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Minsc

Member
Oct 28, 2017
4,124
Believe it not, completely shutting down your electronics can be a good thing.

Have a friend that has an iPhone 6 since it's launch with 85% battery health because they've practiced shutting down their phone every night.

My (day 1) iPhone 7 which has been used and abused like you would not believe has a battery life of 88% and I never shut it down. So I guess he's been doing all that for nothing.
 

Deleted member 49611

Nov 14, 2018
5,052
they say it's designed to left on just like a smartphone or tablet. i ain't having any of that. i always turn it off. i don't even keep my PS4 or PC in standby/sleep mode. i don't see the point in using electricity no matter how little when i'm not using it. alright, maybe if i'm downloading a game i'll leave it on while i'm away doing something else. or if i'm just going to the shops real quick for something i'll leave it on until i get back so .... it's left for no more than an hour.

i don't leave things on during the night when i'm sleeping or just not using it for hours on end.
 

dom

▲ Legend ▲
Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
10,459
Every device in your home still uses electricity when it's off.

I leave my Switch in sleep mode because of the handheld aspect. But I can see wanting to power down consoles that hardly get any use.

OP may be arguing something different, but powering down a console via controller should be standard in every console by now. That includes Switch.
READ THE THREAD
 

KtSlime

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,910
Tokyo
Every device in your home still uses electricity when it's off.

I leave my Switch in sleep mode because of the handheld aspect. But I can see wanting to power down consoles that hardly get any use.

OP may be arguing something different, but powering down a console via controller should be standard in every console by now. That includes Switch.

Out of curiosity, while it would be possible for the Switch to implement the feature (not that I think it is a useful feature to do remotely), how would it work for the other consoles(None currently have this feature)? Like, what would be the mechanism be?
 

Wolfapo

Member
Dec 27, 2017
536
Ok,
but you could have even cut it down a little,
or didn't you use the switch during 3 years?

Well, i see,
all is fine

Yes. It's actually fine. Instead of discussing and shaming people for wasting power of devices that are in standby, rather try to discuss the real issues. Using electricity is not a problem. How it's created is a problem. If more electricity is created by renewable energy, the less you need to worry about using electricity.
So the discussion shouldn't be about those pesky standby devices, but rather about getting renewable energy to the forefront of the discussion. Spend your energy there rather than shaming people having stuff in standby.

Resetera reeeally hates options huh

Also, most people already mentioned that the Power Off function of the Switch is there, it's just a tad bit more inconvenient, but the option is there and it's actually easier to turn completely off than most consoles.
OP has just a very niche setup with the remote power outlets. Most people would still need to manually unplug devices if they really want to fully power off all entertainment devices. So hitting the Power button on the Switch seems to be more convenient then.
 

ShinUltramanJ

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,950
Out of curiosity, while it would be possible for the Switch to implement the feature (not that I think it is a useful feature to do remotely), how would it work for the other consoles(None currently have this feature)? Like, what would be the mechanism be?

Both Xbox and PlayStation allow it. Why are you saying they don't?
 
Oct 28, 2017
3,654
It's literally 0.1watts of power draw in standby. Do you unscrew all your light bulbs and unplug everything in your home every night? Cause they are likely drawing much more power.

OP isn't even arguing for power usage they are just lazy.
No. I use standby on the Switch.
But I just find it weird that some people seem to think that it's stranger to want to turn off electronics completely when you are not using them.

This may blow some people's minds but I also turn off my internet router during the night when I'm sleeping.
 

Alex3190

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,127
Aren't you messing up the battery by not charging for a week?

Anyway I could've sworn there was a way to shut down by either holding the button on the controller or holding the power button on the OS.
 

Wolfapo

Member
Dec 27, 2017
536
Both Xbox and PlayStation allow it. Why are you saying they don't?
If you mean Standby Mode, then yes, they have it and so does the Switch. Via the controller.
If you are talking about completely powering the devices off, PS4 and XBox need to be unplugged. And that's not possible via the controller.
Though it's possible via remote power outlets and a separate remote control as OP has apparently, so I can see their point, but then again, they actually are not using the Switch as often, so it shouldn't be a big inconvenience to turn it off via the Power button once in a while.

People complain about the smallest things and get worked up about it. Just... live with it, all that negativity and constant complaining is not really helpful and not healthy either.
 

Patch13

Member
Oct 27, 2017
398
New England
Good on OP for saving the environment with their power saving habits. For myself, I am selfish and love that sweet sweet swift wake from sleep on all my consoles. Even the ones I only use every once in a while.

