Xbox 360 ate all the pies
Well, watts. Console energy consumption stats this way.
Finally, someone's making some sense: DX Gaming has scientifically proven that the Xbox 360 is the most powerful games console of all!
Something like that anyway, because the site's Game Console Energy Consumption demonstrates that, based on power consumption during standby, on the dashboard and while playing a game, Xbox 360 leaves everything else for dust.
In other words, it's costing you lots more to run than your original Xbox - and there's an interesting comparison with the old-days PlayStation 1, which consumes so little power that the costs are virtually negligible.
It's not all bad news though, because you do at least get more for your watts with Microsoft's new console. For example, the surprisingly large amount of energy consumed by simply being plugged into the wall is off-set by the ability to power the console on remotely by pressing the controller's Guide button.
The PS2, the next-biggest consumer of power in standby mode, has little excuse. In fact, judging by DX Gaming's stats, you're probably best off unplugging the PS2 completely when you're not using it. Unless that standby light really gets your motor running or something.
In terms of power consumption while you're sitting on the dashboard browsing Marketplace or watching a DVD, Xbox 360 uses by far the most energy - with Xbox consuming the next biggest amount again and PS2, GameCube and Dreamcast falling into line a bit further back.
As for gaming itself, things get more intense obviously, with Xbox 360 consuming more than all the other consoles put together.
In other words, it's the SUV of games consoles at the moment, and unlikely to surrender the title until Sony launches PlayStation 3 later this year. If you're interested in learning more about console power consumption, DX Gaming can be found through here. Now if you'll excuse us, we're off to unplug our PlayStation 2. And Dreamcast. And GameCube. And Xbox. Ulp.