As an avid gamer, you have probably already asked yourself how much electricity does your PlayStation actually uses. I’ve been recently shocked with my electric bill, and I wanted to find out which device was to blame for this. When I found out that the PS4 was the main culprit of my energy bill, I began to research how much electricity he actually consumes. This is what I learned.
How Much Electricity Does a PS4 Use
So How Much Electricity Does a PS4 Use? If your playing PS4 on a regular LED TV you will use approximately 200 Watts (140 Watt for the PS4 + 60 Watt for the TV). During the 2h gaming session, you will use 400 Watt-hours, which will cost you about 5 cents (13 cents per Kilowatt-hour is the average price in the United States).
The Playstation is considered an entertainment platform and is therefore used by the whole family. However, the energy that you will spend playing PS4 depends on the respective operating mode and on the type of TV, that you have. In standby mode, the consumption is around 6 to 8 watts, while in play mode the consumption is from 130 to 160 watts. With an average electricity price of 13 cents/kWh, the costs are approx. 5 cents per gaming hour. Below we will provide you answers and tips on how to save energy with your PS4.
If you want to get your PlayStation4 , you can order it here!
If you are interested, you can compare it to PS3. I wrote an article How Much Electricity Does a PS3 Use?
Power Consumption of PlayStation 4
The power consumption of a Playstation 4 mainly depends on the different modes in which the console is used. The following values are average values and can vary depending on the circumstances. Basically, the following data can be recorded:
- Switched off: In this mode, only the LED lamp is operated, so the console needs between 0.1 and 0.45 watts per hour.
- Stand-by mode: As a rule, standby mode consumes around 6 to 8 watts. If the online connection is switched ON and the console is doing updates and other downloads or charging the controllers, it uses up to 14 watts per hour.
When switched ON, the values differ depending on the version of the console: Classic, Slim, or Pro.
1. Electricity (Power) Consumption PlayStation 4 Classic
The original version of the Playstation 4 has these power consumption values:
- Menu mode: When browsing through the operating menu, the Playstation consumes between 80 and 90 watts per hour.
- Blu-Ray and video app function: When playing films and videos, e.g. from a Blu-Ray or the VidZone music video service, up to 100 watts are consumed per hour
- Gaming: The Playstation is probably the most widely used for video games. The power consumption varies between 140 and 150 watts per hour – but it also depends on the resolution and the graphics engine of the game used.
2. Electricity (Power) Consumption of the PlayStation 4 Pro
The Playstation Pro is the most powerful version of the Playstation 4. It has a larger hard drive and a faster processor and is, therefore, able, among other things, to play out a higher image resolution and a faster frame rate.
- Menu mode: At around 75 watts, it is just below the values of the classic Playstation.
- Blu-Ray and video app function: The Playstation Pro uses around 87 watts in this mode and is also below the classic Playstation 4.
- Gaming: With around 165 watts per hour, the console is above the average value of the classic PS4.
3. Electricity (Power) Consumption of the PlayStation 4 Slim
The Playstation 4 Slim is on par with the standard version in terms of its technical equipment – however, it is much more compact and consumes less power.
- Menu mode: The Playstation 4 Slim only needs around 50 watts in this mode and is thus significantly below the values of the standard model and the Pro version.
- Blu-Ray and video app function: In video mode, the PS4 Slim has a consumption value of around 55 watts. Here, too, it is significantly below the other PS4 models.
- Gaming: In gaming mode, the console only consumes around 77 watts per hour, which is almost half less than the standard model in comparison.
| Mode: | PS4 Classic | PS4 Pro | PS4 Slim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menu | 80-90 Watts | 75 Watts | 50 Watts |
| Blu-Ray | 100 Watts | 87 Watts | 55 Watts |
| Gaming | 140-150 Watts | 165 Watts | 77 Watts |
How to Actually Measure Power Consumption?
To measure PS4 electricity usage, you can use Kill A Watt Meter. It’s a device that can easily measure and monitor any electric device to see how much energy they use. If you are interested and want to buy Kill A Watt for yourself, you can check the price on Amazon HERE.
With that device, you could measure a bunch of other electrical devices in your house and save a lot of money on your electricity bill. I would say, pretty cool device!
Note: The following tests I run with my PS4 have been done with an original PS4 model. Keep in mind that PS4 „Slim“ uses less power, and the same thing is with PS4 Pro (no 4K, etc.)
Test: If you’re using PS4 on a regular LED TV, your gaming session will consume approximately 200 Watts (140 Watt for the PS4 + 60 Watt for the TV). The 2h of gaming will use 400 watt-hours, which will cost you about 5 cents (the average price in the US per Kilowatt-hour is 13 cents).
Keep in mind that prices may be significantly different in your country. Also, the price will depend on the type of TV you have (larger LED models consume more energy). If a US gamer plays PS4 for 2 hours a day, every single day, he will spend about $18 a year on electricity on the Play Station.
