Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S Holiday Gift Guide 2020
Some gift ideas to consider for those with an Xbox, including games, storage upgrades, and other useful add-ons!
Now that the holiday season is upon us, shoppers and consumers alike are preparing to buy gifts for others and themselves. For those with a new Xbox Series X, Series S, or even an Xbox One, the fun doesn’t just stop at buying a console as there are other additional devices and add-ons that make the experience even better. Here are some top gift ideas for the 2020 holiday season for anyone that has an Xbox console.
Xbox One and Xbox Series X & Series S Holiday Gift Guide 2020
While the Xbox Series X and Series S are out in the wild, the Xbox One (and it’s more powerful Xbox One X version) are still being supported by Microsoft. Furthermore, the good news is that games and accessories that work on the older Xbox One also work on the Series X and Series S.
A new console
Before we get into the meat of the accessories and add-ons, it’s important to actually have the console. For those still hoping to get a new Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S, we’ve put together a helpful guide on where you might be able to find a new Xbox in stock. It’s worth checking these locations every so often to see if any stock crops up.
Spare controllers
New consoles only typically come with one controller and this tends to spell disaster when you’ve got multiple people that want to play. But even if there aren’t a lot of people vying for some console time, a personalised controller makes for a great Xbox gift. Unfortunately, the Xbox Design Lab is currently receiving a refresh and it will be back in 2021, at which point users can design their own custom Xbox controller. Until then, there are plenty of bold controller designs that can be found online like this slick blue Xbox Series X controller.
Play ‘n’ Charge kit
The Xbox controllers don’t come with a built-in battery, which means you don’t need to throw away the entire controller or dig out a security screwdriver when the battery dies. If you don’t want to be swapping out AAs whenever they run out of juice, a Play and Charge kit is an absolute must-have. This battery pack slots into the controller and uses a cable that’s long enough to let you keep playing on your couch while it charges.
New (and old) games
There’s no point in getting a new console if you don’t have games to play on it. For those with an Xbox, the good news is that there is close to 20 years’ worth of games to play on it. There are games from the original Xbox that run on current-gen systems, hundreds of Xbox 360 games that can be played, and of course the games that released on Xbox One. For this reason, it can be worth searching through something like Craigslist or eBay for some classic titles from previous generations.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
What’s better than getting a couple of games for close to $100? Gaining access to a library of games for a fraction of that price through Xbox Game Pass. This is Microsoft’s Netflix-like service where for a monthly price players gain access to a catalogue of games, including brand new first-party releases, third-party games from the likes of Bethesda and EA, as well as old-school games from previous generations. This is quite possibly the best subscription service on the market and makes for an awesome holiday gift.
External hard drive
One thing about having access to a huge catalogue of video games is that you’ll need somewhere to save them. While the Xbox Series X has a 1TB HDD, it can fill up quite quickly and it’s a good idea to use it for Series X titles that are enhanced. For this reason, an external hard drive is a great gift purchase. Something like the LaCie Rugged 1TB external hard drive from Amazon should be considered but any external hard drive will do the trick.
Sennheiser GSP 602 EPOS headset
When it comes to playing video games, audio lifts the whole experience to new levels. Though you can get away with using your TV’s audio system, a great headset should definitely be considered and the Sennheiser GSP 602 EPOS is one of the best on the market. Not only will it sound better, but it will ensure the person playing isn’t disturbing everyone else in the immediate area with loud video game noises.
Cables
They might not make for the most exciting gift but cables are one of the most useful items. Something like a long Ethernet cable allows for a physical internet connection, which means more stability and faster speeds, a boon for any online gamer. Then there’s the new Xbox controller, which uses a USB-C cable connection. A spare USB-C cable is always helpful, especially as more manufacturers adopt it in their devices.
Whether you’re buying for yourself or someone else, these are some solid Xbox gifts that you should consider this holiday season. The benefit of belonging to the Xbox ecosystem is that these gifts will work on the Xbox One as well as the current-gen Xbox Series X and Series S. Be sure to check out the Shacknews Holiday Gift Guides 2020 page for even more ideas and stop by the Chatty thread to let us know what gifts you’ve come up with.
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replySam Chandler posted a new article, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S Holiday Gift Guide 2020
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I did like the play and charge kit and was a great purchase for my new Xbox. I would like to comment that the play and charge kit pictured is for the Xbox One X or S and not the Series X/S because the included cable is USB-C. Also if you buy the kit a 10 foot or so USB A to C cable is included in the kit, which could be one less cable to buy.
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Oh good catch, I'll swap it over. The change in connections with the new controllers might make things a bit confusing for some people, especially those that still want to use their older Xbox controllers. So in some regards, the older Play and Charge kits might come in handy (the link is actually to the new one).
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