Wait, there is no shut down the Switch via controller?!

[SuperFakerBros]

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 his 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?

Click to shrink...

I'm sure the very environmentally conscious do do this. It's just a very niche thing to do, at least up until we're getting hit by monstrous weather several times over because of climate change :P

They are but, by being plugged in, they'd still be drawing at least a little bit of power, unless they also kill the connection completely to the outlet. I keep mentioning unplugging because folk on here keep thinking that the PS4 / XB1 / TV are completely off when they're turned off, even though they're actually still drawing power to receive signals from the controller / remote

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

Click to shrink...

That's honestly about right. They are designed to be rarely turned off or go through full power cycles

 

[lexony]

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.

Click to shrink...

Who is/was pretending that racism dosen't exist in Europe anymore?

 

[julian]

I don't fully turn off my Switch all that much, but I agree it's weird. I get there may be reasons to discourage it so this was the simplest solution, but I'm always surprised it's not in the Options menu.

 

[CaviarMeths]

Who is/was pretending that racism dosen't exist in Europe anymore?

Click to shrink...

It's a highly recurring theme in any topic of race, especially relating to Black Americans. Threads about blackface in particular are always a mass graveyard of banned Europeans pretending that European racism is fake news.

I'm saying it's refreshing that that isn't happening in this thread and instead Europeans are just pretending to be aghast at the barbaric practice of putting electronics in sleep mode.

 

[GiantEnemyCrab]

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.

Click to shrink...

I don't want to "dismiss concerns over racism in a sensitive thread" but if this isn't wildly off-topic (and trolling), then I don't know what is.

 

[night814]

Why are you heathens trying to turn your Switch off!?

Click to shrink...

It's a bias thing, they personally think it's better so it must be the actual case.

 

[Minsc]

So going by the math earlier, if the device costs around 0 cents a month to power in standby (it's literally not costing you anything), why should I care?

And the fact you can actually power it off by removing it from the dock and powering it off, what's the problem? This all seems like wanting to complain for the sake of wanting to complain.

 

[OmegaNeon]

What's weird is that there WAS a shutdown via Wii Remotes, Wii U Gamepad, and Wii U Pro Controllers, but not on any Switch controllers.

 

[lexony]

It's a highly recurring theme in any topic of race, especially relating to Black Americans. Threads about blackface in particular are always a mass graveyard of banned Europeans pretending that European racism is fake news.

I'm saying it's refreshing that that isn't happening in this thread and instead Europeans are just pretending to be aghast at the barbaric practice of putting electronics in sleep mode.

Click to shrink...

Oh, didn't know that. There are maybe different reasons why racism is happing in europe compared to the US, but it is weird to think that it dosen't exist here.

 

[Bjones]

Did you know that most electronics these down even when turned off still draw a tiny bit of power? How do you think any electronic like a game console or tv turns on when you hit the button in remote? How you microwave has the time?
the only way to not draw power is to complete unplug all your stuff.

 

[OmegaNeon]

Did you know that most electronics these down even when turned off still draw a tiny bit of power? How do you think any electronic like a fake console or tv turns on when you hit the button in remote? How you microwave has the time?
the only way to not draw power is to complete unplug all your stuff.

Click to shrink...

Adding on to this yeah, when your refridgerator makes that annoying "erhhhhhhh" sound because even though it's not open it's still making ice.

 

[Minsc]

Did you know that most electronics these down even when turned off still draw a tiny bit of power? How do you think any electronic like a fake console or tv turns on when you hit the button in remote? How you microwave has the time?
the only way to not draw power is to complete unplug all your stuff.

Click to shrink...

And even then, what's to say the energy used in starting the devices back up isn't as much or more than they would have used in standby?

Why would anyone want to spend their time and spend every day of their lives worry about shutting off a device that literally costs you around 0 cents a month?

Don't you have bigger things to worry about than something that is costing you 0 cents/month?

 

[Nano-Nandy]

OP was doing an extra step though; why "undock it"?

 

[Blackpuppy]

What's weird is that there WAS a shutdown via Wii Remotes, Wii U Gamepad, and Wii U Pro Controllers, but not on any Switch controllers.

Click to shrink...

But it's all semantics. Does the WiiU ACTUALLY shut off all power? Even the original Wii goes to a low-powered standby mode when shut off.

 

[OmegaNeon]

But it's all semantics. Does the WiiU ACTUALLY shut off all power? Even the original Wii goes to a low-powered standby mode when shut off.

Click to shrink...

