Xbox’s ‘Instant On’ Feature Could Consume 4 Billion kWh By 2025

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: The “instant on” feature that’s activated by default on new Xbox Series S/X consoles could suck up a total of 4 billion kWh — the equivalent of a year’s operation for a large power plant — from US owners alone through 2025. That’s according to a preliminary report released this week from…

Xbox Series X/S Was the Biggest Xbox Launch Ever

Microsoft has trumpeted the release of Xbox Series X and S as its biggest Xbox launch ever, though not provided any specific sales figures. From a report: Xbox boss Phil Spencer broke the news on Twitter today, noting that “more Xbox consoles had been sold, in more countries, than ever before” and that many more were on the way. Xbox Series…

Xbox Chief Phil Spencer Hints at an xCloud Streaming Stick

Microsoft has teased a Chromecast-style dongle for xCloud, a video game streaming service that currently comes bundled with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. From a report: In an interview with Stratechery, Xbox chief Phil Spencer said: “I think you’re going to see lower-priced hardware as part of our ecosystem when you think about streaming sticks and other things that somebody might want…

Samsung’s Fast, PCIe 4.0-ready 980 Pro SSD Can Future-Proof Your PC Build

Samsung has unveiled its next high-performance NVMe 2280-sized M.2 drive, the 980 Pro. So far, it comes in three capacities shipping this month: 250GB for $89.99, 500GB for $149.99, and 1TB for $229.99. A 2TB model will arrive later this year, but Samsung didn’t share a price. From a report: The standout feature of this drive is its compatibility with M.2…

PlayStation 5 Launches Nov 12 For $500; Discless Digital Edition Priced at $400

The PlayStation 5 will cost $499 for the standard version of Sony’s next-gen console and $399 for the PS5 Digital Edition — the system without an optical disc drive — when it launches Nov. 12, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced Wednesday during its PlayStation 5 Showcase livestream. From a report: The Nov. 12 release date is for the consoles’ launches in the…

Microsoft Confirms Compact, $299 Xbox Series S Next-Gen Game Console

Microsoft has confirmed via its official Xbox Twitter account that a discless, tiny Xbox called the Series S will be released alongside its forthcoming Xbox Series X. From a report: The Series S was initially leaked late Monday, first by Brad Sams on Twitter, and also by Walking Cat. The Xbox account tweeted an image fo the same small design dominated…