How will British standby laws affect consoles? [update 1]
by Ross Miller 
{ Jul 20th 2006 at 3:25PM }
The British government recently set plans in motion to outlaw the standby feature on all technology, citing that eight percent of all their energy consumption comes from the feature. While Joystiq readers are known to be environmentalists and the law does not target consoles specifically, what if the bill did limit our console's standby options:- As Club Skill pointed out, the Wii's Connect24 would not be always connected to download new content, forcing Nintendo to consider new names for its internet service (Wii
Connect18ConnectFourCanConnecteh, forget it). Honestly, though, with today's broadband speeds, Nintendo could probably max our your Wii flash drive in minutes, so you can just check for "goodies" when you wake up and turn your console on. - All next-generation consoles and the PlayStation 2 would need minor redesigns. Would the currently available PS2 / Xbox 360 models lose all trade-in value? Will we be forced to recall all our current consoles?
- Hopefully, the Wii and PS3 will not get delayed.
- If I put my Nintendo DS on standby (i.e. closing the cover), will the Karma Police arrest me?
- Windows and Macs lose standby mode ... not exactly game-related, but it is still annoying.
[Image credit]
[update 1: We misread the Times piece under the mindset of the Game Politics interpretation -- which included consoles as part of the British standby ban. Sorry for the confusion; minor changes were made the opening and closing paragraphs, but the bullet points seem a lot more appropriate as satire than sarcastic soothsaying.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Paul P. @ Jul 20th 2006 3:29PM
I hate it when governmnets interfere with the free market to limit consumer behavior. If people want to waste power let them. They're the ones paying the power bill.
Loque @ Jul 20th 2006 3:32PM
GamePolitics just recently had an article on this very topic.
I don't think it will be an issue, as long as the console is doing something. If the console is sending and receiving data, it probably won't meet their specification of "standby".
Ianc02 @ Jul 20th 2006 3:37PM
Well this is daft and smells of slight hippocrasy. Nice one labour: on one hand you publicise at great expense how you want the whole of the UK connected to the 'net(a few years back this statement was made) now you throw out yet another hopeful soundbite to appeal to the green in all of us. Bollocks i say, stop wasting our taxes on useless and ineffective government(home office debarcle) and pick on industry and push motor manafacturers to start MASS producing environment friendly cars etc. Leave my 1 watt Wiiconnect24 alone,Blair.
Apologies for the word there.
Zoë K. @ Jul 20th 2006 3:37PM
How does this effect mobile devices such as phones, handheld game machines and the like while charging in the wall?
Seems to me that there are going to be obvious exceptions, and I'm wondering where they lie.
BobToo Penny @ Jul 20th 2006 3:38PM
Seen as the new law will only reduce the amount of power a product can use in standby I don't belive it will be such a problem at all. Wii will use very little power in standby and although standby may be killed off on older appliances, any new product would just have to be more efficient to meet knew guidlines.
Honestly this is worry over nothing but a bit of tightening the belt on standby power usuage.
caller @ Jul 20th 2006 3:40PM
Paul P, if you would be so kind and tell us what you think the role of government is?
Your waste of our power/environment excluded.
Trent @ Jul 20th 2006 3:41PM
This is rediculous... govt overstepping boundries now. REVOLUTION!!!
jc @ Jul 20th 2006 3:41PM
This is a good idea... until you think about it.
one example: you are surfing away (on joystiq.com, of course) and your favorite tv show comes on. Normally I will put the computer into standby mode, but if that option disappears, I will likely just leave it on for the 30/60 mins.
I suspect their plan to use less energy will actually cause the opposite (until we get instant on devices).
JimmyHACK @ Jul 20th 2006 3:43PM
what a waste of time and research.... the people pay teh few bucks a year for the power consumption...
they should be able to use the power they pay for in whatever way they do..
why not turn off crosswalk signs when no one is using them if they are worried about a few bucks per person per year in power that is paid for and profited on and supports their economy with its use and payment.
J B Cougar @ Jul 20th 2006 3:44PM
Unfortunately, the proposed law had nothing to do with load times, which will continue to plague us all until only Tony Hawk games remain, much like Taco Bell in the Demolition Man version of our near future.
