Congratulations! You’re now the proud owner of one of the most powerful video game consoles ever built (or you’re about to give someone an incredible gift this holiday season). Either way, there are a few things you can Need help before you start playing once your new Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S is out of the box. Here are our suggestions on what to do first:
Create a free Xbox account
First things first: you have to Create an account on Xbox.com so you or your loved ones can access everything an Xbox account has to offer, such as: B. playing free online multiplayer games, interacting with the Xbox community and much more! Go here to get started.
parents: Once set up, you can easily check your child’s console activities from your phone using the Xbox Family Settings app, Here’s how you can set up screen time, content restrictions, chat access, adding friends, and expenses. Even better, it’s easy to adjust access as they grow and gain your trust. Learn more about the Family Settings app here.
Upgrade to Game Pass Ultimate or Xbox Live Gold
Xbox offers premium online subscriptions that you can sign up with to unlock multiple member benefits – you can decide which is best for you and your family. Xbox Live Gold gives you multiplayer access to all console games and offers exclusive weekly discounts dealings in gold and free games for you every month Games with gold.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate gives you all the benefits of Gold plus access to hundreds of high quality games you can play right away including the big day one Xbox franchises like Halo, Gears of War, Forza and many others including a variety of unique ones [email protected] games. And that only scratches the surface. Game Pass Ultimate also unlocks access to PC and cloud gaming features, as well as EA Play with access to franchises like FIFA, Madden, Battlefield and Star Wars.
You can also subscribe to Game Pass separately for both console or personal computer at a lower price if an Ultimate membership seems more than necessary. You can also try the first month of any plan for as little as $1 and then decide which one works best for you and your gaming lifestyle.
parents: Xbox Game Pass also includes access to countless family-friendly games, such as LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, PAW Patrol Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay, Minecraft, and many more. Once you complete the other steps below, you can even pre-download some games…
Update your console
With your Xbox account set up, it’s time to set up your console. Your console comes with some general instructions to walk you through connecting it to your broadband internet connection and to your HDMI-enabled TV. Follow these and you should be on your way to playing something soon. But now comes one of the most important steps: update.
It is recommended that you always upgrade your console during setup before connecting additional peripherals such as external hard drives, battery chargers, etc. This ensures maximum compatibility between your devices.
This can may take some time depending on your broadband connection and how many updates the console needs to apply. This is also a great time to download the Xbox app iOS or Androidwhich also includes some step-by-step guides (and allows you to manage your console from your smartphone).
parents: We know you’ll be in a hurry to get your system set up asap so the kids can jump right into Minecrafting and Fortnite. However, it’s worth taking the time to set up your precious ones with a child account to play on, as the system will ask if children will be playing on this system during the “out-of-box experience”. Speaking from experience, we recommend you to do this step In front Gift the new Xbox console to your kids. Maybe sneak out of bed and plug it in the night before. You can always wrap up the big box and put it under the tree, maybe hide a pup next to it if you’re feeling extra generous. Either way, it’s best to do these steps ahead of time so your kids’ first experiences with the console aren’t staring at an update bar at the bottom of your TV.
Adopt an energy-saving approach
Did you know that with Xbox you can help reduce emissions (and your energy bills)? It’s true. By using the Shut down (sleep) power option, you’ll use up to 20x less power when your console is off. Thanks to the Xbox Velocity Architecture and the custom SSD (Solid State Disks) internal storage, the boot time for your console is still extremely fast (comparable to that of an Xbox One console).
So what are you waiting for a few extra seconds before you start playing when you can help the planet? I say it’s worth it. You can learn more about these and some other sustainable tips in our latest Xbox Wire feature, Five easy ways to be more sustainable with Xbox this holiday season.
Take advantage of the many accessibility features on Xbox Series X|S
Thanks to feedback from the Gaming & Disability Community, Xbox games in the Microsoft Store can display tags that suggest accessibility features, making it easier to find games that meet specific needs and interests. Most game developers choose these tags when their games meet these criteria.
Outside of the store, the Xbox Series X|S offers several other features to help with gaming. Copilot lets you connect two controllers so you can use them as a single controller. The Xbox Accessories app lets you configure the button layout on the Xbox Wireless Controller. Speech to Text converts player speech or in-game chat that you can read on screen; Quick settings allow you to quickly see items like night mode, high contrast, and more. This is by no means an exhaustive list of features, but you can find the full range of accessibility settings here at the official Xbox.com Accessibility Site.
Xbox has those too Adaptive Xbox controller, primarily designed to meet the needs of gamers with limited mobility. It acts as a unified hub for devices that help make gaming across a wide range of devices more accessible. It is strengthened by partnerships with The AbleGamers Charity, The Cerebral Palsy Foundation, special effect, Warfighter Engaged and others. You can Learn more about the Xbox Adaptive Controller here.
parents: The Copilot setting mentioned above is great for playing with your kids when they first learn how to use an Xbox Wireless Controller. Take them for a spin ForzaHorizon 5, for example, to keep the car on the road. Or walk around together Fourteen days while learning to distinguish character and camera controls. This feature may not be available for every game, but it’s a fantastic way to get started on your gaming journey.
Welcome!
Welcome to the world of Xbox! A few other places you might want to check out are our official ones Xbox Gear shop for the latest Xbox apparel and accessories and the Microsoft Store on Xbox to snag the latest releases, exclusive blockbusters, season passes, add-on content, indie games and more – all at great prices (and even better with your 10% store discount with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate).
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