Play Station 5 is out, so if you want to know how much electricity does PS5 use, check it out!
PS4 Energy Usage Modes
How much power the PS4 consumes depends primarily on the operating mode. Since every mode place different demands on the hardware, the differences are considerable. When the Sony console is on standby, it consumes between 6 and 8 watts. When starting up, the consumption increases to around 70 watts. But there are also a bunch of other operating modes, which you can see in the table below.
PS4 Energy Usage on Different Operating Modes:
| Mode: | Watts: | Cost Per Hour: |
|---|---|---|
| PS4 Offline | 0.1-0.45 | $0.0001 |
| PS4 Standby | 6-8 | $0.0008-0.0010 |
| PS4 Standby (Downloading) | 70 | $0.0091 |
| PS4 Idle on Menu | 80-90 | $0.0104-0.0117 |
| PS4 Idle with Disc | 95 | $0.0123 |
| PS4 Blu-Ray Mode | 84-100 | $0.0109-0.0130 |
| PS4 Netflix | 93 | $0.0121 |
| PS4 Game Install | 115 | $0.0150 |
| PS4 Gaming Mode | 130-160 | $0.0169-0.021 |
| PS4 Video Streaming | 74 | $0.0096 |
| PS4 Charging Controller | +4 | $0.0005 |
The values can of course differ in detail – after all, every game has different graphics properties, and a little more power can be consumed during an update even in standby mode. Compared to the Xbox, for example, PlayStation 4 works a lot more efficiently and it uses less energy. However, the power consumption of the Nintendo Wii is even lower.
Measured against the total consumption of your apartment, it would look like this, for example: If you played around two and a half hours a day in a 2-person household, the PlayStation would account for around 5% of the total energy consumption.
Tips For Saving Electricity on the PS4
It is possible to reduce the energy consumption of your console if you follow the appropriate tips. These savings will not be large, but they can certainly be taken into account after a long time. So why not take advantage of them if you have that option?
With these tips you can ensure that your PlayStation 4 uses less power:
- In the standby mode, some settings can be made to save energy. For example, you can set the console not to connect to the Internet in this standby mode, thereby preventing automatic updates. You can also switch off the power supply via USB ports for controllers.
- Use a Blu-ray player to play Blu-rays. Compared to the PlayStation, this only consumes around 20 Watts, i.e. up to 80 watts less per hour.
- Insert a switchable multiple socket. This allows you to switch off all devices completely so that no electricity is required when you are not using the console. Make sure to shut down the console completely before switching off the multiple socket (and not to switch it to standby mode), otherwise, the Playstation’s hard drive could be damaged.
- The sleep mode offers further savings. It comes in very handy when you pause your game and after a while, you want to pick up exactly where you left off. You can also activate it while downloading a new update.
Average Electricity Costs For Operating a PS4
How high the electricity costs for your PlayStation are dependent not only on the power consumption of the console but also on your electricity price. With an average electricity price of 13 cents per kWh and a daily operating time of 3 hours in the menu (dashboard), video, or gaming mode, the PlayStation 4 Slim comes as the best option and is therefore also the most economical in terms of annual electricity consumption.
With PS4 Slim, gaming for 3 hours per day will cost you around $0.0507. In gaming operations, for example, it can save around 42% annually compared to the standard model. The Playstation Pro costs around 23% more than the standard model.
PlayStation 4 Vs Others – Electricity Comparison
If you compare the power consumption of the PS4 with that of an upgraded gaming PC, it does quite well. A high-end graphics card alone can contribute to the power consumption of a PC when playing games with 140 watts and more. The Xbox One, on the other hand, is a little more economical than the PS4 when gaming. However, on standby, the Xbox One consumes more electricity. Let’s take a look look at how the PS4 stands compared to other gaming consoles in terms of power consumption.
| Console: | Watts: | Cost Per Hour: |
|---|---|---|
| PS4 Pro | 75-160 | $0.0097- $0.0208 |
| PS4 Slim | 55-77 | $0.0072- 0.0098 |
| PS4 | 90-150 | $0.0117- 0.0195 |
| Nintendo Switch | 10-18 | $0.0013- 0.0023 |
| Xbox One X | 65-180 | $0.0085-0.0234 |
| Xbox One S | 35-90 | $0.0046-0.0117 |
| Xbox One | 70-120 | $0.0091-0.0156 |
| Wii U | 35 | $0.0046 |
| Xbox 360 S | 90 | $0.0117 |
- The possibility that more energy will be used in the future with more demanding games
Final Thoughts
We could see that the power consumption of the PS4 depends on a couple of factors, such as the Playstation model, the mode of operation, and the price of electricity in the state in which you live. However, taking into account the basic data, we can say that during 2 hours of playing, your electricity consumption will be around 400 watts, which is around 5 cents. I hope you have learned and gained a better insight into the consumption of your game console in this article. If you have additional questions, feel free to leave a comment.
