PlayStation 4 Leads The Way In Video Game Console Energy Efficiency
Anticipation mounts as the next generation of video game systems are starting to hit the market, promising more realistic graphics, better sound and a more movie-like experience.
Last year, Nintendo released the Wii U, the successor to the Wii. This fall, Sony will release the PlayStation 4, while Microsoft enters the ring with Xbox One.
But with all those shiny new gaming consoles comes a question: Which system is the most energy-efficient system on the market and waste the least amount of energy.
The good people at Enervee have provided the answer:
With the tests being completed and the numbers crunched, its Sony who comes out the winner. The PlayStation 4 out of a scale from 0 to 100 (100 being the top mark) received an efficiency score of 100. Xbox One, was second at 96, Ouya — an Android operating system micro console — was third with a score of 78, while the Nintendo Wii U has a ranking of 67, even below next generation systems.
Older systems rank even lower on the energy efficiency scale: PlayStation 3 Slim 500GB has a rating of 69; the Wii finishes with 65; Xbox 360 at 63 out of 100; and last on the scale was the PlayStation 3 Slim 320 GB at 62.
While Enervee does give a very through list of environmental performance for electronics, its not the only website out their if you are looking for the greenest video game system or electronics. Greenpeace every fall publishes their “Guide to Greener Electronics” which provides a comprehensive ranking of the best in eco-friendly gadgets.
Are video games the energy wasting vulture that many within the environmental community complain about? Or as the new generation of systems come out, starting to turn face? What do you people think?
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The fine print on the graphic reads, ” *The Playstation 4 and Xbox One energy consumption is estimated based on the current PS3 and Xbox 360 values”. That doesn’t seem like very strong evidence to support the title of this article.
I appreciate your blog’s focus on this issue, but wanted to bring up a potential point of confusion. The “energy efficiency” you refer to for game consoles is at the product level, not at the market level. As such, by scoring PS4 as more efficient than the Wii-U, this analysis neglects to acknowledge that the PS4 uses 9 times more energy than the Wii-U; while it may waste less of the energy it takes in,
it still takes in much more energy. I work at an Energy Efficiency non-profit that works through these barriers, and from a consumer perspective this analysis could be misleading. A consumer’s understanding of energy efficiency is that by using a device for the same hours per day, same days per year, the “more efficient” option would result in a lower utility bill. From this analysis, however, if a consumer purchased the PlayStation over the Wii, they would end up with much higher utility bills in the end. The Natural Resources Defense Council did a comprehensive analysis of this issue in 2009 with their report linked here: http://www.nrdc.org/energy/consoles/contents.asp
I’d be happy to discuss this issue further, but would appreciate if a disclaimer or comment could be made so that consumers do not read this article intending to make the efficient choice and end up using much more energy. Thank you,
-Claire Miziolek, cmiziolek@neep.org, Residential Program Manager at Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP)