Hidden costs of owning an Xbox Series XS: Discover 7 secrets! 🎮💰

The Xbox Series X and S consoles are two of the most peculiar in the gaming world, given that many players may never own a single game for the system. Instead, the “catch” is that they subscribe to Microsoft’s Game Pass service to meet most of their gaming needs. 🎮✨

1. Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass represents many things. On one hand, it's a limitless buffet of games with recent first- and third-party releases, plus classics dating back to the original Xbox. It's also the gateway to the online game and cloud streaming. ☁️🎉

Game Pass tiers have become a bit more complicated following the removal of the Xbox Live Gold service by MicrosoftGame Pass Core — the replacement for Xbox Live Gold — is the base option at $149.99/month, offering online play alongside a couple dozen rotating titles in its catalog.

This budget option is good if you plan on buying your own games, as the sparse catalog lacking new releases leaves a lot to be desired. In fact, for $5 more per month, there's almost no reason not to opt for the Standard tier. This expands the game catalog to hundreds, with new additions every month. This tier exemplifies why Game Pass has positioned itself as the best deal in the gaming world. 🏆

However, if you really want to experience everything Game Pass has to offer, you'll need to subscribe to the Ultimate tier at $19.99/month. This lets you play new releases like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and DOOM: The Dark Ages from day one and access cloud gaming for most titles.

Plus, it gives you full access to Game Pass on PC, which includes some games not available on Xbox (and vice versa). The price of the Ultimate membership is steep, at $$240 annually, but think about this: if you plan on buying at least four games a year but don't care about ownership, it's actually a great deal! Just think that you'll probably be able to get those games in an eventual sale, as old subscriptions tend to drop in price. 🤑

Arguably the main reason to buy an Xbox is to use Game Pass, so if the Standard or Ultimate options are too high a cost for you, perhaps another console will better suit your needs. 🎮💡

2. Games Leaving Game Pass

Just like the games that come to Game Pass every month, other games are also leaving the service. While you are usually given a month's notice before this happens, it can be frustrating if a game you are actively playing is leaving. ⏳😩

Microsoft's solution to this is to offer Discounted purchases of any Game Pass game as long as it remains available on the service. If you feel like you should keep playing a title you'll soon lose, you'll have to bite the bullet and buy it at a discounted price. While this isn't a hidden cost, it's worth considering that your gaming spending can — and likely will — extend beyond Game Pass. In that regard, new releases you're interested in may not be available on Game Pass if they're published by third parties. 🛒

3. External Storage

Given the download frenzy when you first access the Game Pass catalog, you're likely to fill that internal storage at high speed. This is especially true if you play next-gen titles that often have file sizes exceeding 100GB. ⚠️

Increase the storage on your Xbox Series console reminds you of the days of memory cards, a nostalgia that doesn't really deserve to be revived. Unlike the wide range of microSD cards and NVMe SSDs that are compatible with the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 respectively, Microsoft instead offers proprietary storage expansion cards manufactured by Seagate or Western Digital. 💾

Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X or S

$149 $160 Save $11

The Seagate storage expansion card for Xbox Series offers fast storage additional storage for your Xbox console, perfect for storing the latest games.

These options are quite expensive, with 512GB of storage costing $$89.99, and up to a whopping $$279.99 for 2TB. That's almost the cost of a new Series S! There's also no guarantee that these storage options can be reused in future generations. of consoles, in contrast to its competitors' solutions that can be reformatted for other uses. 🔀

A SSD An external USB 3.1 drive with at least 128GB of storage can be used to launch older generation games, but won't be able to run Xbox Series optimized titles. This could represent a cheaper solution as long as you keep all your next generation games in internal storage. 💾

4. An Extra Controller

While not essential for everyone, if you want to engage in split-screen multiplayer or couch co-op, you'll need another controller. While you can get cheaper gamepads, nothing really compares to the $50 Xbox Core Controller, which comes in a variety of colors (and some special editions available if you're quick). 🎨

Xbox Core Wireless Controller

$53 $65 Save $12

One of the best controllers you can buy, no matter the platform. The Xbox Core controller was designed for Xbox Series consoles, but also works great on Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and more. 👍

5. Rechargeable Batteries

Xbox Wireless Controllers are powered by AA batteries. You'll need to keep disposable spares on hand to power the controller whenever it runs out, or opt for these rechargeable alternatives. 🔋

The main option people choose is USB-C rechargeable battery packs. Microsoft sells its own, though There are also plenty of third-party options. Rechargeable AA batteries are also worth considering. These are more versatile as they can be used with all your battery-powered devices, but they aren't as convenient a solution as a battery pack. Microsoft offers an Xbox Play and Charge Kit for around £100 which also works great. 💡

Regardless of which route you choose, controller batteries are an unavoidable expense. However, there is one silver lining: since you can always have Spare batteries charging and that's it, a second controller is not needed outside of local multiplayer. 🔄

6. A Headset

One of the signature packs in previous Xbox bundles was a headset for online voice chat, but this has been removed from the Xbox Series X|S bundle. This means you'll need to provide your own. 🎧

A budget headset is pretty affordable if you're not too picky about sound quality and comfort, but prices add up quickly, especially if you want a wireless one. We've got a guide to our favorites to help you figure out what to look for in an Xbox headset. 🔍

7. A Universal Remote Control

This is one of those “nice to have, if you have it” items. A universal remote makes using media apps a more intuitive experience than fumbling with a controller. 📺

There are some Xbox-specific options on the market that include a home button, but don't spend too much on this. Universal remotes are a quality of life improvement, and you may already have one if it came included with your TV. 🛋️

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Looking for more information to help you decide on your Xbox purchase? Here's why the Series X is currently a better value proposition than the Series S. 💡