Power button

[Fire]

Aye, a power off option in the menu isnt really needed but would still be handy. I know it's possible for Xbox anyway, I've had some small restart and shutdown applications linked into the evo-x menu for a while now.

[geldra]

I always get the wife to turn the machine on, pass the pad and insert game etc....she loves to get involved and all

Aww bless her. I take it she does that in between ironing and cooking?

As for the auto power off stuff on xbox that sounds pretty cool!

[iloveannie]

Or just get a 4m long stick and use that to turn your console off.

What like Homer Fat Man's "Reaching Stick"? Perhaps I could sit and play with a Dennis Rouseau smock on. Then again isn't that what console gaming is all about?

PS: Nearly forgot my fatguy's hat ;-)

[Loada]

You could use X10 to turn the GC on and off remotely. X10 is a home-automation protocol that uses the house mains wiring to carry the signals (search on google for more info). I use it to control the lights and heating in my house and you can also use it to turn an appliance on and off. The GC is suited to this because it has a "hard" power button - so you can leave the button depressed in the "on" state and just cycle the power supply on and off.

So to summarise, you need:

* IR543 X10->IR converter (?35)
* X10-capable IR remote, I have a Philips Pronto (~?150) but you can prolly find cheaper ones with the codes built-in at Argos or something (~?25)
* X10 Appliance module (it sits in the wall, the GC PSU plugs into it) (~?25)

Pretty expensive but should work well (I'll try it all tonight). Will work for me cos I already have all the kit anyway. Cheaper than a Q tho (but not half as nice!). Handy for anyone who already has X10 or might want to get into it. These places in the UK sell X10, remotes and home-automation stuff:

https://www.letsautomate.com

https://www.laser.com

[El Geet]

it could be quite good, but i always get up to unplug the stepdown transformer anyway.
so it wouldnt really make much difference to me.

Must agree with you on this one. The dread of leaving the transformer on overnight/day is a biggie. Bugger what happens to the house, it's my Q that I'm worried about. Pain in the arse though. And why no disk eject on the remote?

I always leave my srepdowns on. Should I not? You've got me worried.

[PeteJ]

My stepdown gets quite hot after a few hours, so I'd never leave it on. I don't leave much on though

I'd really like a powerbutton on the Xbox DVD remote (although it doesn't work with the xbox chip installed), because it's a real pain to get up and turn the Xbox off. Especially when you watch something before you goto bed (while in bed). I guess I could just use the pad to reset back to EvoX and then powerdown...but most of the time the DVD\Game just loads back up again.

Bah.

X10 sounds quite interesting, not heard of that before.