Yeah you're right
The Wii and Wii U still have those lights on the main power buttons telling you it's off.
Also could someone explain to me why my Wii U power light is yellow like 1/5 of the time?

 

[mxbison]

Not sure why everyone is getting so upset, there really is no reason not to include a power off option

I also prefer the sleep mode though

 

[Mexen]

Because they don't, otherwise you wouldn't be able to turn them back on with the controller. How else do you think they're getting the wireless signal from your controller to turn them fully on? They're always in a low power state unless you unplug them, then they're fully off

Man, some of you guys really don't think before you post, do you?

Click to shrink...

You don't have to be a dick about it.

 

[SuperFakerBros]

You don't have to be a dick about it.

Click to shrink...

Sorry for that, it's just that we get this thread every couple of months and it's always the same points, sometimes even with the same people

 

[Mexen]

The PS4 is in standby mode, it's not off that there's no power running at all.

Click to shrink...

I never knew that. I assumed something else about how the signal gets sent from the controller.

 

[Ocean]

OP, how much charge does your Switch lose overnight while in Sleep?

 

[Minsc]

Not sure why everyone is getting so upset, there really is no reason not to include a power off option

I also prefer the sleep mode though

Click to shrink...

But there is a power off option, multiple people have said so.

 

[Mexen]

Sorry for that, it's just that we get this thread every couple of months and it's always the same points, sometimes even with the same people

Click to shrink...

It's fine and I learned something. You raised a point that's true. I didn't fully consider what's really going on under the hood.

 

[Deleted member 3010]

People shut down their Switch? I don't think my Switch has been powered off in the 3 years I've had it.

Click to shrink...

I never powered it off back then, but mine is a launch Switch and the battery tends to drain quicker if I leave it on sleep for multiple days.

I now power it off when I know I won't be playing it for like two days.

 

[mrfusticle]

I just press the red button on my tv remote and go to bed.. what's with the GCSE physics lessons?

 

[Absolute]

People still don't mind wasting energy in 2020? We deserve our fate.

 

[Misuta]

Do you power off your refrigerator to not waste energy? Switch uses 0.1W on sleep mode. Zero point one. It's negligible.

Click to shrink...

What kind of reply is that? 🤔

 

[Wonkertonk]

Talk about first world problems.

 

[--R]

People still don't mind wasting energy in 2020? We deserve our fate.

Click to shrink...

What waste?

 

[Darknight]

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.

Lithium-ion battery - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Click to shrink...

Every single electronic device that has a lithium battery will have the battery drain over time even if it's off. There's no magic lithium ion battery that keeps its charge intact when you shut everything off. Yes, lithium ion batteries are rated based on the number of charges, but you're still ignoring the fact that it's better to constantly charge and use it compared to letting the battery drain completely. You should not let the battery get low or even completely drained because that is more stress on the battery. For someone who keeps talking about people living in the past with technology, you're not doing yourself any favors by not understanding how things work today.

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?

Click to shrink...

Ok, now factor in how much power is used every time you do a full boot sequence to get back to where you were. The more times you do this, you're actually likely using more energy than if you had just used the sleep mode. You can't ignore the power consumption used to get back where you where and when you turn on the system, it's certainly drawing more power than the sleep state. So are you really saving energy by not keeping it in sleep if you have to go through all the steps to get back where you were while consuming power to get there?

 

[Minsc]

People still don't mind wasting energy in 2020? We deserve our fate.

Click to shrink...

Imagine spending all your days figuring out how to squeeze every bit of energy savings out of devices that use around 0 cents / month in electricity (if you spend all day long with such endeavors you might be able to scrap up a nickel each month) only to spend your nights gaming away on a 75" 4k HDTV with HDR at 2000 nits, burning up 5 millennia of said energy savings in a single night.

 

[night814]

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.

Click to shrink...

You access the power options the same handheld and docked via the power button on the Switch itswlf. You can absolutely turn off a docked switch it just requires you interacting with the device. In the same way that if you wanted to fully power down a PS4 you would shut it down and then unplug it. For this use case no matter what you do there is going to be an extra step to turn something fully off, the switch is no different then everyone's phone, tv, and other systems.

 

[Bjones]

PS4 can be turned on with a controller. Meaning that technology already exists.

Click to shrink...

nope.... even if you select power off instead of stanby it still draws power, your tv does as well. The biggest diference with your ps4 is it doesnt do anything else but basic keep power cycling wait for signals and afew other bare minimal functions where as standby has options for keeping games and os up to date. ( whcih can also be turned off)

So the thing is here is with something as small as the switch, if you turned off all auto updating , how much power does it actually draw in sleep mode?