I hate standby. I always stuff off my entire entertainment "block" outlet via a remote.

So my switch will always decharge and recharge daily if I leave it docked. Man what is Nintendo thinking?!

The Switch has pretty epic standby battery life, so leaving it unplugged overnight probably isn't much different than what the power management software in the Switch does when it's plugged in, letting it discharge a bit periodically, 'cause continually holding a lithium ion battery at 100% is bad for it.

Go ahead and switch off your connection to the grid, give your Switch a break from the continual power pressure overnight, and enjoy the fact that it'll still be at 90% power or so in the morning.

(I played Pokémon Shield last night in bed for a while before setting my Switch down on the nightstand and it's still at 74% as or this morning. The only time I've actually run out of juice is playing on a long plane flight, or leaving it on standby for, like, a week in a hotel safe while it periodically woke up and tried to talk to the bad hotel WiFi. The little bugger is a champ when it comes to battery life, and that's with a launch machine.)
 

o Tesseract

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,545
As some other have said in the thread, there is basically no benefit to doing a hard shutdown. Think of it like a phone or a tablet.
 

o Tesseract

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,545
Believe it not, completely shutting down your electronics can be a good thing.

Have a friend that has an iPhone 6 since it's launch with 85% battery health because they've practiced shutting down their phone every night.
85% isn't that great. You can achieve this easily by never shutting it down and always keeping it close to 80% charge. Shutting off the phone has nothing to do with good battery health. Li-ion batteries like to be on charge.
 
Nov 14, 2017
4,928
dozens_of_us_arrested_development.gif



I dunno what kind of electronics you have, but it wouldn't even remotely be drained entirely. I have a 6 year old phone I use for a single app every few weeks to a few months which I shut completely down between sessions... guess what. It's almost still full, because why wouldn't it - it doesn't have to use any electricity to keep anything in the RAM.

Lithium batteries have a deterioration the more often you charge them - in particular beyond 80% that's just a fucking scientific fact. Hawing that happening daily for weeks / months if you don't even use it is dumb.

Device manufacturers are well aware of the charge constraints on Li-Ion. I think most Li-Ion batteries have a rated capacity that factors in the degradation that occurs at high charge, and so just aren't rated that high. That is done with the microcontroller that every Li-Ion battery has to regulate charging.

As others have also pointed out, there are no physical power switches any more. All power switches are connected to a microcontroller, which is drawing power. Li-Ion batteries also self-discharge.

The extra amount of power draw from standby is tiny. I get that you want to save power, but complaining that your use case isn't being serviced when you're in such an extreme minority and it makes such a tiny difference is kind of absurd.
 

Another

Banned
Oct 23, 2019
1,684
Portugal
Yeah me neither, same with my PS4. Why would you?
I don't mind that the feature isn't there but... why wouldn't you? I always power down my PS4, only use rest mode if I can't save where I stopped or something like that. It powers on in seconds and is ready to go in seconds, why would I be so wasteful as to leave it on standby for no reason?

Cos zero normal people do this
I don't personally do it but a ton of my closest friends and their families turn their outlets off when they're done with using stuff. Especially stuff like microwaves, TVs and media devices like consoles. Considering how increasingly important environmental concerns are becoming for the younger generations I'd expect this to become more and more "normal", but I'd argue it's already pretty damn normal, no?
 
Oct 26, 2017
9,827
People actually think the PS4 turns off when you go to for the "Turn the PS4 Off" option. It doesn't. It just puts it in a low power state so that it can still be turned on by the controller, which doesn't consume any less power than the Switch in standby. Like you're not truly turning off your electronics unless you're also unplugging them

No. Both PS4 and Xbox allow you to do this.

If I used my Switch strictly as a console, I'd want to power it down via the controller as well. The thought of having to reach into my entertainment center and hold down a tiny putt on to power it off is outdated.
No, they don't, otherwise they wouldn't be able to be turned on by your controller. They're in a low power state so they can still get the signal from the controller. The only to completely shut them off is to unplug them
 
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CloseTalker

Member
Oct 25, 2017
30,685
this has turned into a very good Era thread lol. Truly one of the smallest arguments to stem into such a passionate debate in a long time. I can't decide which part is my favorite, but I'm heavily leaning towards all the people arguing for the environmental angle, even though OP at no point mentioned that as their reason haha. If they cared that much about the environment they'd walk their ass up and push the button on the switch, it sounds like OP is just lazy and angry they can't point and click lol
 

Another

Banned
Oct 23, 2019
1,684
Portugal
The extra amount of power draw from standby is tiny. I get that you want to save power, but complaining that your use case isn't being serviced when you're in such an extreme minority and it makes such a tiny difference is kind of absurd.

