Unity Plug-In That Helps Reduce Power Consumption

Over the past few months, we've covered plug-ins for both Unreal Engine and Godot that optimize power use, making games more energy-efficient and helping players get more out of their battery life. They work by detecting when a player goes idle, then lowering the frame rate and rendering resolution, and during longer periods of inactivity, even pausing rendering entirely.

Now, thanks to Oliver Stock, who felt like somebody should step up and do the same for Unity, there's a similar plug-in available for developers. It's free and open-source, and you can get it by clicking here. It monitors player input, and when nothing's happening, it automatically switches between different energy profiles. These profiles control which settings are adjusted, like frame rate, resolution, or physics updates. You can easily tweak or create your own profiles to suit your project's needs.

Oliver recommends using Unity 2022.3.62f2 or newer. The plug-in currently only works with Unity's URP or HDRP.

These energy-saving plug-ins are part of SGA's effort to make game development and consumption more energy-efficient. If sustainability in games interests you, they offer many useful resources here. Also, Hauke Thießen, Oliver Stock, and Ashe Foltin will share more technical insights at upcoming SGA meetups and on stage at gamescom dev this August.

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