British Gas’ recent statements blatantly shift the burden elsewhere, according to my opinion on PS5
Video games are often cited as the source of problems by large corporations. As any long-term gamer will tell you, violence is the most common cause. However, the recent trend of growing energy costs is unquestionably novel. “Vampire gadgets” may save you “an average of £147 per year,” or $183, according to British Gas.
By following British Gas’s advice outlined in a BBC News story, users may save money by unplugging any gadgets that are still plugged in. In’s a common piece of advice, but the current cost of living issue in the United Kingdom has sunk it like a tonne of bricks.
One of the responses seen by Eurogamer reads: “British Gas is spreading misinformation and outright fear mongering by saying this. Since 2013, televisions have been obliged by law to draw no more than 0.5 watts per hour when in standby mode. During the course of a year, it works out to 4.38 kW. With energy at 30p/kW, the annual cost is $1.31. According to the seller, it costs £24.61.”
For the uninitiated, recent rises in the cost of living in the United Kingdom have had a substantial effect on the poorest residents of the country. Rent expenses have climbed by 6% on average, food expenditures have increased by 6%, and overall inflation is up by 7%. However, the average pay has not kept pace with inflation. In light of Ofgem’s price limit hike this month, rising gas and electric costs are a major issue.
In light of this, British Gas has been condemned, and properly so, for shifting the burden for high bill prices onto its customers. Even though I don’t use British Gas, my monthly electric bill increased by £80 in June to £157 (about $195), and that’s only for a two-bed apartment. Blaming video game consoles for the increasing pressure on people is, well, ludicrous.
What console power-saving options do I have?
You don’t have to give up all of your home entertainment just because times are tough. There is a limit to how much money can be saved by shutting off gadgets that are not in use. In order to save money on your power bill while gaming, there are a few things you can do.
There aren’t many battery-saving choices available for Switch apart from dimming the screen’s brightness or switching to ‘Flight Mode,’ however Nintendo’s redesigned models dramatically reduced power usage. It was determined by Digital Foundry that various gaming scenarios utilised 40% to 50% less power on these updated variations than on the original Switch when it was tested.
There isn’t much under System Settings > System > Power Saving and Rest Options on either the PS4 or the PS5, but this is true for both consoles. The only choices here are to send the PS5 into Rest Mode after a certain amount of time, to choose which Rest Mode functions are accessible, and to set a timer for when the controllers will automatically switch off. When your PS5 isn’t in use, the screen dims automatically.
Energy Saver mode, which was recently modified to allow you to receive system and game updates, considerably extends the life of Xbox Series X|S consoles. It’s also the default setting when users first set up their console since it consumes a fraction of the power of Standby mode and is thus more environmentally friendly. The only downside is that you’ll have to wait a little longer for your console to load, but I’ll take it. It pleases me that Microsoft is taking this step.
Even if you just save a few pennies a year by turning off your electronics, don’t expect to save a lot of money. According to the BBC’s research, cancelling your Netflix membership would allow you to buy a home in two years. Very clever.