Rahul Somvanshi
Microsoft has announced efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from Xbox game consoles during the 2020-2023 fiscal years. These innovations include greening game code and allowing players to choose an energy-saving mode, which reduced over 1.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions compared to usage without interventions. According to estimates from the US Environmental Protection Agency, this reduction is equivalent to over 3 billion miles of car exhaust for a typical gasoline-powered passenger vehicle.
In January 2023, Xbox added a new “shutdown” power option feature to their game consoles. When this option is set, any updates or downloads for the Xbox or games will access the most renewable energy sources through the console’s power connection. Xbox users have adopted options like the Shutdown (energy-saving) mode and active hours settings, as well as “Carbon Aware” downloads and updates, which optimize the use of renewable energy by scheduling updates during times of greater availability.
In March 2023, Microsoft released an Xbox Sustainability Toolkit for game developers. This toolkit aims to help game developers better understand the energy consumption required to play games on Xbox consoles. Since the toolkit’s release, companies like Activision have used it to help develop Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Call of Duty: Warzone, and 343 Industries’ Halo: Infinite. Studios have used these tools to reduce energy consumption in their games without affecting the player experience.
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Microsoft has set an ambitious goal to reduce its environmental impact, aspiring to be a carbon negative, water positive, and zero-waste company by 2030. In the context of Climate Week in New York, Trista Patterson, Director of Gaming Sustainability at Xbox, shared the progress made on this path.
Microsoft concludes by saying, “Through deep collaboration with players, developers, and the industry, innovative solutions continue to emerge.” However, Microsoft has not revealed any further plans to further reduce Xbox energy consumption.
With these initiatives, both Microsoft and Xbox continue to advance towards a more sustainable future, driving significant changes in the technology and gaming industry on their path to 2030.
