With a good quality inverter in your truck or van, you and the family can enjoy the entertainment you’d otherwise miss while on the road.
So, what size of inverter (watts) should you use with an Xbox One?
And, how can you safely power the Xbox from an inverter while in the car without damage and drain to its battery?
This post looks at what inverter size (watts) you can use with an Xbox One, and how to safely connect it to the car battery.
Table of Contents
What size of inverter an for Xbox one?
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To determine what size of inverter to use, you need to establish how much power the Xbox One uses?
Power consumption of an Xbox One
During gameplay, an Xbox One S consumes about 60 – 70 watts (Consult the technical specification section of the Xbox One manual).
Considering that you’ll be using a TV screen as well, assuming you use a 21″ screen, this will require about 30 additional watts; with total power consumption of TV and Xbox One about 100 watts.
Based on this, you can use a 150 watt inverter or higher to safely enjoy the gaming with your Xbox.
Note: Some manufacturers overate the capacity of their inverters.
It is advisable to stick to reputable brands to avoid the dangers associated with under sizing inverters such as overheating and the Xbox potentially shutting down during gameplay or damaging the inverter.
What Battery Size to Use with a 150 Watt Inverter?
A 50 Ah battery can provide about under 2 hours of runtime with a 150 watt load connected to it before it is drained to 50% of its capacity.
If the inverter is connected to the car’s starter battery, it is a good practice to keep the engine running so that the battery is not drained flat.
Alternatively, install an auxiliary deep cycle battery in the van or truck dedicated to powering the Xbox, TV, and any other electronics to avoid draining the starter battery flat.
Should you plug the inverter in the cigarette lighter socket or not
First, confirm how much power your vehicle’s cigarette lighter socket can handle. Most cigarette lighter sockets may safely supply up to 10A (120 watts) or 15A (180 watts).
Using the 150 watt inverter as an example, if the cigarette lighter socket can handle up to 15A (180 watts), then go ahead and plug the 150 watt inverter in the socket otherwise hardwire the inverter to the car battery directly.
Make sure you use suitably battery cables and a suitably sized fuse.
Related Questions
What size of inverter for Xbox 360?
The Xbox 360 consumes up to 203 watts depending on the model. This is based on the power supply ratings of the original Xbox 360 console.
In this case, you can use a 300 watt inverter or higher to be able to power the TV as well.
Check if your truck’s cigarette lighter socket can handle this much power and if not, arrange to hardwire the inverter to the car’s battery instead.
What size of Inverter for PS4?
A PS4 has an average power draw of 104.7 watts (source: https://www.playstation.com/en-gb/legal/ecodesign/).
Allowing for an additional 30 watts for the TV, you can use a 200 watt inverter or higher.
What size of inverter for PS5?
The power consumption of a PS5 can go as high as 199 watts (source: https://www.playstation.com/en-gb/legal/ecodesign/).
Allowing for an additional 30 watts for the TV screen, you can use a 300 watt inverter or higher to power the PS5.
Alternative Power sources for an Xbox One?
You can also use a portable power station to power the Xbox one, pS4, or PS5. The portable power stations can be charged from multiple sources such as solar panels, the van or truck’s cigarette lighter socket, or from a wall outlet.
The portable power solution gives you the flexibility to play away from the van or truck.
Also, there is no need to keep the engine running to keep the battery charged as you’re using an external battery.
Final Thoughts
You can use a 150 watt inverter or higher to provide power to your Xbox one or higher. This inverter size also provides for an additional 30 watts or so for a display TV.
Besides using an inverter, a portable power solution can supply power to the Xbox and TV while on the road.
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