OLED Switch Draws Roughly Half The Power Of Launch Switch - Report

Historic energy prices in Europe and other regions have many consumers wondering just how much their video game consoles cost them per year. An updated report from Eurogamer suggests that the launch PS5 is still the biggest energy hog on the block, though the Xbox Series X isn't far behind. And the OLED Switch appears to be much more efficient than its launch counterpart.

Eurogamer partnered with Digital Foundry for this report, which tested the various functions that you might use your console for, from visually-demanding games to "rest mode." Overall, the launch PS5 was consistently biggest energy draw, from the main menu (57.4 watts) to Cyberpunk 2077 (215 to 230 watts). However, the Xbox Series X was somewhat comparable, coming in at 41.8W and 170-190W respectively for those activities. It's worth noting that some testers have reported that the PS5's first hardware revision has reduced the energy draw during heavy gaming by as much as 25-30W, which would make it more in line with the Xbox.

It seems that your console's "rest mode" still draws a significant amount of power--as such, we recommend turning your consoles off outright if you're particularly energy conscious. Perhaps the biggest surprise in this test is the different between the launch Nintendo Switch and its recent OLED revamp. The launch Switch draws 11.2-15.1W during heavy gaming, while the OLED edition dares only 6.5-8.0W--nearly half.

The lesson here seems to be pretty straightforward: If you care about efficient energy consumption, maybe stay away from the launch editions of big consoles. However, if you're a PC gamer, don't shake your head quite yet. While Eurogamer didn't test any PCs for this report, other reports have concluded that most gaming PCs use twice as much juice as their console brethren while under load.