDD sometimes, it doesn't come standard with wireless. PS3 does, not only that but it just lowered its energy cost to 135watts with the 65nm, which is just a little bit more than a refrigerator.
By the way I wish Dtoid had an edit feature.
@ Volomon:
Xbox 360 > PS3
dont worry people, im working on nuclear fussion right now... i just need a flux capacitor.
@Hells-666: No, Destructoid editors are clearly biased racists that hate Sony and everything they stand for.
So THIS is the reason my electricity bill has been so much higher the past few months....
@ Volomon
I don't understand how you can accuse the Choice Magazine of being anti-PS3 when the article has absolutely no reference to PS3 in anything other than the freaking chart. Did you even click the link?
Nice analogy with the cainball is retarded, by the way. Of course, if it did say that I was retarded, it would be personally insulting because it is about me as a person. An article that mentions the PS3 in the title is about a piece of plasitic and metal that sits on my entertainment unit, and therefor doesn't offend me. That's the problem with fanboys- everytime someone criticises their equipment of choice they lose it.
If Destructoid is so biased, piss off to another site.
I hear what you are saying about the edit feature though. Damn spelling typos.
I don't think it possible to leave a 360 on for a year. It would red ring and a 5-week waiting period would ensue. Rinse repeat. I've actually been unplugging mine when I'm not using it. The power brick is warm even in standby.
yea... this article is not biased. There is no way in hell a 360 can last even 1 week on 24/7 without failing. Therefore the ps3 makes the best front end for this topic.
glad to see that i'm not the only one saying that Dtoid are pro M$
everytime i bring that up .. same retards are calling me a PS3 fanboy ... and i do own all 3 consoles and those retards only have a 360 ... funny i think
@idiot who posted: Bias? Are you retarded? Why is it that anytime any news that you don't like it automatically becomes an issue of bias?
Are you retarded? Do you not know that this is the rarest of times that I mention D-toid's bias in their news articles? Do you even know that what you just typed makes about as much sense as me wearing a hat made out of cow pies? Do you know that anything I disagree with that's posted here I say so, whether it's out of bias or just general disagreement, and rarely have I brought up the concept of bias.
For me to know that you rarely complain about bias would mean that I would actually have to take notice of your usual writings. There are a whole bunch of reasons why I have no idea what you normally write about, but let's just put it down to me wanting to ignore any tool with a cat for an avatar, shall we? I mean, there are a few more obvious reasons, but I don't want to get too personal on you.
Basically, although I called you and some other jackass out by name, the "you" in the quote you just mentioned (thanks for quoting me, incidentally- it makes me feel all nice and important) was a generic fanboy reference. Which clearly you are if you think that this article in any way gives preference to one console type over another.
I assume they are talking about the first versions of each console (90nm). I doubt a 40GB PS3 uses that much power, and most PS3s out there right now are the 40GB version. Given that Microsoft still isn't using a 65nm GPU, it'd be interesting to see how a new PS3 stacks up against a new 360.
I'm not making excuses. The PS3 is still about as efficient as a SUV loaded with lead bricks. It's just worth pointing out that power consumption varies from system to system.
Joystiqtoid!
Seriously though, c'mon.
I'm pretty sure this electricity hogging gaming console thing was a big story.....OVER 1 YEAR AGO!!!
For me to know that you rarely complain about bias would mean that I would actually have to take notice of your usual writings.
And that right there is why your post was absolute-freaking-lutely idiotic. Reading comprehension for the win. How can you make a glaring generalization about me or anyone else when you don't even pay attention to what we say, let alone we have no freaking clue who you are in the least other than someone who decided to argue against opinion.
There are a whole bunch of reasons why I have no idea what you normally write about, but let's just put it down to me wanting to ignore any tool with a cat for an avatar, shall we?
Eff off. That's my own cat in real life and since when has having a cat as an icon made someone a tool? A tool of what even? Makes absolutely no sense... again.
This is why I don't run Folding@home any more. I'm all for researching proteins (see: my life), but having my PS3 eat up my energy is not one of my favorite things to do.
Not sure what you guys pay down in the States, but in Canada, more spcifically New Brunswick, electricity only costs 8 cents/kwh. And we're pretty much on par with the values in Australia. Don't get too upset. Especially considering your system probably only runs on average 10% of the time, at most (That's almost 3 hours a day)
One word
PRICELESS
"Of course, I'm probably writing this for an auidence that has the air conditioner cranked, the stereo at full blast, and 3 computers and two consoles running all at the same time. I'm with you on all of that. "
Well to all the uninformed mooks out there that cried "Fanboy" and didnt look at the information stating the the ps3 is the biggest energy hog, I have to say this... HA! stupid fanboys.
Wow, after looking at the chart it really makes me want to cut down on leaving electronics on.
TOIDSTIQ FTW!!!!!!!!!!1111
The Incredible Edible Egg
06/07/2008 02:24
Well to all the uninformed mooks out there that cried "Fanboy" and didnt look at the information stating the the ps3 is the biggest energy hog, I have to say this... HA! stupid fanboys.
What we found
The device that consumed the most power