At Xbox, we’re continuing to improve how we design, build, distribute, and use our products to reduce our environmental impact and help us reach Microsoft’s goal of being a zero waste, carbon negative, and water positive company by 2030. Finding ways to reduce the environmental footprint of gaming not only helps the environment but also creates benefits for our collective community of players.

We’ve heard from players that they want more options for support when their Xbox consoles need repair. Today, we’re expanding our repairability program, giving players even more options to get their Xbox Series X|S console options – the Xbox Series S – 1TB in Robot White, Xbox Series X – 1TB Digital Edition in Robot White, and Xbox Series X – 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition – fixed should they ever need to, while also reducing and preventing waste.

Expanding Repairability, Updating Console Packaging and Reducing Plastic Waste

Players will soon have more options for support when considering in-person repairs for the three Xbox Series X|S console options. On January 20, uBreakiFix by Asurion will become the first Xbox Authorized Service Provider to repair Xbox consoles at its nearly 700 participating store locations across the U.S. In-person Xbox console repairs were previously only possible through the Microsoft Store, which means players will now have even more ways to repair their consoles, separate from Microsoft’s own support channels. Players should check with their local uBreakiFix by Asurion store to confirm participation in this repairability program.

Additionally, replacement components for the three Xbox Series X|S console options are now available for purchase via the Microsoft Store and replacement console parts are also now available for purchase online via the Microsoft Repair Hub on iFixit. With the purchase of replacement components previously limited to controller parts and only available through the Microsoft Store, these additional repair options allow players to choose the repairability solution that works best for them, even if their console is out-of-warranty.

By expanding the number of ways players can get support and repair for their Xbox consoles, we also help extend the longevity of Xbox devices, reduce waste, promote re-use, and ultimately reduce our environmental impact. 

Providing more options for repair isn’t the only way Xbox is reducing plastic waste. At Microsoft, our goal is to eliminate single-use plastics from our packaging by 2025. Packaging for the three Xbox Series X|S console options  are now fully paper and fiber-based, eliminating all single-use plastics. 

Reducing Carbon Impact through Energy Updates

We recently announced that, in just three years (FY20-FY23), Xbox has contributed to Microsoft’s goal of becoming a zero waste, carbon negative, and water positive company by 2030 with interventions to reduce energy from console usage that have prevented over 1.2 million metric tons of CO2e (Carbon Dioxide equivalent) compared to usage without interventions. According to US EPA estimates, this reduction prevents emissions equivalent to more than 3 billion car miles (driven by an average gasoline-powered passenger vehicle) being released into the atmosphere.

Through recent system updates to Xbox consoles, we have also made significant advancements in how Xbox Series S handles video content. So far, these improvements have led to an average reduction approaching 10% in power consumption across all media apps on Xbox Series S, contributing towards lowering Microsoft’s usage-based carbon footprint and potentially allowing players to save on their monthly electric bills. Making Xbox consoles more energy efficient through system updates and player adoption of energy saving features like the Shutdown (energy saving) power option, which do not compromise gameplay, media app, or console performance, have been the primary ways Xbox and our community have contributed to these energy and emissions savings.

To ensure you’re taking advantage of the latest energy efficiency features on console, go to Settings > General > Power options and confirm that Shutdown (energy saving) is active.

Collaboration Between Game Studios

The work towards building a more sustainable future for gaming is never complete, and at Xbox we are committed to continuously enhancing sustainability in gaming by implementing innovative solutions to reduce our environmental impact that preserve the gameplay experiences our players love. Achieving these goals is only possible through collaboration with others in the industry, and we’re proud to see game creators not only leverage the Xbox Sustainability Toolkit, which helps them create more energy-efficient games, to implement energy savings via their own games but also take those learnings and continue their own work of identifying new ways of reducing impact on the environment.

Gaming brings joy to players, but we recognize it also has an impact on our environment. Our commitment to our players and the industry is to work to minimize that impact. We have set ambitious goals at Microsoft and it won’t be a straight path to 2030, but we are committed to achieving these goals by empowering game creators, designers, and production teams with the cutting-edge analytic tools, bespoke toolkits, and cross-team solutions that can allow everyone to continue to a build a more sustainable gaming future.

To learn more about our efforts to improve our environmental impact, visit xbox.com/sustainability.