It’s the holiday season, which can only mean one thing: buying gifts for loved ones (and yourself). For those looking to expand their Xbox One library of goodies, it can be difficult to know where to start and what you might need. But, with our Xbox holiday gift guide in hand, the decision about what to buy is made considerably easier.
Xbox One X
Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first. You’re going to need an Xbox One. Arguably the most powerful console currently on the market is the Xbox One X. This is Microsoft’s flagship console, boasting 4K resolutions and buttery-smooth frame rates. Whether you’re upgrading from a launch-day console or looking for a console to use in your lounge room, the Xbox One X is an excellent choice.
Personalized Controller
Having a single controller has never been a good idea. Between siblings squabbling over whose turn it is and wanting to play a co-op game with a friend or partner, a second controller saves a lot of headaches. Enter the personalized controller.
The Xbox Design Lab allows you to create your own customized controller. Select the color of the body, back, bumpers, triggers, even the analogue sticks and face buttons. Throw on some rubberized grip so you don’t slip during intense fights, and even engrave your Gamertag onto the front. This is the perfect Xbox One gift to yourself or a friend.
Xbox One Elite Controller
If picking a personalized controller is too much responsibility, consider the Xbox One Elite Controller. This is the best controller on the market. It offers unparalleled customization, all of which can be done on the fly to make the perfect controller experience.
The controller has paddles on the back that can be mapped to other inputs, the thumbsticks’ tightness can be altered, and the trigger-pull distance can be changed. No matter your preferred style, the Xbox One Elite Controller can be moulded to fit you.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Before we can dive into what Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is, you need to know the sum of its parts: Xbox Live and Game Pass. Xbox Live is Microsoft’s online subscription service. This lets you play multiplayer games with friends, grants access to exclusive sales and more. Game Pass is the Netflix of the video game world. A monthly fee opens up a library of hundreds of games for you to play, including many new releases.
These two services have come together to form Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. With Ultimate, you will be able to play multiplayer games online and access this huge catalogue of video games. This is the best value for money for those gamers that were looking to pick up both services anyway. Do yourself a favor and grab Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
External HDD / SSD
Most consoles now come with a 1TB internal harddrive, in fact, it’s extremely surprising to find one with anything less. This is a whole lot of space for a tonne of games, but unfortunately games are getting bigger and bigger. Red Dead Redemption 2 clocks in at a whopping 107 GB. That 1TB is suddenly looking a lot smaller.
To make matters worse, no matter what console you’re buying, the internal hard drive is going to be a standard unit, not an SSD. And so we get to one of the best Xbox One gifts: an external hard drive.
You have two options here, get a larger standard hard drive, such as a 4TB unit or go for a smaller SSD. The benefit of an SSD is that it cuts load times. Install your favorite game on the SSD and you will be able to get into the action significantly faster.
One option that is discounted as of writing is the Seagate 5TB External HDD via Amazon, available for $89.99 USD. You likely won’t be filling that up any time soon.
Play and Charge kit
Xbox One controllers do not come with an internal battery. This is a double-edged sword. While it means you have to worry about batteries it also means you don’t need to replace the whole thing when the battery inevitably begins to wear out. To solve the problem of buying AA batteries, grab yourself a Play and Charge kit.
A Play and Charge kit comes with a rechargeable battery and a long cable. As the name suggests, you can keep on playing while the battery charges. It’s simple and makes for a great gift.
Xbox One games
A console needs games, and if you haven’t gotten some already, here are a few highlights from this year and previous years:
- Resident Evil 2
- Crackdown 3
- Devil May Cry 5
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
- Sea of Thieves
- Borderlands 3
- Gears 5
- The Outer Worlds
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
Xbox original and Xbox 360 games
New games are super appealing, but if you’re a fan of the old Xbox consoles (or the person you’re buying for is), you should consider expanding your library with some old titles. Microsoft has done an incredible job of supporting its backward compatibility program. A significant portion of Xbox 360 games are backward compatible, as are a couple dozen original Xbox titles.
Not only is this a great way to have more games to play, but they’re all cheap as chips these days. As for where you can get them, check out your local retro gaming stores and eBay. While Amazon may have some, you could end up spending more than buying elsewhere.
Before you consider purchasing a game, check out our Xbox One backward compatible games list. This list contains all the compatible Xbox 360 and original Xbox games that will work on your Xbox One X console.
The Duke controller by Hyperkin
Chances are, if you're buying original Xbox games to play on your Xbox One, you're a fan of the original console.
For a lot of people, the Duke controller makes them groan in equal parts digust and pain. It was a bit unwieldy and ugly. However, if Hyperkin's version of the Duke fills you with nostalgia, it's probably the perfect gift.
My Xbox controller from @Hyperkin arrived in the mail today 😍 Thank you one and all for making this happen @Xbox @XboxP3 pic.twitter.com/5PmjPqoC0m
— Samuel Chandler (@SamuelChandler) July 2, 2018
This is a true recreation of the original controler Microsoft released, and is in fact officially licenced by Xbox. It has the same black and white buttons, and the chunky hand grips.
The Duke has also been slightly updated for modern times. There are two little bumpers on the top to simulate the Xbox One controller and the memory card/headset holes have been removed. But the most attractive addition is the big button in the middle. It's actually an LED screen and button which, when pressed, plays the original Xbox boot-up animation. This is definitely a present only a hardcore fan would appreciate. You can pick up a Hyperkin Duke Xbox controller from Amazon for about $39.99 USD.
4K TV
The Xbox One S and Xbox One X are both able to output HDR and 4K textures. If you’re still using a TV from 5 years ago, chances are it can only display 1080p images. Kick that television to the curb and pick up an incredible new 4K TV. Places like Wal-Mart and Target always offer great deals on TVs, as does the ever-popular Amazon.
Xbox Controller wireless adapter for PC
While this isn’t technically for the Xbox One console, it may come in handy in the future. The Xbox One controller works great on PC, but you need to use a cable. The workaround for this is to use the Xbox Wireless Adapter for PC. You can buy one from Amazon for $21.92 USD. Keep in mind, the controller will need to have batteries to work wirelessly, so consider the aforementioned Play and Charge kit.
Picking the right gift to go alongside an Xbox One can be a bit tricky. Games are always an excellent option, but there are other bits and pieces that a new console owner might not have thought of. Regardless of who you’re buying one of these gifts for, they’re bound to make your new gaming experience pop!
*Shacknews may receive a small compensation for any purchases made using links provided in this article.
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replySam Chandler posted a new article, Holiday gift guide 2019: Xbox One consoles, games and accessories
