There’s no denying that gaming is an expensive hobby. In fact, a recent study revealed that the average US gamer spends around $58,000 (£50,382) on the hobby during their lifetime. Given the fact that we’re in a cost of living crisis, it’s no surprise that some of us will be cutting back on our gaming-related spending, but there are some hidden costs you may not realise are possible to avoid.
Check out our review of the Xbox Series X below.
When you think about possible ways to cut down on gaming-related spends, you may think about working through your backlog as opposed to buying new games, or cutting down the hours spent on your console. If you’re an Xbox Series X owner though, you could be racking up a hefty electricity bill without even turning on your console.
As pointed out by Alex Hern, technology editor for The Guardian, an Xbox Series X left on standby can cost owners £132 in electricity a year. If you brought your Xbox Series X prior to May 2022, this will be the default mode. To avoid this, simply enter your settings and select ‘Energy Saver Mode’ instead. If you bought your Xbox Series X after May 2022, it should automatically be set to ‘Energy Saver Mode’ but it’s worth checking this.
It’s generally rare for a standby mode to use as much power as a Series X does, which is why I’m highlighting it. There’s been no other easy wins in my house – the router also uses around £140 a year, but for obvious reasons you’re less likely to want to switch that off
— alex hern (@alexhern) September 5, 2022
To compare, Hern notes that the PlayStation 5’s default settings means it costs around £4 a year to run when not in use. Hern said, “It’s generally rare for a standby mode to use as much power as a Series X does, which is why I’m highlighting it.” Around 1.15 million people in the UK purchased the Xbox Series X with the costly standby mode as the default, so do check your settings if you think that’s you.
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