Thursday 20 July 2006
Nintendo's plans for Wii to be left in standby mode overnight in order to receive game content downloads via WiiConnect24 may be scuppered by a government initiative to encourage consumers to switch off their electrical goods properly.
A recent Energy Review revealed that 8% of all UK domestic energy is used on keeping such appliances as TVs, DVD players and computers on standby, which adds up to around %26pound;650 million worth of electricity per year.
The government will be spending %26pound;20 million on the initiative which will also target retailers. The idea is to get electrical appliance suppliers to educate buyers and recommend goods that don't have a standby function.
While the government isn't currently planning to ban the use of standby, as some reports have claimed, it will be interesting to see if it takes any action against companies that encourage its use in their products - such as Nintendo and Wii.
