The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Ecos Consulting firm have published a joint study which focuses on the energy consumption of the current gen consoles: Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and PlayStation 3.

To a degree, we can call each of these consoles a powerhouse in their own right: they generate cool graphics, keep us entertained, and make life as we know it generally fun. But to call each of them a "powerhouse", in the most literal sense (i.e. in the realm of energy consumption), then that's the question, ain't it?

The NRDC has published the findings of their research in a document called "Lowering the Cost of Play: Improving the Energy Efficiency of Video Game Consoles". Based on their results, the PS3 remains as the most power-hungry - energy-hungry, rather - console there is. Then the Xbox 360, followed by the Nintendo Wii.

The document is a rather interesting read, and somehow gets every point across without having to step on fanboy toes. While I'd like to outline everything they've come up with, for brevity's sake (you can read the document yourself at your own leisure), we'll throw in this chart. The chart below speaks for itself.

What I like about this study is that it takes into account the different versions of the consoles in their lifetime. Also, they've given some suggestions - practical and reasonable suggestions - to manufacturers, game developers, and gamers themselves for ways to be more mindful of energy consumption.

Their conclusion is sound and simple, without being too uptight and demanding:

The single most effective way to save energy is to power down your system—after saving your game if necessary—when not actively playing. If you own a console with a powersaving feature such as auto power-off after a preset time, use it.

*Ting Ting Ting!* Note to all students out there readying a paper on video games - this could be a vital resource for you! Unlike the other study on the civic effects of video games, this document from the NRDC is merely two pages long, making it an easy read. And I strongly suggest that you do - whether you're writing a paper on it or not.

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