My PS2 and computer only gets turned off during power outages. We have those about twice a year.

shenanigans

@unit3: And depending on where you get your power from, it doesn't destroy anything to leave them on. When I lived in Michigan most of my power came from Palisades Nuclear Generating Station... not a lot of environmental damage created by casks sitting in their parking lot.

Decaye

@dorylomorphs: So 2 days straight? :)

fusiongt

I don't know why Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo haven't figured out a standardized saving feature, so the auto-shutdown function could actually be useful. If I knew the console would (no matter what I was playing) always save my game, or do so frequently enough that I wouldn't be mad if it shut off, I would turn auto-shutdown on.

As it is, auto-shutdown would just infuriate me, so my 360 only goes off when I feel like exiting a game and shutting it down. I can understand why a computing OS has such a complicated shutdown process- it has to run all kinds of crazy programs, but everyone making games for these consoles has to be approved by the company who created the platform.

mac4drew

My friend left his running all day, everyday. Then the disc reader died.

tamaudio

I turn mine off right after usage.
It used to bug me how my parents would leave the PS3 running after they had watched a movie, but thanks to the latest firmware update....that's not an issue anymore! <3

Running solar-panels to your room tends to make you more energy concious though. . .

Anubis LG

I use folding@home when I remember that it exists.

TF2Soldier914

Voted yes, varies greatly though. Sometimes I run Life With Playstation, sometimes I just wander away without turning it off. 360 is usually off when not in use, though the netflix thing will probably make that situation a lot worse. ps3 turns off after 4 hours of folding or being in the xmb. Just depends, I guess. I don't really have a rhyme or reason to why they are on or off.

That said, right now I have a desktop, 360, and ps3 all fed into the same receiver, all on. Should probably attend to that in some fashion.

Decaye

auto shutdown on my ps3 after x hours of inactivity.

bflorin

@Descent: Seriously, anyone who is leaving that thing on just because they are too lazy save game and turn it off, or just for no reason at all, need to wake up and smell the oil wars.

buzzyapyear

MUST be a slow news day.

robethleffel

I used to keep my desktop up and running all the time because I thought it would be too much of an annoyance to wake it up from sleep mode. I decided to finally set up the auto sleep feature a few months ago and have found it hasn't affected me one bit. After pressing the space bar, my computer is literally back where I left it in less than 5 seconds. Oh yeah, I figured it'll save about $20 or so in energy per month. Not bad.

SpriteMV

Well if I did who would catch it??

Seriously, no. I have a Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64 and Sega Dreamcast. All boxed up and collecting dust so that tells you how much time and energy I've devoted to game consoles over the the years. I had a Sega Genesis but I'm not sure what happened to it...

Jrsy is back to being the dude, playing the dude disguised as another dude

I think this poll isn't going to work properly. When you turn your game system off (using the button on the front) it's actually in standby. I can't imagine that 76% of you unplug it from the power adapter or from the wall.

KStrike155

My video game setup is in the basement and once I accidentally left the Gamecube on for a week.

videoCWK

I leave my old xbox (media center) on all the time. My ps3 ends up staying on most of the time to charge my controller. My 360 and Wii only get turned on to play.

jiveabillion

Voted no. Yay, it seems Gizmodo readers are more energy conserving with their video game consoles than the American average~

Descent

i try not to, but i forget alot. especially since we use my 360 for DVDs (and now netflix streaming), i usually just turn the TV back to regular tv when the movie is over, leaving the 360 on.

HawaiianActor

I keep everything cept my dvr on a power strip and just cut the power when im not around. the only problem i run into is resetting the time on my orig. xbox, no biggie. with everything in standby ie wii and dvd player and other components, my kill a watt says there using about 60 watts doing nothing!.

