The best Xbox accessories – Polygon

Each console, which costs $499.99, is a great choice. The smaller, $299.99 Series S can be used as a second Xbox Series X, and you will have access to all the Xbox Game Pass games if the subscription has been activated. There are many accessories that will enhance your gaming experience or give your system a personal touch.

We’ve pulled together a bunch of our favorite ones below. While most of these accessories are not essential, some may be vital to your gaming experience. For example, the Seagate expansion card allows you to download additional games or for you to chat with friends. You may update this post if new accessories or availability becomes available.

Starter Kit Xbox Series X

If you own more than one Xbox Series X gamer, you may need a second or a third controller. Thankfully, Microsoft’s Xbox wireless controllers are relatively inexpensive, considering how feature-packed they are. Although some colours are more costly than others in the Xbox wireless controller, most of them sell for below $50. You should also make sure you have a spare set of AA batteries or an adapter and dock to charge your device.

A rechargeable controller set is a cost-effective way to maintain your controllers’ health without having to buy disposable batteries. It’s also more convenient than swapping and charging rechargeable batteries. We love the $85, 8BitDo Dual Charging Dock, which includes a pair rechargeable battery packs. Once those are installed, it can charge two controllers at once — and looks pretty slick doing it.

While the Xbox Series X promises a 1 TB SSD for its console, there are only 802 GB available. The 512 GB in Microsoft’s Xbox Series S? More like 364 GB. With that amount of storage remaining, the allotted space for games, updates, and apps isn’t plentiful.

If you don’t mind paying an exorbitant price for up to 2 TB of extra storage, Seagate’s storage expansion cards are your best — and pretty much only — option. This card can be inserted into your console and you can forget all about storage (at least for now).

You don’t Not required It is not necessary to spend large sums on headsets. In fact, you can plug any set of wired headphones into your controller’s 3.5 mm jack for audio. However, if you’re looking for a wireless option that isn’t too expensive, and that has the best headset integration we’ve seen on a console in a while, check out Microsoft’s official Xbox Wireless headset.

It’s $99.99 (and sometimes less), and it delivers a comfy, easy-to-use experience for the price. The most innovative design feature is the volume and chat/game audio dials. They adjust as you move your left or right earcups. You can also connect to your tablet or phone via Bluetooth, in case you have to make a call.

The HIDEit Mounts provide a low profile, sturdy mounting option for controllers or consoles. The controller mounts come in packs of two for around $18, and it’s a clever idea if you’re sick of leaving your gamepads lying on your coffee table.

You can attach your Xbox big to the wall with the $30 Series X Mount. Now, before you say that you could get roughly the same effect from a cheaper floating shelf purchased from Ikea, as an example, hear me out: HIDEit mounts are designed like brackets, holding the console snugly by its dimensions — effectively locking it in place. So, it’s not the same kind of risk as putting it on a shelf, as your Xbox likely won’t take an unexpected 4-foot fall because your cat was feeling particularly spicy that day.

The Best Xbox Series X Controller

The Xbox wireless controller is an obvious inclusion, as it’s still one of the best controllers you can buy for your Xbox. The latest iteration of Microsoft’s Xbox wireless controller — the same one that ships with the Series X and Series S — doesn’t break with tradition. It has a similar design and feel to the Xbox One controller but offers more features.

It’s compatible not just with your Xbox console, but also with PCs and mobile devices thanks to its Bluetooth connectivity. Compared to Sony’s DualSense, the Xbox wireless controller is available in a wider array of colors, and you can even make your own custom color scheme through the Xbox Design Lab for an additional fee.

It’s annoying that Microsoft’s controller uses AA batteries, as opposed to offering a rechargeable solution by default. Its battery life, however is good. You can buy rechargeable batteries or connect the controller to your PC or console via USB.

If you’re looking for a wired controller with a long cable that’s a little more budget-friendly than Microsoft’s wireless option, the 8BitDo Ultimate wired controller is a good choice. It’s good at the fundamentals, but it’s on this list because of its deep customization through 8BitDo’s app, which is available via Xbox, Windows, Android, or iOS. You can also remap both the face and back buttons within the app. The app allows you to adjust your trigger actuation, set the stick sensitivity, and much more.

