On this page, you will find out how many watts a PS1 draws.
I remember my first PlayStation vividly. It arrived with two games – V-rally and Rayman. The racing games were for me and the punchy hero for my sister. This was the first games console I’d ever used and it was mind-blowing. I have been known to dust it off and bring it out every so often. With the next gen consoles being so big and cumbersome, it got me thinking about using a PS1 in an RV to reduce the power consumption of gaming.
Below we will discuss and test PS1 wattage, explain how to work it out for yourself, and calculate the total electricity required.
How Many Watts is a PlayStation 1?
A PS1 uses between 5 and 10 watts.
The exact number depends on the function you are using and the game you are playing. For example, playing one of the more demanding games like Metal Gear Solid increases power consumption. While listening to a CD uses very little power.
Compared to next gen consoles, the original PlayStation is a very low powered device that rarely ever exceeds 10W. In comparison, it’s about the same power level as a bright LED bulb or string of Christmas lights.
How to Find Out Your PS1 Wattage
There’s 3 ways you can work out the wattage of a PS1.
- Check Product Specification
The quickest way is to look at the PS1’s specification. The watts (W) is usually written on a sticker on the base of the appliance. If not, you can check the user manual or the manufacturer’s website for technical details. As these consoles are over 20 years old, the information can be hard to find!
- Use a Wattmeter
A wattmeter is brilliant for getting a live wattage reading and tracking total energy usage of any appliance. You can simply plug it into your PS1 to get instant information.
I used one to test a PlayStation 1 which gave a live reading of 6.7W while playing Tekken 3.
- Wattage Formula or Calculator
If you know the amperage and voltage of your PS1 you can use this to find the running watts. Simply use the formula Amps x Volts = Watts. Or you can head over to the ‘Watt Calculator’ to work this out.
The Power of a PS1 Explained
How Much Electricity Does a PS1 Use?
You can use PS1 wattage to work out how much electricity it uses. Plus this can be useful in understanding how much it costs to run your PS1.
A watt (W) is a measurement of power at a single point in time. A watt-hour is the total amount of electricity used in an hour. For example, a PS1 drawing 10W would use 10Wh when running for an hour.
Happily, electricity bills are recorded in kilowatt-hours (kWh). A kilowatt is simply 1000 watts. So a 10W PS1 running for 1 hour uses 0.01kWh.
In reality, you might play PS1 for 2 hours a day. This means a PS1 uses upto 20Wh or 0.02kWh electricity a day. That’s 0.6kWh a month and 7kWh a year.
That’s an electricity cost of $1 a year to play PS1 every day for 2 hours! (If you like video games this much, I suggest upgrading your console…)
Using a PS1 Off-Grid
If you’re planning to use your PS1 in an off-grid situation like a power outage, RV, boat, truck, or campervan, the information above is important. It enables you to pick the correct power products and know how long you can run
You can either use a power inverter, portable power station, or generator to generate AC electricity.
To make sure everything runs smoothly you should check two things on this equipment – wattage capacity and total energy capacity.
Your power source, like an inverter, should have a wattage capacity of at least 20% more than your PS1. This ensures it will be able to deliver enough power as they are never 100% efficient. To play video games, you will need at least 100W of power capacity. This will give you enough to run your console and a small TV. (Plus power inverters etc don’t come much smaller.)
Secondly, you need to ensure your energy source, like a battery, has enough energy to run the PS1 for the required amount of time. As we already know, it will use about 10Wh electricity every hour. This is the equivalent to 0.83Ah on a 12V battery.
How Many Watts Does a PS1 Use Summary
I hope you now have a clear understanding of how many watts a PS1 uses.
If you’re worried about electricity usage but you’re still desperate to play video games then the original PlayStation is your best friend. It uses almost no power! This means it won’t cost you more than $1 to run a year. Adding to this, it’s a brilliant choice to use in an RV or similar vehicle as it won’t deplete your batteries.
