14 March 2007

PLAYSTATION 3: thumbs up for graphics! THUMBS DOWN for your ELECTRICITY bills!

Have you pre-ordered your PlayStation 3 yet? If you have Sust-it recommends you top-up the pre-payments on your electricity account at the same time. The US version of the PS3 comes with a whopping 380 watt power supply. That’s over twice as much as its main competitor the Xbox 360 with its 165W unit, and over seven times more power hungry than the PlayStation 2. If you were to combine a PS3 with a LG 71” HD Ready Plasma TV to take full advantage of the amazing graphics you could be burning 1.4kWh (kilowatts) of power per hour and if you’re a serious gamer that could cost you £1.19 for a five hour session.

Ross Lammas from the ‘energy consumption compression website’ sust-it.net said: “We expect new car launches to announce more performance with less fuel consumption; it’s a pity that this does not apply to electronic goods. Is it not time for an energy efficiency rating system for consumer electrical goods?”

Sust-it believes that consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the need to reduce energy consumption, and therefore reduce their own CO2 emissions. The PS3 again highlights the need for clear labelling of the potential power consumption of electronic devices, rather than relying on small print in the technical specification sheets.