There’s a surprising new talking point for American conservative media and politicians: Xbox. On Monday US Senator and former presidential candidate Ted Cruz (R-TX) tweeted, “Gas cooker first, then your coffee, now they’re shooting at your Xbox,” links to an article on the right side of Blaze News. Joined the Freedom Caucus within hours MP Troy Nehls (R-TX) paraphrased Cruz’s tweet (throwing guns to spice it up a bit); FoxNews had published an article entitled “Woke Brigade is after video games”; and a fox & friends The host had said, “They’re after the kids!”
What did these culture fighters practice like this? A new “carbon-conscious” power saving mode that Microsoft is rolling out for Xbox consoles, along with some changes to their default settings designed to reduce their environmental impact.
Why did conservatives suddenly decide to target Xbox?
There’s never a good answer to this sort of question, although as Cruz’s tweet suggests, the Xbox news (which was released two weeks ago) fits into a narrative that the rights have constructed about progressive forces attempting personal Amenities and conveniences amidst the climate restrict crisis. In recent weeks, right-wing media and commentators have picked up a scientific study on the carbon footprint of coffee and further regulatory concerns about the public health impact of gas stoves. Attacking Microsoft’s new green attitudes is a convenient way to keep the theme going, adorned with a recognizable brand and some appeal to a youthful audience.
Likewise, Cruz is known for being a little gamerwhich might help him to deal with this topic.
What does the “Carbon Aware” mode do?
Being “carbon conscious” means that as long as your Xbox is connected to the internet, it will update and download at times when the local grid uses the most renewable energy and relies on fossil fuels the least. It determines the right time by checking regional carbon intensity data online. Carbon-conscious mode is enabled by default, but only works when a console has been shut down using the shutdown setting, not sleep mode. (Later more.)
While new to Xbox, carbon awareness isn’t a brand new initiative – All Windows 11 updates have been made carbon conscious last year. (Microsoft aims to be carbon negative by 2030not only in its own operations, but also through the way its products are used.)
Right-wingers have targeted carbon-conscious mode for the same reason Microsoft captioned its press release with it — it has a hip, progressive-sounding name. In fact, another change Microsoft is making at the same time will have a far greater impact on the environment.
Does Microsoft force gamers to turn off their Xboxes?
No – Microsoft isn’t “forcing” anyone to do anything other than accept the “carbon-conscious” update, which has no impact on user experience as it only affects the timing of downloads and updates when the console is off.
However Microsoft is Update all Xbox consoles to use the Shut Down (aka Sleep) setting by default instead of Hibernate. While sleep mode is still an option, people who want to use it will have to go into settings and select it again after the update.
Shutting down uses up to 20 times less power than sleep mode, so the cumulative power saving effect of Microsoft putting every Xbox in shutdown mode by default is significant. Even if some users decide to reverse the decision — a minor inconvenience at worst — this update should have a significant impact on the carbon footprint of Xbox gaming worldwide.
What is the difference between Shutdown and Sleep?
The “deterioration” of the user experience in the name of climate policy, which conservative culture fighters complained about, usually results in longer boot times. According to Microsoft, it can take up to 45 seconds for a console to boot from shutdown mode, while booting from sleep mode is much faster. Also, features that can wake the Xbox remotely or with your voice are no longer available when you shut down – you have to physically press a button on the Xbox or controller to turn on the console.
Crucially, the Quick Resume feature, which allows games to resume right where they left off, also works with Shutdown.
Should I leave my Xbox in shutdown mode?
It’s up to you! But even beyond its impact on the climate emergency, the mode offers significant energy savings that could help lower your utility bills during this time of rising electricity costs. So it’s a fiscally sensible and environmentally conscious option with just one small downside — unless you can’t live without Remote Wake or you find 45 seconds is an unbearably long amount of time.
Or unless you’re happy to pay the utility company extra to own the libraries.
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