Elijah86

This is why the whole "turn off your consoles / computers / TVs / whatever and save teh environments" is such a crock. The vast majority of people *do* turn their stuff off when they're done using it.

unit3

after reading the article about the ps3 usage, i always shut off the power strip to my ps3 when its not being used

kosai

If I had an XBOX360 that started up without RROD... I'd leave it on too, for fear that it would RROD next time i turn it off But no, my PS3 shuts down when I'm done

RobertaNimple

@takemetoyourtoaster: When you are downloading something and shut off your 360 is does enter a low power state until the DL is completed then shuts off for good.

axiomatic

I only turn on my 360 when I'm playing it. My computers and laptop stay up 24/7.

IndustrialJones

Nope I always unplug the cord

mpar

Wait. Does the article differentiate between on-but-on-standby and actually "on"? I hit the "off" button on my Wii and PS3 when I'm done using them, but that just puts the systems into standby - all the way off would save more power, but not enable background downloads when not in use.

jammadave dislocated a rib. Ow.

Hell no. Even on idle my 360 is loud.

ripfire

I thin kthe 360 needs a "sleep mode" so it just kind of Idles, but using less energy thus less heat and stuff so les chance for RRoD and I don't have to wait to watch netflix

takemetoyourtoaster

I turn off the 360 when I'm done playing.

Prey521

Whoever leaves the unit on all day and night obviously doesn't pay the electricity bill (Yes, I'm sure some of them do pay it...some). My damn bill was $150 bucks last month =(

innout3x3

my 360? haha NO WAY. you look at that thing wrong and it goes RRoD on you. And my PS3 is collecting dust.

DeCerbo

No never. I don't consider ConEd to be a worthy charity deserving of my money.

OMG! Ponies!

My 360 is too freakin' loud to leave on. Sounds like a damn hairdryer.

russdanger

PS3 = yes (folding@home)
360 = no
Wii = no

axiomatic

My Wii is on stand by because of WiiConnect24. My PS3 is always shutted down, same goes for my PS2 and my PC, i leave it on when for most of the day and if I have nothing important to download i turn it off

CarlosLopez

it's been so long since i've seen that 360 button with 4 GREEN lights... maybe that's what MS had up their sleeve: leave your 360 running too long, and it'll power down for good!

dothedrewtoo

laptop yes, xbox 360 hell no! although it's been a while since I've heard of RRoD cases, I worry that leaving it on will lead to death.

cgsofly

No, I'm afraid I'll get the RRoD again...

pastrychef

What point is there to leave my xbox 360 on?

dharasick

I don't usually but when I do I run Folding@Home.

That sounded like a dos equis commercial...

ceilingFANBOY

ya, and especially considering the PS3 eats as much as a fridge......

but no, i dont and i always put my computer to sleep even if i leave the room for 15 minutes...

skyline6

My PS2 has been on for about 4 1/2 months now...

kOtic

No. Should I be?

Poon

No. I think doing that shows that you are so addicted that you probably don't know what day it is. Anyway, I don't use consoles anymore, PC is the way forward.

Dabamash

Run it till it rings baby!

dorylomorphs

This is not fun and games EDISON !
We need more power.
Chop, chop, get to it!.

aec007

"ATTENTION READERS: We have recently discovered that people who leave their games systems on are destroying earth, and pretty much suck as people.

...So....who does it? Huh? Huh? Come ooooonn. Any takers?"

OCEntertainment

I once left my NES on over night at my grandmother's house because there wasn't an option to save the game after I had finally beaten level II in Ninja Turtles I.(The level with all the shocking jelly fish) I haven't had a gaming system since.

Jaymez

I always shut down my console when I leave the room for fear that it will burn the entire house down! The amount of heat generated by my xbox must be above average.

fromagesfondus

Wii - No, I even turned off that Wiiconnect24 crap. This thing hardly uses any power anyway.
360 - No, but I think the power brick staying plugged in uses more power than the Wii running, well not quite, but close.

I do leave my Macbook on sleep all the time though, but that only uses 2.4 watts as compared to the 1.4 watts with just the brick plugged in and its less than the 2.5 the 360 draws when its off.

