Xbox can automatically turn off based on set times

Microsoft gives the Xbox Series X and S the option to turn themselves off when the console is unlikely to be used. This is based on ‘active hours’ that the user sets. The search function has also been improved.

Microsoft states that outside these active hours the console ‘shuts down completely’ and when these hours start again, the console starts again and is ready in sleep mode. In sleep mode the console consumes 10 to 15 watts and after a complete shutdown it should be 0.5 watts. In any case, that 0.5 watt is used to keep an eye on the time for the next boot-up. The function is optional.

Microsoft has been using a function of the same name in Windows since Windows 10. However, it does not refer to automatic shutdown and standby in sleep mode, but to updates. Within those hours, of which Microsoft allows 18 per day, the computer will not automatically restart to complete update installations. That is different from what the Xbox currently offers.

The search function has been further expanded and should be easier to use. The results will be shown in a ‘gallery style’, there will be filter categories that can be set with RB and LB and you can search directly on YouTube.

Microsoft reports that the update will start ‘rolling out’ this week. The company previously also came up with ‘CO₂-conscious updates’. According to the manufacturer, this allows consoles to automatically perform updates and downloads at specific times when a relatively large amount of low-carbon energy is available on the grid. This works if the console is plugged in, connected to the internet and there is ‘local CO₂ intensity data’ available.