Merx @ Jul 20th 2006 3:45PM
Im sorry. The 360 goes on standby? How do I put my 360 on standby? Its either on or its off UNLESS the recharge kit is recharging my controller. But surley then its actually doing something? And as soon as my controller is charged it turns off..
Totally baffled by your 360 comment about it having to be recalled. Can you please clarify what you meant. Cus I am not aware that the 360 is on standby.
Can some1 else please confirm/deny the 360 has a standby function?
JimmyHACK @ Jul 20th 2006 3:45PM
oh and we need to ban cell phones, since they are always in standby mode wasting power. and need only be turned on when going to make a call. (but make sure that person turns on there cell phone at the right time so they can receive it....
Eric @ Jul 20th 2006 3:46PM
I imagine current electronics will be unaffected, it'll probably be products that are created after a certain date. I'd like to know what they constitute as standby though.
Deuce @ Jul 20th 2006 3:47PM
Good old heavy-handed, short-sighted government market coercion. This kind of crap always backfires. Here's my prediction: The lack of standby is just going to result in people leaving their appliances on full power more often.
CakeOrDeath @ Jul 20th 2006 3:49PM
Surely there would be a huge lead in time for something like this. Like all electronic devices must not have stand by by 2012. They couldnt do it overnight it would cause chaos.
Paul P. @ Jul 20th 2006 3:50PM
The role of government, caller?
The only legitimate role of government should be to protect the rights of its citizens.
Bodie @ Jul 20th 2006 3:51PM
@Merx
When you hold down the "X" on your wireless controller and your Xbox 360 turns on, how did it know you pushed the button if it was "off"? It appears to be off, but uses some power to listen for remote control devices.
CollarT @ Jul 20th 2006 3:52PM
Guys, the outlawing of standby mode in the UK is a BS story. Ars Technica told the real story several days ago:
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060713-7253.html
It would be nice to stop perpetuating the wrong information.
Gingernathan @ Jul 20th 2006 3:53PM
Any changes in legislation will take time to come into effect, by then the PS3 and Wii will have been out for some time. They won't be able to enforce it on existing products only equipment new to the market, so it's likely it'll only effect future generations of consoles.
Merx @ Jul 20th 2006 3:53PM
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060713-7253.html
A link from a link from the Joystiq article which reveals that it was just a newspaper getting a story by not telling the whole truth.
Standby wont be outlawed, it will just be made more efficiant..
Mat @ Jul 20th 2006 3:55PM
lol at the DS comment :) Karma Police indeed!
Draco @ Jul 20th 2006 3:59PM
will future X360's need to be remodeled? will the be recalled?
you won't be able to turn on your TV with a remote control anymore I guess, same with X360 and DVD player, still can turn on the stereo receiver though eh? no way!
anything that can turn on with a remote is in standby.
they should do something about loading, if I spend 10 hours a year waiting for my ps2 games to load, then thats 10 hours of wasted energy, which is probably more then all the standby I can handle in those 365 days.
someguy @ Jul 20th 2006 3:59PM
The purpose of WiiConnect24 is about more than just checking on goodies. For instance, "a friend might be able to visit another player's town and leave that player messages in Animal Crossing without him being present." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii_connect_24)
This eliminates having a server storing information about a certain player until that player comes back on. It also allows a players personal town to be available at all times. For possible MMOs on Wii, WiiConnect24 can play an important role in revolutionizing the genre.
I think many people are so used to Xbox Live updates and downloading patches, that you are forgetting that the Wii is trying to streamline the process as to eliminate today's problems, such as frozen XBL downloads and long waits.
GamerG @ Jul 20th 2006 4:00PM
They reckon that the UK could do away with 2 nuclear power stations if the Standby button was banned totaly!
I think the law is just to limit the amount of energy used when in standby mode and with good reason, my Cable tv box gets really hot even in standby which suggets to me its burning a lot of energy! Why not make the manufactures put a little more thought into their products?
The upshot is that the rest of the world will benefit because the manufactures will design the stuff better to begin with
Dux @ Jul 20th 2006 4:06PM
I hate it when goverment interferes with the way we live in our own homes! This is MY castle! MY HOUSE!
jabbertrack @ Jul 20th 2006 4:08PM
I don't understand the problem. You pay for the power you consume... and if people aren't paying enough then raise the price.
