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Why is Ted Cruz upset about Xbox’s new power saving mode?

There’s a surprising new topic for conservative American politicians and media: Xbox. On Monday, US senator and former presidential candidate Ted Cruz (R-TX) tweeted, “First your gas stove, then your coffee, now they’re hunting your Xbox,” links to an article on the right-wing website Blaze News. Within hours, Freedom Caucus member Congressman Troy Nehls (R-TX) paraphrased Cruz’s tweet (throw the gun in to spice it up a bit); Fox News published an article with the title claiming, “Woke Brigade is pursuing video games”; and a Fox & Friends the host said, “They’re chasing the kids!”

What makes these culture warriors so trained? One new “carbon aware” energy saving mode that Microsoft is rolling out to Xbox consoles, along with some changes to their default settings to reduce environmental impact.

Why did conservatives suddenly decide to target Xbox?

There’s never been a good answer to this kind of question, although as suggested by Cruz’s tweet, the Xbox news (which came out two weeks ago) fits a narrative the right is building on the news. Progressive forces are looking to cut back on utilities and personal amenities amid the climate crisis. In recent weeks, the media and right-wing commentators have grasped an academic study of coffee’s carbon footprint and more regulatory concerns about the public health impact of gas stoves. Hitting Microsoft’s new green installations is a convenient way to keep the theme going, embellished with a recognizable brand and some appeal to a younger audience.

Also, Cruz is known to be a gamerthis might help explain his tackle on this topic.

What does the ‘carbon aware’ mode do?

“Carbon awareness” means that your Xbox, as long as you have an internet connection, will adjust when to update and download when the local grid uses the most renewable energy and is least reliant on fuel most fossils. It determines the right moment by examining online regional carbon intensity data. Carbon aware mode is enabled by default, but it only works when the console has been powered off using the Shutdown setting, not Sleep mode. (More on these later.)

While new to Xbox, carbon awareness is not an entirely new initiative— all Windows 11 updates are carbon-aware last year. (Microsoft intends 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-aware mode for the same reason that Microsoft chose as the title of its press release – it has a progressive-sounding name. But in fact, another change that Microsoft is making at the same time will have a much larger environmental impact.

Is Microsoft forcing players to shut down their Xbox?

No — Microsoft does not “force” anyone to do anything other than accept a “carbon-aware” update. This update does not affect the user experience as it only affects download and update times when the console is off.

However, Microsoft To be update all Xbox consoles to use the Shutdown (aka “energy saver”) setting by default, instead of Sleep. Although Sleep mode still exists as an option, those who want to use it will need to go into the settings and select it again after the update.

Shutdown consumes up to 20x less power than Sleep, so the cumulative power saving effect of Microsoft switching every Xbox to Shutdown by default is significant. Even if some users choose to reverse the decision — a minor inconvenience at worst — this update will have a significant impact on Xbox gaming’s carbon footprint worldwide.

What is the difference between Shutdown and Sleep?

The “degradation” of user experience in the name of climate politics that conservative culture warriors are complaining about is longer boot times. According to Microsoft, the console can take up to 45 seconds to boot from Shutdown mode, while booting from Sleep is much faster. Additionally, features that let you wake up your Xbox remotely or with your voice are no longer available in Shutdown — you have to press a physical button on the Xbox or controller to turn on the console.

Importantly, the Quick Resume feature allows games selected exactly where they were left unfinished to still work with Shutdown.

Should I leave my Xbox in Shutdown mode?

Up to you! But even beyond its impact on the climate emergency, it offers significant power savings, which can help reduce your electricity bill during times of high electricity prices like Currently. So it’s a financially sound as well as environmentally responsible option, with only one minor downside — unless you can’t live without a remote wake-up or you see 45 seconds It’s an unbearably long time.

Or unless you want to pay the power company extra to own the libs.




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