SAN66

I just recently unplugged my wii because I know it pulls a lot of juice while its off even using the connect 24 crap. Besides that blue light used to keep me awake at night.

hiimcliff

@fusiongt: more like 2 hours.... :)

imTheKing

@dharasick: To heat the room, if you're in a studio apartment like I am. It's the most expensive space heater in the world. As a bonus, it also can play games!

That's all I can think of.

jdickson87

I don't leave my 360 on when I am not using it. As far as I am concerned it's just a fire hazard waiting to happen if you do that.

thefutureisnow

@axiomatic: you have to enable that feature. they also have an auto off feature that turns the 360 off after a set amount of time.

danger the pirate ★ feels as though he should have a star and a preposterously long name mostly because all the cool kids are doing it, but also because he likes typing in third person, and finally, to see if you can max out a screen name. It would appear as though they let you go for a while...

@Decaye: not that many people are powered by nuclear plants. im powered by good ol fashioned coal! i even go one step farther: i unplug my stuff when im not using it. makes a surprising dent in my energy bill. got it under $25/month when im not running a/c or heat.

danger the pirate ★ feels as though he should have a star and a preposterously long name mostly because all the cool kids are doing it, but also because he likes typing in third person, and finally, to see if you can max out a screen name. It would appear as though they let you go for a while...

I pay the bills so no... its off when not in use :)

Oz

just since firmware 2,50, my ps3 shuts itself off after a while. It's perfect!

huggy

ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!!!! that is such a huge carbon footprint!! NO ONE here should be either!!!!!! I (OBV) leave it on when streaming through it etc. but not just all day long, that's f-ed up.

Faslane66

The only reason I'd leave my 360 on is to get an achievement for playing a game for a certain amount of hours. And that would be with a big fan right behind it just in case.

gamecrazychris

I turn them off, but I think the Wii and PS3 are still technically in standby. Technically, the 360 still eats juice when "off", so really, they're all in standby. I think you need to differentiate your options a little better.

thebigcheese

ya, i leave em running....ever since i started gaming...theyd be left on....sega, playstaion, xbox, pc w/e they would be on till a power outage

lancerknight

I once left my ps2 on for a week so i could beat Kingdom Hearts 2 ( it wouldnt save)

EspadaCero

nope. Never have in the past either. Why on earth would I?

latterman

san diego ftw!

eddiesdguy

No, but my stupid roommates do.

rcast1986

@jdickson87: Funny, I joke about that too. "I get to play video games AND heat my apartment during the winter!"

tandonmiir

@Dabamash:

???

I leave my PS3 on 24/7. It folds all day long.

3% so far for F@H and that makes me sad.

JEmlay

All the time, I run Folding@Home. My launch PS3 has run pretty much constantly for well over a year.

Thing is a tank, won't die.

My 360 I won't think of running overnight much less for a year. I'm real careful with it.

Scaramanga

Lame, nebulous poll. If you can turn your console on from a wireless controller, it's in standby, it's not off. The PS3 has a switch, the 360 you'd have to physically unplug?

GothAlice

@kOtic: hate to break it to you like this, but when you do that your just asking for trouble with you console when you do that, and it's a waste of money on the electric bill too.

ajr

@dharasick: To burn out the ozone layer, have a huge electric bill AND heat a small house, THEN acquire yourself a RROD!

please keep it off when not playing kiddies, that's just f-ing wrong for the environment period!

Faslane66

@danger the pirate ★ feels as though he should have a star a...: the time limit is like 8 hours though!!! should be set-able to like 30 minute intervals all the way up to whatever you wish. 8 is too long, and it's putting a RROD around the ozone layer!

Faslane66

Hell, I don't even HAVE a game system, aside from my PS2.

