Must-have accessories for your Xbox Series X or Series S console

The Xbox Sequence X and Sequence S are wonderful machines, but, regardless of how good they’re, there’ll all the time be room for enchancment. Equipment just like the Elite Sequence 2 Controller and the Xbox Stereo Headset may help you get probably the most out of your new console, whereas others, like Seagate’s Storage Growth Playing cards, will assist guarantee you’ve gotten ample space for storing for years to return.

Beneath, we’ve listed a few of the greatest equipment out there for the Sequence X and S, lots of which regularly go on sale at most main retailers.

Controllers and charging stands

First up, controllers. The last-gen Xbox Wi-fi Controller from the Xbox One could also be suitable with the Sequence X / S consoles; nevertheless, the older controller lacks a couple of new options. As an example, the revised controller has a devoted button for saving and sharing clips and screenshots, a USB-C port for wired use or charging up Microsoft’s play-and-charge rechargeable battery, and an improved D-pad.

Along with working with the Xbox consoles, it additionally options Bluetooth help so you’ll be able to join it to your Android cellphone, iPhone, or PC. In case your PC doesn’t have Bluetooth, you’ll be able to plug in by way of USB or choose up the Xbox wi-fi adapter made for Home windows.

The Xbox Wi-fi controller commonly retails for $59.99 to $64.99, relying on the colour or version, however we frequently see it on sale for as low a value as $40. And for those who need one thing actually distinctive, you’ll be able to order a customized mannequin by way of the Xbox Design Lab.

If you happen to’re prepared to fork out a bit of additional cash, it could be value investing within the Xbox Elite Sequence 2 Controller.

Whereas practically double the worth of the Xbox wi-fi controller, we think about it the very best premium Xbox controller you should purchase. We love how customizable it’s, in addition to options just like the adjustable-tension thumbsticks, the paddles for customized button mapping, and the shorter hair-trigger locks. The controller additionally affords USB-C and Bluetooth connectivity and nice battery life whether or not you’re taking part in on an Xbox One, Xbox Sequence X, or Home windows 10 / 11 gadget. Actually, we had been capable of take pleasure in roughly 40 hours of playtime on a single cost.

Though the Elite Sequence 2 usually sells for $179.99, it typically dips to as little as $139.99 when it’s on sale. There’s additionally the Xbox Elite Sequence 2 Core, a less expensive model that comes packaged with fewer accouterments. The Core model is identical controller in two-tone white, pink, or blue — however with out the equipment — and sells for $129.99 by itself.

If you happen to’d quite purchase a extra inexpensive controller on your spare, the PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller is a good finances choose. It lacks wi-fi connectivity, however it comes with a prolonged Micro USB cable and works on each the Xbox Sequence X / S and PC. It’s a greater than succesful gamepad that is available in all kinds of colours and licensed designs, one that usually sells for as little as $24.99

If you wish to get monetary savings on expensive alternative batteries, think about selecting up a charging stand once you purchase your controller. The PowerA Charging Stand affords a 1,100mAh rechargeable battery and two battery doorways, in addition to a USB charging cable. It’s additionally suitable with each the Xbox Sequence X / S and Xbox One wi-fi controllers. Whereas we don’t typically see important offers on the gadget, Amazon and PowerA usually promote the black and white configurations for $19.99. Alternatively, in case you personal a number of controllers, you’ll be able to go for a PowerA Duo Charging Station for $29.99, permitting you to cost two without delay.

You don’t need to miss a name when you recreation, due to Microsoft’s $99.99 Xbox Wi-fi Headset. After we reviewed it in 2021, we discovered it to be a cushty, intuitively designed headset that’s properly well worth the value. And along with working properly with Xbox consoles, it will possibly join to a different gadget concurrently by way of Bluetooth.

If you happen to’re on a tighter finances and don’t thoughts a wire, the Xbox Stereo Headset is usually the identical however for much less. It connects to your controller by way of a 3.5mm cable, and whereas it will possibly’t concurrently pair along with your cellphone, it has a useful quantity management on its proper ear cup.

Delegating your older video games to a slower however far cheaper storage resolution — like Seagate’s 4TB Recreation Drive For Xbox — is a intelligent option to let you’ve gotten all your video games accessible with out crowding your already-limited SSD area. Nevertheless, it’s value stating that any exterior USB drive will likely be considerably slower to load than what the Sequence X’s and Sequence S’s respective SSDs can deal with. If you happen to’re hungry for more information, take a look at this in-depth have a look at totally different exhausting drive efficiency factors from Digital Foundry’s Richard Leadbetter.

In fact, you should purchase sooner storage so as to add to your Sequence X / S console, however it’ll value you considerably extra money than the choice above. Microsoft partnered with Seagate to make proprietary SSDs that may be inserted into the rear of both console. The SSDs can be found in a number of configurations, together with a 512GB mannequin for $139.99, a 1TB variant for $219.99, and a 2TB model for $399.99. All three are supposedly simply as quick because the storage inside your new console, so that is the very best place to maintain the entire new video games you wish to rapidly load and swap between at will.

There’s been discuss of the growth card slot being opened as much as extra producers after cheaper ones from Western Digital had been briefly noticed on Finest Purchase’s web site, however for now, Seagate’s expandable storage playing cards stay the only choice.

Okay, possibly it’s not completely important, however a $9.99 month-to-month Xbox Recreation Move subscription is a worthwhile asset for any Xbox console proprietor. It affords entry to over 100 video games from Microsoft, Bethesda, and plenty of extra. There are day-one releases of huge AAA titles, together with Bethesda’s upcoming spacefaring epic, Starfield, in addition to indie darlings like Citizen Sleeper. Frankly, it’s among the finest issues about proudly owning an Xbox in case you prefer to strive all kinds of video games. Plus, in case you go for the $14.99 per 30 days Recreation Move Final subscription, you additionally get entry to Xbox Cloud Gaming and PC Recreation Move.

LG’s C2 OLED is a good gaming TV with 4 HDMI 2.1 ports that every helps 4K decision at as much as 120Hz. It additionally options help for Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync applied sciences, low enter lag, and a quick processor. It even has a “Recreation Optimizer” dashboard, which is a settings pane that conveniently brings collectively game-centric settings like refresh charge and latency for faster entry.

The C2 stays considered one of our prime suggestions for many who wish to recreation on an OLED TV, which lets you benefit of fantastic black ranges and vivid shade distinction. There’s a brand new C3 mannequin now hitting the market, however it’s promoting for fairly a bit greater than the C2. For now, you’ll be able to nonetheless get the last-gen mannequin in a lot of dimension configurations, starting from 42 inches to an enormous 77 inches.

If a brand new TV is out of your finances, you’ll be able to nonetheless make taking part in video games in your current set extra satisfying for affordable with 8BitDo’s infrared media distant. In our evaluation, we concluded the distant does job in case your Xbox is your major streaming gadget. It affords Xbox buttons so you’ll be able to simply navigate menus and apps, in addition to a Dwelling button that wakes up your Xbox immediately. The Brief Version we reviewed appears to be discontinued, however you’ll be able to nonetheless get the black Lengthy Version, which incorporates a quantity pad, for $24.99.