Forums > News > Devices stay on when you turn them off
nullnullnull (1463) on 12/28/2006 4:42 PM · Permalink · Report
Last night I noticed for the first time that my Wii pulses blue when it is turned off. I thought that I must of left it on because nothing could be that bright and obnoxious when off. Wrong! The Wii isn't the only device in my house that seems to stay on when when its switched off. The PS2's red LED, my satelitte receiver, my stereo are all on, drawing power and doing something even though I have turned them off.
The Wall Street Journal's Jason Fry reported on his experiences finding the biggest power hogs in his house. The results are no surprise. Low tech stuff light the lights, fridge and dryer consumed the most amount of electricity. The power consumption of consumer electronics were relatively modest.
However he readily admits various shortcoming in his analysis. With the proliferation of electronics in the home this small 24 hour a day trickle could turn into a flood of wasted energy use. What really bothers me is that these devices have stopped obeying my commands. When I want them off, they decide ... "Nah. He didn't really want me off. I am going to stay on and blink and pulse until he wants to play with us again" Is when we can no longer turn off our machines the first step towards when they take over?
nullnullnull (1463) on 12/28/2006 6:40 PM · Permalink · Report
I dunno. The thing freaking pulses blue when it is off. I thought I left it on and hit the power on to discover the thing start up. Maybe it is talking to me or it is the special blue pulsing wii and I will win something later.
Jae Rune (1) on 12/28/2006 7:31 PM · Permalink · Report
In my home, only my iMac and my DVR stay turned on (besides the fridge, but I like my food remaining cold, so I put up with it). Everything else is off. But is it still drawing power? That I don't know... probably... Its a bothersome thought to have, especially since electric companies seem to thrill in jacking heir rates up when they know the biggest energy consumption is going to occur.
"Cold weather?" They say. "Jack the rates up!"
Brian Hirt (10409) on 12/28/2006 7:59 PM · Permalink · Report
If you hold the power button in for a second or two, it turns off and the power button will be red. If you just press the power button it will go into standby and the button will be orange.
The flashing blue was a notification that you had a mail message. Probably to let you know that the weather channel got turned on.
I plugged my watt meter in when I first got my Wii and compared it to a 360. Here is what i found.
Wii off: 1 watt
Wii in standby: 10 watts
Wii playing Zelda: 18 watts
360 off: 2 watts
360 playing gears: 160-170 watts
Ace of Sevens (4479) on 12/29/2006 2:30 AM · Permalink · Report
That's why I'm waiting for the new chips.
Matt Neuteboom (976) on 12/29/2006 3:41 AM · Permalink · Report
Wow, I thought I was the only one who noticed.
Indeed, when the Wii is off, the CD slot pulses a bright, hypnotic blue. I was concerned because not only that, but the LED light on the power button also stays on red (similar to the PS2). I was wondering if I was consuming power or if it was generating heat (big no no for me). But considering I leave both computers and sometimes my TV (accidentally) on all night, I'm guessing the power consumption for the off-powered Wii is minuscule.
I've been thinking of turning off the power strips every night when I go to bed. Not only will save me power, but I've been concerned about overheating as well. I've got all my consoles stacked near my TV and DVD player, and I worry sometime.