ItsRabid

@skyline6: yes..mah man!

waste is my biggest pet peeve ever. i cringe when all my roommates leave all their crap on when they go 'n take 20 minute showers..i am so dying forom knowing it's goin on.

one, mother nature don't like it 'n two..i gotta pay for the bills, too.

snowbeach024

no way, thats just dumb, you waste money and console life span

omegaviper

@Poon: I don't understand why anybody would, even if they weren't paying for electricity.

karmaghost

It's wierd to see an xbox with green lights. I'm so use to my damn red ringed POS. Even owning all three systems, I still really only play the box.

shalegac

I sometimes do it with my PS3 because it doesn't have a download while "off" feature like the 360 does.

Milkham

@russdanger: Word. Ridiculous.

ezman

The issue I find is a lot of games don't allow you to save anywhere; now if you could save anywhere and not just save points, then I'm sure a lot of people would be eager to shut it off once in a while.

AlphaTeam

I frequently inadvertantly leave my PS3 running after watching a blu-ray because I forget that my universal remote can't turn it off. Damn PS3 and it's lack of a $2 IR port is killing the planet.

robinandtami

Yeah I do leave mine on, for maybe an hr or so while being a way from it. (I sometimes get distracted with having to do important task.. dish washing, cleaning, doing laundry.. etc) Yeah, I sorta get spur of the moment cleaning sprees.. or any kind of spree. I just have spur of the moment, moments.

But I try to make a point to turn it off if I know I am going to be away for awhile.

-Core-

@ajr: hate to break it to you like this, but someone who leaves on a console for 4.5 months probably doesn't understand a word you just said.

Kharnellius

What's so hard about holding down the middle button of the 360 controller for 3 seconds?

Kharnellius

@ceilingFANBOY:
Keep folding my friends

b0bcat

@robinandtami: NS, what a terrible oversight!!!! Nice BT remote, and then FAIL!

Some_F-in-ShiT_Ass

dharasick: it's getting close to Christmas, and those green lights could use a little red!

And therein lies the reason as soon as I'm done playing the 360 goes off. With a fail rate of (unconfirmed) roughly half, why would I take chances? I used to leave my original Xbox on, sometimes by mistake. With the great fanpower behind the 360, there's no question whether it's on or off--I can hear it over the 3 PC's in the same room!

shaft0

console, television, lights, stereo, etc all stay off when not in use.
PC runs 24/7 though

Bonkuro

Thank god the PS3 update included a standby timer to shut down the system and the controllers after a period of non-use.

Gervy

@Dabamash: WHAT! PC is the way forward. You have got to be kidding. PC gaming has declined year after year while consoles have been gaining strength year after year. Get with the times man. I used to be like you, thinking that PC gaming was the only true gaming. Buy a 360 and you will change your mind. I like sitting on the couch, playing on my 65" big screen. I don't have to upgrade my video card every time a new game comes out.

vincentw561

I turn it off with the controller but I don't hit the power button in the back. I assume that's what you are calling standby for the ps3...

GTgeek

PC days, weeks at a time unless i need an update/instillation restart or am traveling it's never off.

PS3 Standby or just plain on in between episodes or movies im watching. I'll put it on pause and do other stuff for a while.

Wii (consumes least power so w/e) whatever i feel like in the moment. Sometimes play for 10 hours sometimes nothing but standby

Genome4824

i never leave it on unless it's being played but my 360 often gets played for 8 hours a day when my two roommates and i play

awperk

Heck no!

We have cats that like to eat cables and sleep on AV equipment.

ionerox

Whats the purpose of leaving it running? Avoid long start up times I guess? Kind of retarded.

Imadoctornotapoolman

@vincentw561:
That's false. Where do you get your information? PC corners the casual gamming market which blows every thing else away. Why do you think Nintendo went casual?

Online poker alone blows consoles out of the water.

PC is the way forward. You don't need a powerhouse to play casual games. You can now buy a PC for $800 that plays Crysis just fine with most bells and whistles.

JEmlay

@JEmlay:
And a PC for less then the PS3 launch price will allow you to play everything else.

JEmlay