I don't think people understand the issue here. Nobody does this to "save power", people do this because regardless of how tiny the power draw is, there's 7 billion of us out here and tiny multiplied by 7.530.000.000 equals not so tiny. Every little bit helps yada yada yada.
Where do you live that the environmentally concerned are such an extreme minority? Again, I don't do this myself but a ton of people do, how is such a common thing such a foreign concept for some of you?
 

CaviarMeths

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
10,655
Western Canada
I'm baffled. If you only play 1-2 games per year and are full on tinfoil hat about the lifespan of modern battery technology, then just undock the Switch and stick it in a drawer or something for 8 months while you're not using it. This is a use case that Nintendo did not consider because you are literally the only person on Earth who has it.
 
Oct 26, 2017
9,827
I don't think people understand the issue here. Nobody does this to "save power", people do this because regardless of how tiny the power draw is, there's 7 billion of us out here and tiny multiplied by 7.530.000.000 equals not so tiny. Every little bit helps yada yada yada.
Where do you live that the environmentally concerned are such an extreme minority? Again, I don't do this myself but a ton of people do, how is such a common thing such a foreign concept for some of you?
Because, even in standby, the Switch uses less power than a PS4 or XB1 or TV that's "turned off". Nothing is actually off unless you also unplug them as, otherwise, they wouldn't be able to respond to the remote or controller. If you're this environmentally conscious, then I'd also hope you unplug everything when you leave the house and go to sleep, reuse every piece of plastic, glass, and cardboard, and use an electric car to get around over a gas powered one
 

Another

Banned
Oct 23, 2019
1,684
Portugal
Because, even in standby, the Switch uses less power than a PS4 or XB1 or TV that's "turned off". Nothing is actually off unless you also unplug them as, otherwise, they wouldn't be able to respond to the remote or controller.
What are you replying to here? This is completely unrelated to what I just said.

If you're this environmentally conscious, then I'd also hope you unplug everything when you leave the house and go to sleep and use an electric car to get around over a gas powered one
Are you sure you're supposed to be replying to me? I clearly said I don't do such things myself. I barely even care.
 

Minsc

Member
Oct 28, 2017
4,124
Because, even in standby, the Switch uses less power than a PS4 or XB1 or TV that's "turned off". Nothing is actually off unless you also unplug them as, otherwise, they wouldn't be able to respond to the remote or controller. If you're this environmentally conscious, then I'd also hope you unplug everything when you leave the house and go to sleep, reuse every piece of plastic, glass, and cardboard, and use an electric car to get around over a gas powered one

If you were really that environmentally conscious wouldn't using a TV at all be a huge waste? And if you did use a TV, you'd want to be sure that the brightness settings were at the lowest, and all the advanced power eating features like HDR were disabled right?

I have a few Amazon echo show/spots in my house that display the time 24/7, pretty sure those use a lot more energy than the Switch. And my electric bill is still very low, so I don't really understand.
 

finalflame

Product Management
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
8,538
This meme has just turned into a free ticket for people to be rude thinking they're being funny.
Maybe, but what the quoted poster said is exactly the kind of out of touch "back in my day" BS that "ok boomer" came as a reply to.

Also why can't y'all just be normal? I can't believe we're still debating powering off all your devices like it's 1989. Modern devices are not made to be used this way. Evolve.
 
Nov 14, 2017
4,928
I don't think people understand the issue here. Nobody does this to "save power", people do this because regardless of how tiny the power draw is, there's 7 billion of us out here and tiny multiplied by 7.530.000.000 equals not so tiny. Every little bit helps yada yada yada.
Where do you live that the environmentally concerned are such an extreme minority? Again, I don't do this myself but a ton of people do, how is such a common thing such a foreign concept for some of you?
It's 1w. Even multiplied by 7.5bn people, you're looking at the power consumption of maybe a few tens of thousands of cars. It's a drop in the ocean - it's about as pointless as the plastic straw ban. It's a totally performative form of environmentalism.
 

Jakenbakin

Member
Jun 17, 2018
11,842
I'm baffled. If you only play 1-2 games per year and are full on tinfoil hat about the lifespan of modern battery technology, then just undock the Switch and stick it in a drawer or something for 8 months while you're not using it. This is a use case that Nintendo did not consider because you are literally the only person on Earth who has it.
I'm sure there's plenty of other gold toll collecting under bridge dwellers out there besides the OP, come on.
 

