Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming

PSA: Set up your console gifts before the holidays begin

Emily Morrow
By

One of the most popular — and obvious — gifts to give during the holidays is a video game console. Many of us have happy memories of ripping open boxes containing brand-new Xboxes, PlayStations, and Nintendo consoles. In years past, consoles were almost always ready to go right out of the box. The little setup they required mostly concerned hardware like A/V cables and power cords.

Today’s consoles are much more advanced and feature-packed, but they’re also more high-maintenance. Many need software or firmware updates before they’ll function at all, while others require users to create an account or connect to the internet before gaming. The joy of unboxing a new console can quickly turn to frustration when these necessary processes take hours or even all day.

Recommended Videos

If you’re giving a console this holiday season, here’s a PSA: Take it out of the box and set it up before you gift it to someone.

Related

Server load

During the holidays, and particularly on Christmas Day, people all around the world are opening and setting up brand-new consoles for the first time. This sudden increase in network traffic can bring even the most stable servers down as they struggle with the load of millions of new consoles. Many consoles these days require a persistent internet connection to complete most or all of their basic functions. If servers are under increased load during the holidays, players may not be able to jump into digital storefronts or get online as quickly as they’d like.

Nintendo even warned customers of this in a Japanese-language tweet that encouraged console buyers to set up Nintendo accounts beforehand.

今週末は #ニンテンドーアカウント のサーバーにアクセスが集中し、ニンテンドーアカウントがすぐに作成できないなどの影響が予想されます。

はじめてNintendo Switchファミリーを利用される予定の方は、事前に作成しておくことをおすすめします。

— 任天堂サポート (@nintendo_cs) December 20, 2021

On Christmas Day 2020, the Nintendo Switch eShop was down for several hours thanks to the amount of people who were trying to purchase and download games on their new Switches. Doing so requires a Nintendo account. While it seems as though the company isn’t anticipating an outage quite as bad as last year’s, it’s still acknowledging that account creation will likely be slower thanks to increased load.

You don’t even need to take the console out of the box for this. Simply visit Nintendo’s website and create an account before gifting your Switch. Sony and Microsoft’s consoles also require similar accounts, so no matter which console you’re giving this season, make sure to set up an account beforehand.

Update and play

You will need to take a console out of its box to connect it to the internet and apply any available updates, which is also highly encouraged. Depending on how long it’s been since a console was manufactured and placed on a store shelf, it’s very likely that it doesn’t have the latest version of its essential software or firmware. These processes are essential to all of a console’s functions (even Sony’s Dualsense gets firmware updates), from playing games to getting into multiplayer matches to watching streaming services and using social functions.

The Xbox Series X and PS5
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Updating modern consoles is usually pretty easy. Simply turning on a console and connecting it to your home Wi-Fi will usually prompt it to update. If there are any issues or errors, you’ll be given an error code or message that you can search online in user guides and forums.

If you’re gifting any games with the console, particularly live-service games like Fortnite, Apex Legends, or Call of Duty: Warzone, make sure that they’re updated before putting the whole thing back in the box. Nothing dampens Christmas Day fun like having to wait an hour for a litany of updates to finish before you can ask the boys where you’re dropping.

Though it might seem counterintuitive, opening up and updating a console you’re about to give to someone else is one of the kindest things you can do for them. Not only will they appreciate the fact that you’ve gifted them a console, but they’ll also be thankful that the only setup they have to do is plug it into their TV or monitor of choice and pick their first game. It’s an easy way to both avoid holiday server headaches and make your giftee happy.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Emily Morrow
Emily Morrow
Emily Morrow is a games journalist and narrative designer who has written for a variety of online publications. If she’s…
This breezy 3D platformer wears its simplicity as a badge of honor
Koa runs on an island in Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara.

My adoration for exploring and collecting in games is well-known to anyone who has ever heard me wax poetic about Soulslikes. Surprisingly, though, it's rarely the punishing bosses or deep role-playing systems that suck me in the most -- it's the "Aha!" moments of finding a well-hidden item on a ledge most folks would never notice or stumbling upon an illusory wall that leads me somewhere wholly new. But this love of thoroughly examining levels and finding their secrets was first sparked in me with the significantly brighter and cheerier platformer genre almost three decades ago. There's really nothing that makes me happier than becoming entranced in a happy, colorful adventure that lets me sink back into that childlike wonder I experienced all those years ago.

That's why I'm always thrilled to find indie games like Chibig's Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara that genuinely capture the playfulness of the titles I grew up with. Similar to other lovely platformers like New Super Lucky's Tale or A Hat in Time, it may lack some of the AAA flourishes of the genre-defining Super Mario Odyssey, but it makes its case by flawlessly nailing the fundamentals: a memorable and lovable mascot, diverse level design, tight controls, and a cohesive artistic vision. That attention to such core principles keeps it from suffering the same fate as the dozens of low-budget releases each year that often suffocate beneath the weight of their own ambition.

Read more
Xbox Games Showcase can succeed where the PlayStation Showcase struggled
Senua stares ahead wearing war paint.

If there’s one video game presentation happening over the next week that has the most to prove, it’s the Xbox Games Showcase. Despite a strong start to the year with Hi-Fi Rush and a solid Developer Direct showcase, Microsoft’s gaming branch has floundered in recent months because of struggles with its acquisition of Activision Blizzard and the rocky launch of Redfall. With the Xbox Games Showcase and Starfield Direct Double Feature, Microsoft must reconfirm its commitment to gaming and to releasing high-quality first-party exclusives.

That said, Xbox is in an excellent position to do just that because of Sony’s underwhelming May showcase. As the first major gaming presentation of the summer, Sony had the chance to “win” the whole game reveal season early with its PlayStation Showcase. Ultimately, that live stream proved disappointing because of its focus on CGI reveal trailers and live service games.

Read more
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s arachnophobia toggle removes all spiders
Cal Kestis with BD-1 droid on his shoulder.

From endless hordes of Empire goons to hulking Rancors that can crush you in one or two hits, there are no doubt a lot of things to be afraid of in EA's new action-adventure sequel Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. However, if one of your fears happens to be spiders, developer Respawn has got you covered with an arachnophobia toggle that completely removes spiders from the game.

Survivor's Arachnophobia Safe Mode ensures that players who aren't particularly fond of eight-legged creepy-crawlies will never have to engage with any spiders that might crawl their way on-screen partway through the campaign. It's an unexpected addition to a game that is otherwise filled to the brim with strange and unsettling creatures to observe and fight, but spiders no doubt have a special way of freaking some of us out. Many folks are certain to appreciate seeing a choice to avoid arachnids altogether when they find themselves scrolling through the game's suite of accessibility options.

Read more