Xbox 360 found to be power-hungry

The next generation of gaming is here, incarnate in the Xbox 360. Everything’s bigger, faster and better — including its power consumption. After testing the 360’s power intake, CNET found that it sucks in more electricity than any other home entertainment device, save big screen HDTVs. That’s some electricity bill, amounting to $10 to $35 annually.

This is approximately twice the power required by a Mac Mini, but less than a high-spec gaming PC draws. We have yet to see how the other next-generation consoles compare, but we may well find similar power consumption figures, a hidden extra cost in the console’s price.