 

[Minsc]

nope.... even if you select power off instead of stanby it still draws power, your tv does as well. The biggest diference with your ps4 is it doesnt do anything else but basic keep power cycling wait for signals and afew other bare minimal functions where as standby has options for keeping games and os up to date. ( whcih can also be turned off)

So the thing is here is with something as small as the switch, if you turned off all auto updating , how much power does it actually draw in sleep mode?

Click to shrink...

It uses under 1 cent/month of electricity left in standby 24/7 the entire month. So not exactly going to get you much back on your electric bill turning it off, especially since it's still draining power while shut off, and you'll eventually have to spend energy to charge it back up when you do use it, where when it's on standby you do not need to charge it back up when you want to use it.

 

[night814]

Yeah you're right
The Wii and Wii U still have those lights on the main power buttons telling you it's off.
Also could someone explain to me why my Wii U power light is yellow like 1/5 of the time?

Click to shrink...

The yellow light is it looking for updates, you can disable it in the menus if you want.

 

[kdawg954]

Not sure why everyone is getting so upset, there really is no reason not to include a power off option

I also prefer the sleep mode though

Click to shrink...

If there was absolutely no way to power it down completely, then more of a stink about it would be understandable.

Fortunately there is and it takes about 3 seconds.

There is a distinct confusion in this thread about sleep mode and being completely powered off. Home consoles can only be powered off completely by being unplugged while the Switch actually has the option due to having an internal battery. People saying their other consoles can and the Switch can't are just being ignorant and misinformed.

In the OP's case, he believes he has a problem, when actually the setup is great for him. Power consumption and battery degradation are basically non issues and he actually still is able to get all his updates without some obscure light being on when he turns off his outlet and he is able to always start his system with a controller and pickup where he left off in his game. The Switch will never die because he turns his entire setup on and off on a daily basis.

The only issue is if he is away for an extended period and the Switch risks dying by being on standby mode too long without a charge . . . In those situations I would assume the Switch would be on him anyways as a travel companion or he can take the 3 seconds to turn it off completely until he gets back.

 

[JiyuuTenshi]

The funny thing is that no console can actually be turned off completely by using a controller, they all just go to various states of standby. The only difference between the Switch and the rest is that the battery keeps it functioning even when there's no external power.

Also, I'm sure that somebody would make a thread about not being able to turn their Switch on again using a controller if Nintendo included the option in the power menu. That people don't realize that "Power off" doesn't actually mean that the device is completely without power in pretty much any case shows as much.

To actually power off a device completely you always have to either cut the power completely (which on the Switch or any phone/tablet would be removing the actual battery) or flip a switch on the actual device somewhere.

I also hope that everyone cutting power to their devices made sure to deactivate every kind of standby task they perform, because you might corrupt some data if power is cut at the wrong time.

 

[Kittens McMittens]

People still don't mind wasting energy in 2020? We deserve our fate.

Click to shrink...

Except it's not wasting energy. A Switch has to draw power to be able to get turned back on. It will draw power to maintain that capability regardless of whether its plugged in or not. If you leave it unplugged, it'll just draw the power from the battery which will then recharge next time its plugged in.

 

[Mexen]

nope.... even if you select power off instead of stanby it still draws power, your tv does as well. The biggest diference with your ps4 is it doesnt do anything else but basic keep power cycling wait for signals and afew other bare minimal functions where as standby has options for keeping games and os up to date. ( whcih can also be turned off)

So the thing is here is with something as small as the switch, if you turned off all auto updating , how much power does it actually draw in sleep mode?

Click to shrink...

Noted

 

[Poison Jam]

I'm with you here - I like to fully shut down my electronics, even if there's no real reason to. If I'm going days (or even weeks) without using the thing, no reason to keep it powered up.

Click to shrink...

Same, but not a daily basis. Just for when I'm gone several days. Keeps them safe from lighting-strikes and other freak accidents.

I do turn off the power outlet (with a switch) for the telly, desktop PC and sound system every night though.

 

[NewDust]

You access the power options the same handheld and docked via the power button on the Switch itswlf. You can absolutely turn off a docked switch it just requires you interacting with the device. In the same way that if you wanted to fully power down a PS4 you would shut it down and then unplug it. For this use case no matter what you do there is going to be an extra step to turn something fully off, the switch is no different then everyone's phone, tv, and other systems.

