Knowing the hidden setting on Xbox can help you save. There's a feature called Instant On, a feature that's turned on by default on many Microsoft's Xbox Series X or Series S consoles, and puts the console in standby mode. This makes it faster to activate the device when gaming, but it can waste valuable energy.
And according to the British newspaper “Daily Mail”, pressing the button on the console to open the on-screen guide is the first step to deactivating the Instant On feature.
While Instant Standby mode allows players to resume gaming immediately, Instant On may consume between 11 and 13 watts, while Power Saving mode consumes about 0.5 watts.
Microsoft has made the greener Energy Saver mode the default setting on Xbox Series X and Series S consoles shipped since March 2022.
However, consoles were released back in November 2020, which means millions shipped with Instant On by default, and the power drain setting may still be active.
"You can configure your Xbox One or Xbox Series X | S console to either turn off or sleep when your console is turned off, depending on your preference," Microsoft says on its support page.
To select the lowest cost setting, press the Xbox button on your console to open the onscreen guide Once this is open, select Profile & System followed by Settings General then Power Options then select Power off (energy saving) option.