It may not be something that your average gamer ever considers, but video games consoles use an enormous amount of energy. With the future of the planet looking ever grimmer when it comes to excessive energy usage and climate change, it is important to consider how our gaming devices contribute to the planet’s dire state.
A key thing to remember is that the older a games console, the less energy efficient it tends to be. Newer machines have been developed after taking on board customers’ concerns about energy efficiency and the environmental impact of consoles.
Sony Playstation 4 Pro 1TB Console
This version of Sony’s mega-selling machine is the most energy efficient console currently on the market, according to Enervee, who rate it at 98 out of 100 when it comes to efficient power usage. If everyone who wanted to buy a games machine bought a console with this kind of energy rating, enough energy would be saved to power the city of Philadelphia for a year.
Xbox 1 1TB
According to Enervee, the second most energy efficient gaming console currently on the market is the Xbox 1, with one TB. This machine has a rating of 97 when it comes to its energy efficiency. The performance of this console is not compromised by it being able to user lower levels of energy than many of its rivals on the market.
It should also be remembered that playing online games on console web browsers can increase the amount of energy you are using by quite a considerable amount. This is something to bear in mind when choosing a console.
Sony Playstation 4 Slim Console
This is another console with a very high energy rating of 97, putting it amongst the most energy efficient gaming machines out there. This machine is often sold as part of a bundle with the game ‘Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End’.
Xbox 1 500GB
With an energy rating of 96, this version of Microsoft’s console is among the best machines on the market when it comes to be environmentally friendly.
Nintendo Wii
The Wii has been around since 2006, and offers reasonable energy efficiency when it comes to being eco friendly. Older models of the Xbox and Playstation consistently used more electricity than Nintendo’s Wii console, though that has changed in recent years. Although not as widely popular as the other machines, the Wii still occupies its own niche on the console market.
You also need to remember, of course, that the environmentally friendly credentials of a console don’t just rest on the energy it consumes. Consoles are manufactured from a range of materials, many of which are not biodegradable.
If you want to be more environmentally minded when it comes to choosing a gaming machine, buying a second-hand or reconditioned model helps to minimise the impact of people constantly buying new machines, many of which end up discarded without anything being recycled or reused.
Author: Karin Kloosterman
Karin Kloosterman is an award-winning journalist, innovation strategist, and founder of Green Prophet, one of the Middle East’s pioneering sustainability platforms. She has ranked in the Top 10 of Verizon innovation competitions, participated in NASA-linked challenges, and spoken worldwide on climate, food security, and future resilience. With an IoT technology patent, features in Canada’s National Post, and leadership inside teams building next-generation agricultural and planetary systems — including Mars-farming concepts — Karin operates at the intersection of storytelling, science, and systems change. She doesn’t report on the future – she helps design it. Reach out directly to [email protected]