Another

Banned
Oct 23, 2019
1,684
Portugal
It's 1w. Even multiplied by 7.5bn people, you're looking at the power consumption of maybe a few tens of thousands of cars. It's a drop in the ocean - it's about as pointless as the plastic straw ban. It's a totally performative form of environmentalism.
Oh, completely agreed, personally. But don't pretend like there aren't a ton of people who actually care about this stuff... what I'm addressing here is the idea that the OP's user case is an incredibly tiny minority when it really isn't, there's a ton of performative environmentalists out here (or at least that is the case going by my experience).
 
Nov 14, 2017
4,928
Oh, completely agreed, personally. But don't pretend like there aren't a ton of people who actually care about this stuff... what I'm addressing here is the idea that the OP's user case is an incredibly tiny minority when it really isn't, there's a ton of performative environmentalists out here (or at least that is the case going by my experience).
Well, if people are that bothered they can just turn off the switch at the power outlet. For a device with a Li-Ion battery like a Switch though, the power savings are probably almost non-existent. It will still self-discharge even when fully powered off.
 
Nov 14, 2017
4,928
My (day 1) iPhone 7 which has been used and abused like you would not believe has a battery life of 88% and I never shut it down. So I guess he's been doing all that for nothing.
Li-Ion batteries are generally rated for 300 charge-discharge cycles. That's where you fully charge and fully discharge your battery; if you only use 50% a day it'll last twice as long. After 300 cycles, they generally have 80% capacity and should be replaced.

So, the main determinant of Li-Ion lifespan is just how much you use your device.
 

Another

Banned
Oct 23, 2019
1,684
Portugal
Well, if people are that bothered they can just turn off the switch at the power outlet. For a device with a Li-Ion battery like a Switch though, the power savings are probably almost non-existent. It will still self-discharge even when fully powered off.
Judging by the people I know, that's exactly what they do. Turn the switch (not the console, an actual switch) off on their outlets when not using the TV, etc.

"Almost non-existent" is where such types thrive. Seems like it's all about finding the easiest ways to pretend like you're commited to making a difference and sticking with it.
 

Senator Toadstool

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
16,651
the only time i ever fully shut down my electronics is when I leave for multiple days. And in that case i'm usually bringing my switch. I don't see how this is a big deal at all. These things draw next to no power that has any cost to you in stand by if your paying for a 300 dollar machine and 30-60 dollar games
 
Oct 26, 2017
9,827
What are you replying to here? This is completely unrelated to what I just said.

Are you sure you're supposed to be replying to me? I clearly said I don't do such things myself. I barely even care.
You mentioned that every little bit helps and about being environmentally conscious. I know you said that you yourself don't do this. I'm just pointing out that the Switch on standby would be at the very lowest of wasted energy usage to the point where this is being very extra environmentally conscious, like to the point where you unplug every device before leaving or going to sleep

If you were really that environmentally conscious wouldn't using a TV at all be a huge waste? And if you did use a TV, you'd want to be sure that the brightness settings were at the lowest, and all the advanced power eating features like HDR were disabled right?

I have a few Amazon echo show/spots in my house that display the time 24/7, pretty sure those use a lot more energy than the Switch. And my electric bill is still very low, so I don't really understand.
Exactly, like this is among the absolute lowest contributor he'll have for total energy usage in his house

Well it's because modern devices are designed to be very energy efficient, even if they remain plugged in. Not to say unplugging them doesn't help but it's not quite as necessary as it used to be
 

daegan

#REFANTAZIO SWEEP
Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,902
As others have said, even if you want to cut the outlet, your Switch in sleep mode will be close to 100% if you check it in the morning & charged it before you kill the power to it. Updates and such in sleep mode do not use a ton of power; possibly due to no Streetpass-esque features the sleep mode battery is stronger than 2 & 3DS family stuff.
 

Another

Banned
Oct 23, 2019
1,684
Portugal
You mentioned that every little bit helps and about being environmentally conscious. I know you said that you yourself don't do this. I'm just pointing out that the Switch on standby would be at the very lowest of wasted energy usage to the point where this is being very extra environmentally conscious, like to the point where you unplug every device before leaving or going to sleep

I was only addressing the fact that nobody does stuff like this to save power, it's a matter of principle for the environmentally conscious, regardless of how small the "savings" are. I know the Switch isn't wasteful.
Regarding the unplugging, that's exactly what such types do, in my experience. One of my best friends fits this to a T and basically every outlet aside from her fridge and wifi stuff are switched off by default, she only turns stuff on to use them and turns them off again when done using them.
Also, you guys keep mentioning "unplugging", are outlet/extension switches not a thing in the US or what?
 

