You don’t need much to get gaming once you’ve got the Xbox Series X in your hands — all you really need are a couple of hit games (at least until the delayed Halo Infinite finally drops). But if you really want to take your next-gen gaming experience to the next level, there are plenty of accessories out there that can completely change how you use your console.
Even if you aren’t able to get your hands on the console itself right away, grabbing these extras beforehand will make your first experience with it all the sweeter. Sure, you don’t need to spend the extra cash on these additions, but once you give them a try you will wonder how you ever lived without them. These accessories are the ones you need to really get the best possible Xbox Series X experience.
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Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2
The Series X comes with a new controller, so why should you invest in a premium controller for a hefty $179.99? The Elite Series 2 from Microsoft is the most premium controller on the market. Aside from remarkable build quality, this controller is designed for customization. You have the replaceable thumbsticks, completely remappable buttons, a 40-hour rechargeable battery, adjustable triggers, and three unique profiles to customize these presets. That alone makes this a tempting buy, but what really pushes it over the edge are the back paddles. These four extra paddles on the back can be mapped to any other function on the controller. For example, this can allow you to keep your thumb on the right thumbstick to aim while doing a melee attack in a first-person shooter instead of moving it off to hit a face button. It is such a simple concept, but somehow one that hasn’t become mainstream.
Xbox Rechargeable Battery + USB-C Cable
If you’re sticking with the traditional Xbox Series X controller, then you should at the very least invest in the rechargeable battery and USB-C cable. Microsoft has once again opted to make their standard wireless controllers powered by normal AA batteries. Once those bite the dust, it will be up to you to continue replacing them every so often to stay in the game. Depending on how much you play, buying more batteries can get expensive and wasteful quickly. This kit will solve both of those problems for you. Plus, you can even continue playing while it’s charging so you’re never left waiting to play.
Seagate Storage Expansion Card
The Series X comes with an internal hard drive of 1TB. That may sound like a lot, but even toward the end of the Xbox One and PS4 generation, games were getting so large that dedicated gamers needed to add on more space to keep more than a handful of major titles on their systems at once. We can only expect the current generation to see game sizes continue to expand as they push graphics and scale further and further. Thankfully, Microsoft realized space would be a problem and planned accordingly by including a special storage slot on the Series X for you to insert extra storage. The downside is that you can only use the compatible Seagate Storage Expansion Card, which is more than a little pricey. This card will double your storage, adding another 1TB of space. Thanks to the quick resume feature of the Series X, you have more reason than ever to keep multiple games installed at once, making this a necessary quality-of-life purchase.
LucidSoud LS35X
Next to a premium controller, a dedicated and high-quality headset is nearly essential for any serious gamer. They will give you not only a far better sound experience than most speaker setups will, and for far less money and space, but more control too. The LucidSound LS35X has everything you want from a premium headset for a decent cost. It’s wireless, compatible with all consoles, PC, and iOS and Android, and can last for up to 15 hours before needing a charge. If you’re playing any competitive games without a good headset, or share a home with others and can’t crank up the volume, a good headset is mandatory to give you the most immersive experience.
Xbox Game Pass
Let’s cut to the chase here. You bought your Series X to play games on. Yeah, you can use it to watch movies and TV and browse the web, but its primary function is to play games. If you somehow haven’t heard about Game Pass or are new to the Xbox family of consoles, then this should be on the top of your list. Sometimes referred to as the “Netflix of games,” Game Pass is your subscription service that instantly adds hundreds of games to your library for a monthly fee. These games include titles from every Xbox console, from the OG Xbox up to the Series X, for you to browse, download, and play whenever you like. New titles are added monthly, and Microsoft has promised that every game made by one of their first-party studios will be available on Game Pass the same day as release. That means you can get titles like Halo: Infinite the day it comes out as part of your subscription without having to spend $70 on it. People have been saying it for months already, but it’s true: There’s no better deal in gaming.
PDP Talon Media Remote
While we just said how gaming is likely the primary function of your Series X, we can’t ignore how great of a media device this box is. Since you can get essentially every major streaming service on your console, it just becomes that much more convenient to use it to watch all your favorite shows and movies. Using your gaming controller to navigate these services can be awkward and cumbersome at times, which is why the PDP Talon Media Remote is a perfect accessory to have on hand. This remote was made specifically for the Xbox, complete with the branding and face buttons, but designed like a traditional remote. This makes it way more intuitive and comfortable to use for media purposes than a gaming controller, especially if you live with others who are not gamers and just want to use it for streaming.
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