Report: PS3’s a Power Hog

Electric costs for using a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 trounce refrigerating TV dinners for a year by five times.

In a study on consumer expenses for electricity, Australia’s Choice Magazine studied the cost of using various household devices in multiple states of power usage. Tests conducted experimented with various computers, consoles and televisions set off, idle and on to determine the price each item charged and the energy spent per week, month and year.

Out of all items tested, Sony’s Playstation 3 was the biggest power guzzler, followed closely by the Xbox 360. Nintendo’s Wii cost one-tenth of what the other major consoles cost per use to actively use for an entire year.

While the Plasma television you might be using to play your videogames may cost you $232 a year, the PS3, the only more environmentally-unfriendly piece of technology tested, racks up a $260 bill.

Source: Choice Magazine via Spong