The Xbox One is shaping up to be a great console. The Xbox One S offers 4K and HDR features you can’t get on the PlayStation 4 Slim, and the even newer Xbox One X is significantly faster than Sony’s PlayStation 4 Pro. Here’s everything you need to know to get the most out of your new Xbox One.
Understand Xbox Live Gold and Other Subscription Services
The Xbox One offers a bevy of different subscription services that add additional features. Xbox Live Gold is the most essential, and it’s mandatory if you want to play multiplayer games online. It also gives you a few free games a month and discounts on digital games, which is nice. But if you just plan on playing single player games, you can skip it, but anyone who wants to play multiplayer games has to have it.
You’ll also see Xbox Game Pass and EA Access advertised on the Xbox. These are separate services that give you access to a catalog of games you can play for free—as long as you pay the subscription fee. Xbox Game Pass gives you access to a catalog of games provided by Microsoft and third-party publishers, while EA Access gives you access to a catalog of only EA games. EA Access also gives you a discount when you buy digital EA games. These are much less essential, but they can be a good value if you have a lot of time and want to play a lot of games.
Get the Best Accessories
There are a lot Xbox One accessories, but only a few of them are really essential. We recommend a few of the best accessories you’ll want to buy, like a controller charging dock. By default, the Xbox One controller just takes AA batteries you have to swap, which means you can’t recharge them like a PlayStation 4 or Nintendo Switch controller.
The charging dock fixes that.Skip the Kinect, unless you really want to play the handful of Kinect games or turn on your Xbox by saying “Xbox On”. All other voice commands can be issued from a headset. Microsoft no longer manufactures the Kinect, and the Xbox One S and Xbox One X don’t have a Kinect port, so you’d also need a special adapter to connect it.
Play Videos From a USB Drive, or Stream From Your PC
Your Xbox One has apps for Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, and HBO, but sometimes those aren’t enough.
Luckily, the Xbox One allows you to play local video files and music, so you can download media on your PC and watch it on your Xbox. This app also allows you…
The post So You Just Got an Xbox One. Now What? appeared first on FeedBox.