The Xbox Series X Sleep mode lets you boot up your console almost instantly at the cost of increased power consumption. And now, with improvements to the Shutdown mode and the fact that it's the default power option, there isn't much reason to be using Sleep mode anyway. They do still have their pros and cons but, ultimately, your choice of Xbox Series X power option is between convenience and saving a bit of money on energy bills. So, here's everything you need to know about the Xbox Series X Shutdown and Sleep modes.
Xbox Series X Sleep mode explained
- Console boots up in a matter of seconds.
- Console does not fully turn off, therefore consuming more power.
- You can turn your console on remotely using the Xbox mobile app.
- You have full access to customizable power options.
If you're looking for lightning-fast start up and don't care all that much about your electricity bill, then the Xbox Series X Sleep mode will be what you're looking for.
Xbox Series X Sleep mode is like a regular standby mode and will ensure that your console goes from off to signed in in fewer than five seconds. Along with Xbox Quick Resume and the console's SSD, it means you can go from sitting on the couch to moving a character around in a game in potentially no more than 20 seconds.
You'll even be able to turn on your console using your mobile device and the app, and can even play, manage, and install Xbox Series X games too. If you're after guidance on that one, here's how to set up the Xbox mobile app.
Using Xbox Series X Sleep mode also means you have full control over additional power options. Within the 'Customize power options' menu, you can also set storage to turn off when your Xbox Series X or S is off, which means that games installed on external storage won't be kept up to date. You can also set your console to turn off after a certain amount of time if you leave it idle, and more.
But remember that if even if you're using the Sleep mode power option, you should still do full Xbox Series X hard resets or power cycles every so often to clear your console's cache.
Xbox Series X Shutdown energy saving mode explained
- Slower console boot-up time, though still pretty quick.
- Console shuts down fully, drawing minimal power when not in use.
- Quick Resume still works.
- Automatic game and system updates are still supported.
- Remote features via the Xbox mobile app can only be used when the console is on.
- External storage is always turned off.
You've just spent a lot of money on a brand new console, games, and accessories, so the last thing you want to do is feel the weight of that decision on your electricity bill. Thankfully, the energy saving Shutdown mode is the default setting on the Xbox Series X and S. This power mode causes your console to power down pretty much fully when you turn it off. It offers the lowest power consumption - around 0.5W according to Microsoft - making it a more environmentally friendly and economical option, which is definitely something to consider in this day and age.
The main drawback is that your console won't rapidly boot-up, but you'll still have to wait only 20 seconds or so for the console to get started from cold every time. Any games you left in a suspended state will still be there too thanks to Quick Resume.
System and game updates can now also go head while the console is in its energy-saving state (previously, this was a big plus for using the Sleep mode). While this is great in theory, it seems to be bit unreliable in practice based on our experience. Game updates will sometimes stop downloading after switching the console off, leaving you with a half-downloaded update when you turn your console back on - just make sure you manually check for updates fairly often so you don't get a massive backlog of downloads! And bear in mind that games stored on some external device won't get updated as storage is always turned off when your console has shut down.
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