The Ultimate wired controller is available in pink, black, or white, and it isn’t trying to win awards for design, but that’s OK. It’s a rock-solid Xbox and PC controller that doesn’t cost too much.

The $100 Microsoft Adaptive Controller is worth mentioning because it’s designed specifically for players with limited mobility, and it’s compatible with a broad spectrum of inputs sold separately, like the $99.99 adaptive gaming kit from Logitech. Additional input devices can be added to the adaptive controller. These can include foot pedals or mouth joysticks. Each of them can be individually mapped. It’s compatible with Xbox consoles dating back to the Xbox One, plus PC.

Best Xbox SeriesX SSD

Unlike the PlayStation 5’s support for a wide range of M.2 SSDs, there’s really only one option when it comes to giving your Xbox more super-fast storage. It comes in the form of Seagate’s proprietary storage expansion cards, one of which can be inserted into the back of your Series X or Series S console at a time. These cards are available in 2TB (for $199.99) and 1TB (for $359.99). They can store the most recent Xbox games and allow you to play them. Slower spinning hard drives cannot play older games.

There isn’t much else to say about these expansion cards. They’re convenient, and they work as intended. But they’re way more expensive than they should be, especially next to similarly speedy M.2 SSDs that are falling in cost.

If you’re looking for a slightly more cost-effective option, Seagate also offers bulk hard drive storage for Xbox in the form of the Seagate Game Drive (starting at $79.99), which is available in a variety of sizes, ranging from 1 TB to a whopping 8 TB. While the Game Drive provides substantially more storage per dollar spent than Seagate’s pricey expansion cards, it’s more limited in what it can do.

The Xbox One can run games of earlier generations and can store save files. It also can hold Series X installation and Series X game installs. To be exact, however, you can’t use it to store save files or Series X game installations. Play any Series X titles you may have stowed away on it, you’ll have to transfer them back to your console’s internal storage. Although this is less convenient than the original download, it allows you access to your entire game catalog without downloading them again.

The Best Xbox Series X Headset

Although there are many options of wireless headsets for Xbox Series X models, the Xbox Wireless Headset by Microsoft is the most affordable at just $99.99. This lightweight, simple headset is compatible with PCs and Xbox as well as mobile devices using Bluetooth. It features an adjustable boom microphone and volume controls. The volume can also be adjusted by rotating the outer portion. One feature that makes this headset particularly well suited for the Xbox is its compatibility with the Xbox accessories app, which allows you to set custom sound profiles and fine-tune the mic’s behavior through your console. For more details on this awesome headset, you can check out The Verge’s full review.

Best Xbox Series X high-roller upgrades

Xbox is home to the Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon race franchises. What better way than to have fun racing across dirt and blacktop with a Force-feedback Racing Wheel, complete with paddle shifters, pedals and pedals. The Logitech G920 Driving Force Wheel is currently available for $279.99 on Amazon. It normally retails at $299.

The G920 racing wheel features all the navigation buttons you’d find on your typical Xbox controller, so you won’t have to awkwardly swap between input methods. As you play in-game, the wheel provides real resistance and feedback. Any accessory that costs almost as much as an Xbox Series S isn’t to be taken lightly, but we can’t think of a better accessory for a motorhead that wants to experience the road from the comfort of their Xbox, or a PC.

At some point in your ownership of an Xbox, you’ve probably wondered: Should I buy the $179.99 Elite Series 2 controller? We can see the value in spending three wireless Xbox controllers for just one gamepad if you are a regular user of Xbox or PC gaming. However, by not getting one you shouldn’t feel as though you’re somehow subjecting yourself to an inferior gaming experience. You just won’t have as many buttons and other nice but nonessential features.

To name just a few, the Series 2 comes with a hard shell, interchangeable parts, and an adjustable stick tension. If you like the features offered by this premium controller but hate the price, Microsoft also makes the $110 Elite Series 2 Core controller, which has the same features as the Elite Series 2, but doesn’t ship with any of the extra accessories.