Zoë K. @ Jul 20th 2006 4:08PM
Hell, you forget to mention any other electronic device with a remote power switch (such as television sets, stereos, cameras, et cetra) is also left in a form of standby. These devices all need a miniscule amount of electricity for their remote controls to have any effect on them.
What about them?
I don't think they are requiring electronics manufacturers to recall or remove standby functions from their products. They're merely creating new standards by which new products (and possibly old ones still on sale) must meet in order to recieve certification and make retail.
Dux @ Jul 20th 2006 4:10PM
o so the story isent real? oups slow on my part, I dident read all the comments before scrolling down to type :(
Zoë K. @ Jul 20th 2006 4:10PM
"They're merely creating new standards by which new products (and possibly old ones still on sale) must meet in order to recieve certification and make retail."
That sounded so broken. But you get the point.
Flooty333 @ Jul 20th 2006 4:19PM
Can the Xbox 360 even go into standby??
I havent seen that feature on my box.
Can someone point me in the right direction?
Jay @ Jul 20th 2006 4:21PM
I believe the legislation is talking about automatic standby modes -- such as the PS2, that automatically channel power. People believe they have turned it off when they press the "power" button, but that just places it in stand-by mode. I doubt this will affect computers that go into stand-by mode to save power.
There are a lot of consumer electronics that automatically turn on when you plug them in even though they're doing nothing.
Jay @ Jul 20th 2006 4:23PM
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060713-7253.html
There, 3 times this has been mentioned. maybe people will take notice now. Standby mode is not going to be outlawed. jeez. READ.
GamerG @ Jul 20th 2006 4:24PM
the 360 must be in standby as you can turn it on from the wireless controller
Zoë K. @ Jul 20th 2006 4:25PM
People seem to think that money is the only issue, and that electricity is in infinite supply.
It's not about the money. Well, no, it probably has something to do with money... these are politicians making these decisions. However, the problem they cite as the reason behind their decision to modify electronics' standards is a loss of electricity. You can't throw money at the power companies to make More of it when they don't have the supply to meet demand.
Ever hear of a brownout? It's what happens when a power supply ends up being spread too thin over too large an area (as game players, think SimCity). If one person has their PlayStation 2 on standby in a single residence, then 40 people do in that city block. It begins to add up. And eventually, a lot of evergy is lost in keeping electronics in standby that could be used to power X amount of homes somewhere else. This is a problem simply because electricity in finite at any given time. The problem could be solved by building more plants to supply the power needed, but that's not always a financially or geographically viable option. So instead, we have simpler solutions like this one.
Again, it could very well be a politically charged decision, but I'm certain it was also an issue that needed to be tended to. Let's just wait and see how it actually affects us before jumping to conclusions.
Ninegauger @ Jul 20th 2006 4:32PM
Much like the slim PS2 you cannot turn the Xbox 360 off without unplugging it... it is always on standby. The biggest clue should've been the giant orange light on the power supply.
I wouldn't mind if they took standby out of consoles... it's really not that big a deal. With a computer I can see the use of a standby mode but for a console I think the power might be "wasted" energy.
Fielin @ Jul 20th 2006 4:37PM
I cannot believe what I am reading here. Have we become so spoiled ? This is not a matter of "If I pay, I have all the rights I choose to have."
If I pay my coke I can be a junkie.
If I pay a car I can run over whoever I choose.
If I pay a guy to kill the president, I have the right to.
Guys, this is not only a matter of money. This is a matter of environment.
Pollution, be it Co2 or nuclear waste, is destroying our planet. Waste of energy is slowly increasing the temperature.
Can you honestly say "I pay, so I can destroy my planet" ?
I am, like you, spoiled. I use my remote all the time. I leave my electronic devices in standby mode all the time. I have been educated on the subject of environment. I've seen counless catastrophist programs, read countless warning articles... but I have not changed my uses.
When you cannot be educated, you need to be shown the right path. Maybe that's all they are trying to do ?