Click to shrink...

My mistake, the way I understood it from this thread was that there was a software option to power down in handheld mode and not in docked mode. I realized there was a physical way to power off the Switch and in OP's case it could have been a (little) bit easier with a menu option.

 

[ShinUltramanJ]

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.

Click to shrink...

When I power down my PS4 there's the option of standby mode which charges my controller and keeps downloads going. Then there's the power down option which is what I select.

I know it's not fully off, but it's using less power then regular standby.

Just looked it up PS4 uses 70 Watts in Standby (downloading) versus 10 Watts in Standby.

Switch uses 10-18 Watts which is black magic.

 

[Darknight]

When I power down my PS4 there's the option of standby mode which charges my controller and keeps downloads going. Then there's the power down option which is what I select.

Click to shrink...

The power down option is just a reduced sleep mode state which draws something like 3 times as much power as the Switch does in its sleep state. There has to be power going through the system in order for it to still be able to be turned on by the controller wirelessly otherwise how could you turn it on if the bluetooth connection wasn't active?

 

[Lindsay]

Whys low power mode being used as some kinda "gotcha!" statement? Thats just being anal imo. When your parents told ya to turn the tv off did they mean unplug it or hit the power button on the remote/tv? Gonna guess that by far the majority of answers would be the latter.

This is prolly the Off the OP an others are bewildered over Nintendo not having in the Switch. If they did have it then they'd have a leg up over the competition in terms of power options as they'd have "true" off, the off the public at large have accepted as off, and sleep/rest mode!

 

[MP!]

It would have been nice to have the option in a menu the one time in 3 years that I tried shutting it off with a controller...

 

[OmegaNeon]

The yellow light is it looking for updates, you can disable it in the menus if you want.

Click to shrink...

Thanks
Already disabled rumble, damn, I hate when I'm trying to quietly do a SM3DW playthrough with the volume down and then the intro comes up and it's like "BRRRNG" "BRRRNG BRRNG BRRNG!!"

 

[NewDust]

Whys low power mode being used as some kinda "gotcha!" statement? Thats just being anal imo. When your parents told ya to turn the tv off did they mean unplug it or hit the power button on the remote/tv? Gonna guess that by far the majority of answers would be the latter.

This is prolly the Off the OP an others are bewildered over Nintendo not having in the Switch. If they did have it then they'd have a leg up over the competition in terms of power options as they'd have "true" off, the off the public at large have accepted as off, and sleep/rest mode!

Click to shrink...

Because what OP wants is a full off, 0 power draw option, selectable via menu. It is possible, but only by physically turning it off.

 

[Minsc]

Because what OP wants is a full off, 0 power draw option, selectable via menu. It is possible, but only by physically turning it off.

Click to shrink...

Technically he doesn't even want that. Because he also wants the device to be awake enough to turn on from a controller when the power strip is flipped back on, which would not happen in your scenario.

He basically wants the power strip to control whether the device is on or off - which because the Switch has an internal battery it doesn't work that way.

 

[IlGialloMondadori]

I have an OLED, I just let the pixel refresher run and then cut the power completely, no issues *shrug*

Click to shrink...

How do you know when it's running when it runs during shut down? It runs some time after shut off, after 4 hours of cumulative use, and runs for 7 to 10 minutes or so? Do you time it exactly?

just leave it plugged in.

 

[NewDust]

Technically he doesn't even want that. Because he also wants the device to be awake enough to turn on from a controller when the power strip is flipped back on, which would not happen in your scenario.

He basically wants the power strip to control whether the device is on or off - which because the Switch has an internal battery it doesn't work that way.

Click to shrink...

Gotcha. I can kinda understand being a bit paranoid of battery drain/charge cycles/battery deterioration. But at a certain point you got to accept it either works one way or the other.

 

[Patch13]

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?

Click to shrink...

Outlet/extension switches are rare in the U.S. The first time I ran into one in a European hotel room, I spent a good five or ten minutes being confused about why my phone wouldn't start charging. And then I remembered that I had read about this sort of thing ...

They are but, by being plugged in, they'd still be drawing at least a little bit of power, unless they also kill the connection completely to the outlet.

Click to shrink...

Europeans seriously have little switches on their outlets that kill the power to them. It's ... kind of cool. But also kind of a hassle when you're an American with ADHD who has a hard time remembering that outlets in a hotel room sometimes need to be turned on before they make the magic juice that charges the game gadgets ...