Tahnit

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,965
dozens_of_us_arrested_development.gif



I dunno what kind of electronics you have, but it wouldn't even remotely be drained entirely. I have a 6 year old phone I use for a single app every few weeks to a few months which I shut completely down between sessions... guess what. It's almost still full, because why wouldn't it - it doesn't have to use any electricity to keep anything in the RAM.

Lithium batteries have a deterioration the more often you charge them - in particular beyond 80% that's just a fucking scientific fact. Hawing that happening daily for weeks / months if you don't even use it is dumb.


...you turn your phone off when not using it?!. You have no idea how mobile devices work do you? You are actually doing harm to them by turning them off and on repeatedly.
 

Dphex

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,811
Cologne, Germany
i am absolutely no Switch advocate but this thing draws very little energy...you can just let it run

in fact, that is the one big advantage, the Switch is much faster ready out of standby than any other console...
 
Jan 5, 2018
64
Standby is the new off. The power icon we are all so used to? It's a standby icon. Always has been. "Off" is not the designed state of electronics. The idea that the device should be powered off when not in use is almost entirely fabricated in the mind of the user. It's been said in this thread enough, but it's just a reality that this is how almost all electronics are designed. And news flash: if you use electronics differently than they're designed to be used, you're going to have a bad time.

If you think it's bad you can't power your switch off with the remote joy con, try powering it on that way.
 
Nov 14, 2017
4,928
You mentioned that every little bit helps and about being environmentally conscious. I know you said that you yourself don't do this. I'm just pointing out that the Switch on standby would be at the very lowest of wasted energy usage to the point where this is being very extra environmentally conscious, like to the point where you unplug every device before leaving or going to sleep


Exactly, like this is among the absolute lowest contributor he'll have for total energy usage in his house

Well it's because modern devices are designed to be very energy efficient, even if they remain plugged in. Not to say unplugging them doesn't help but it's not quite as necessary as it used to be
So, I'm not aware of any data on what I'm about to say, but my guess would be that modern well-designed Li-Ion battery devices are actually best left plugged in.

The reason is that the batteries have lifespans depending on how many times they've been cycled. While they are unplugged and turned off, they still at they very least have to power the microcontroller that reads the power button. If they are plugged in, the charging circuit will top up the battery and then leave it alone, while still feeding power to the device.

Overall, the difference probably isn't significant. But I think there's a reasonable argument that leaving them plugged in is more materially efficient due to lower stress on the battery.
 

NewDust

Visited by Knack
Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,602
I totally get OP, and while their usage might be fringe case, not offering the option in docked mode, while there is an option in handheld mode, is weird. About as weird as hypothetically windows removing the power off function when your laptop is connected to the power, only offering to put it on sleep.

Sometimes you just want to be in complete control of the power state of your device, and while possible with Switch, the current way of doing so is inelegant in OP's use case.
 

Ragnorok64

Banned
Nov 6, 2017
2,955
I do wonder about the long-term collectability of the Switch since it has an internal battery. I've still got a couple Super Nintendo's and a Famicom that work just fine but how will the Switch function near 30 years later?

I've resoldered batteries in my SNES carts before so it's not so much an issue for me, but I'm sure plenty at people out there would have no idea how to change a battery on a Switch.
 

tzare

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
4,145
Catalunya
Yep, it is really weird. I leave it docked to charge it but i like to power down the power strip once fully charged. If i do that, when i want to use the switch again days later the battery has discharged too much. This ain't no vita in standby mode at all.
 

CaviarMeths

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
10,655
Western Canada
Gotta say though it is kinda refreshing that the Highly Enlightened and Evolved Europeans in this thread are feigning shock and disgust over the concept of sleep mode instead of pretending that racism doesn't exist in Europe anymore. Progress.
 

Tahnit

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,965
I don't mind that the feature isn't there but... why wouldn't you? I always power down my PS4, only use rest mode if I can't save where I stopped or something like that. It powers on in seconds and is ready to go in seconds, why would I be so wasteful as to leave it on standby for no reason?
When you "power off" a ps4 you actually put it into standby. Otherwise It wouldn't be awake to accept a power signal from the power button or the controllers.