Alex K. @ Jul 20th 2006 4:38PM
Important to point out:
Anything with a remote control requires power use to power the part of the system that controls on/off remotely.
so basically, you'll have to get up to turn on the tv (but not to turn it off or change channels, etc)
This is a pretty big inconvenience, but for 8 percent energy savings, i think it's worth it.
que @ Jul 20th 2006 4:41PM
it isn't going to be outlawed, the legislation will require that standby devices use 1 watt of power or less.
caller @ Jul 20th 2006 4:48PM
Paul P,
Do you not realize that what you do affects me? A good example: your wasting of our resources.
GamerG @ Jul 20th 2006 5:18PM
My only problem with this is that Some companies simply wont release their product in the UK if they cant be bothered to redeign it to only use 1 watt
Indiana Jones @ Jul 20th 2006 5:23PM
what about the 360. The power brick has a light on it 24/7 so its pretty much in standby constantly.. will I have to plug it in at the mains every time i want a quick game on the 360?
Probot @ Jul 20th 2006 5:23PM
That's funny. Isn't there a post a few spaces down asking if blogs are part of the problem with game journalism?
And here we have a nice example of a blog post that feeds of sensationalist paranoia of the internet and makes incorrect assertions about a law and its effects.
samfish @ Jul 20th 2006 5:24PM
"If I put my Nintendo DS on standby (i.e. closing the cover), will the Karma Police arrest me?"
So long as you aren't talking in maths or buzzing like a 'fridge, no.
Kiekiexo @ Jul 20th 2006 5:56PM
Some of the attitudes shown in these comments are appalling, ignorant and short-sighted. It's not a matter of "if I pay for it who gives a crap" but rather a matter of the world fastly approaching a time where there is simply not enough energy to power the demands of the world. Fossil fuels are running thin, not to mention the damaging by-products which have led to a vastly increased extinction rate among other not-very-good things while nuclear power is dangerous, expensive and also problematic in suitable ways to dispose of the waste, waste which takes a millenia to decay.
While renewables are certainly enviromentally friendly they simply cannot, at the moment, contribute enough energy to fill the vastly encroaching hole in supply. While I'm sure you all cherish your lovely stand-by modes perhaps you should also cherish your planet, this is no longer simply a problem for your children or grandchildren, the energy deficit, climate change and failing resources are all very present and very now.
Jay @ Jul 20th 2006 5:58PM
Everyone read Probot's post if you missed it. Very good point.
Probot @ Jul 20th 2006 6:15PM
#41
Removing standby mode is not an acceptable solution to the problems you're describing. However, despite what this Joystiq post says, that's not what the UK is proposing. They only want to make standby mode more efficient, which I think is a worthy goal.
I do have a problem with someone telling me how I use the electricity I pay for. The environmental problems about generating electricity are not the consumer's responsibility. It is up to the government or private businesses to ensure that electricity generation is as effecient and pollution-less as possible.
I pay for the electricity I use and nothing more. I don't have a choice where my electricity comes from. There is no reason for me to be blamed for a government's poor energy planning.
That said, I am for nuclear power. The safety concerns are often exaggerated and the "waste" has enough energy left in it to be reused after a while.
Patrick Moore's editorial this past April in the Washington Post made a pretty convincing argument for nuclear power.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/14/AR2006041401209.html
Rare Hare @ Jul 20th 2006 6:20PM
Probot: Excellent comment.
Fielin: The use of your remote control is not causing global warming. Get off it.
EVERYONE ELSE: Please refer to the link posted (this is the fourth time), which debunks this post entirely.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060713-7253.html
Jim @ Jul 20th 2006 7:28PM
Just one simple question: how do they plan to make sure someone has no devices on stand-by?
a policemen in every living room???
Koorah @ Jul 20th 2006 7:32PM
Well done those that have pointed out that the whole standby issue is an environmental one, and nothing to do with civil liberties. It at least some of those folks are American it can only fill the rest of us with hope.
You see the rest of the world is under the impression that your genius President has convinced most of you that Climate change and dwindling resources only exist in the minds of some wacky third world scientists, desperate to hurt the US economy.
Please, please prove us wrong fella's.
Tiago @ Jul 20th 2006 7:37PM
Perhaps they should implement motion sensors on street lamps... that way they'd shut off when no one was around and probably save a lot more energy...