An Australian consumer body has called for small consumer electronics devices to carry energy-usage labels following a survey into power consumption.
Tests carried out by Sydney-based CHOICE showed that a PlayStation3 left on but not in use would cost Aus$250 annually in electricity – over five times more than a medium-sized fridge.
The survey found the usage cost for the Xbox 360 was not much lower.
In Australia, white goods must carry the energy-efficiency star labels by law, but while the Federal Government has recently discussed introducing such a scheme for computers and monitors, currently there is no such requirement.
Christopher Zinn, CHOICE’s media spokesman, said consumers were unaware of consumption rates for some smaller electronic devices.
He said mandatory energy-usage labels should be introduced for computer products sold in Australia.
“While we hope no one actually leaves their games console on for a whole year 24/7, the figures are indicative of just how much electricity these small devices can chew their way through,” he said.
Tag: xbox-360
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Consumer group claims Sony PS3 uses five times more energy than a fridge
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Launch of Sony PS3 TV show may be pre-cursor to further HD programming
Sony is to launch an original High-Definition TV show on gaming for the Play Station 3 video console.
Called Qore, the monthly programme will offer news on the latest PS3 games, game reviews and interviews with game developers. The first episode will be available on June 5.
The show, which can be purchased at the online Play Station store for $2.99 each or annually for $24.99, is being seen as a signal that Sony is preparing to compete with Microsoft’s XBox 360 programming service.
In addition to games, XBox 360 offers TV shows and movie downloads over the Internet, something Play Station 3 hasn’t done until now.
However, Sony has hinted that it might begin offering both SD and HD downloads sometime this year.
Peter Dille, senior vice president of marketing for Play Station Network, said: “Original content, community-related services and innovative products are a major focus for the Play Station Network this year and we are pleased to introduce Qore exclusively for our customers.
“Qore is the first step in providing original content dedicated to the Play Station community and evolving the network into a place where our customers can gather, share and discover new forms of entertainment.”