Microsoft planning new ways to save energy from PC, console games

The global power market is currently going through a major crisis and the nations that have been most affected include the EU countries and the UK. Rumours suggest that the EU countries like Germany have asked their citizens to voluntarily reduce energy consumption, while other countries like the UK may even face blackouts during the winter months. Amidst such a crisis, Microsoft is taking some initiatives to save energy through its gaming platforms.
The tech giant is reportedly conducting surveys with the members of the Xbox Insider Program to emphasise energy saving. Earlier, Microsoft updated the Xbox Series X|S consoles with a redesigned power settings menu. This new menu offers an improved visual representation of the amount of energy that users will be able to save by switching between power saving and standby modes.

Microsoft planning new ways to save energy
According to a report by WindowsCentral, an ongoing survey in the Xbox Insider app on Windows PC describes some new features that Microsoft may be planning to add for games across PC and consoles. The primary goal of these features is to limit energy consumption and the company might be planning to do the same by reducing resolution, frame rates and more.
As per the report, the survey includes questions that try to know the users’ outlook on energy consumption and if the current crisis is affecting their willingness to spend. The questionnaire circulated by the company asks users about their interest in features that reduce power consumption in games that can save energy as well as money. This includes both kinds of situations that arise during gaming sessions — while the game is running or when it’s inactive.

Apart from this, Microsoft is also asking users to suggest names for these features. The company has provided options for terms like “eco-saving” and “energy-saving,” that users can choose from. The tech giant also wants to know if these features would affect users’ buying decisions per game.
Microsoft has committed itself to net zero carbon usage which has also increased the company’s investments in this space. However, there is no surety that the features mentioned in the survey will make it to the final product.