Microsoft’s latest consoles are more versatile than ever, with dozens of settings and features to tweak to your heart’s desire. The Xbox Series X offers 4K gaming and fast loads, with the Series S providing a more cost-conscious alternative with nearly all the same features. If you were able to get your hands on one of the new machines, here are some tips every Xbox owner should know.
Migrate Your Games and Save Files
Even if you still have a few Xbox One games in your backlog, you’ll want to play them on the Series X. The added horsepower will get you smoother frame rates and, in the case of older games, Auto HDR. If you’re upgrading from an Xbox One, Xbox One S, or Xbox One X, there’s no need to re-download those games from scratch when you can just transfer them directly.
Connect both consoles to your home network (ideally with an Ethernet cable) and head to Settings > System > Backup & transfer > Network transfer on your Xbox One. Check the Allow Network Transfer box, then head to the same menu on your Series X/S, select the games you want to copy over, and hit Copy Selected. This may take a while—again, using Ethernet is highly recommended—but when it’s done, you can unplug that old Xbox One for good.
Calibrate Your HDR Levels
The Xbox Series X and Series S really shine on newer TVs capable of 4K and HDR, but not all HDR TVs are created equal. That’s why your Xbox allows you to calibrate the HDR levels for an HDR “pop” without losing any detail in the image. To run the wizard, go to Settings > General > TV & Display Options > Calibrate HDR for Games and follow the instructions on screen, setting the brightness high enough that the boxes just disappear. If your TV has an HGIG mode, enable that as well, and make sure all the requisite boxes are selected in the Video Modes menu.
Organize and Customize Your Home Screen
The Xbox’s home menu is customizable, allowing you to tweak its theme, organize your games, and reorder menus in the pop-up guide that appears when you press the Xbox button. To dive in, press the View button on the controller—the one with the two rectangles—and explore this menu.
You can add or remove rows from your home screen, switch between light and dark themes, change the color of your background, and customize the Guide menu. You can even create Groups for your games, organizing them by genre, multiplayer vs. single-player, or what you want to play next—and then put those groups front and center on the home screen.
Pick Up Where You Left Off With Quick Resume
When Microsoft announced the Xbox Series X and Series S, it made a big deal about Quick Resume, a new feature that allows you to switch between games with lightning-fast speed, picking up right where you left off. You don’t actually have to do anything special to use this feature—it just works.
Open the Guide menu while in-game and select another title you want to start playing. The first game will be suspended and you can move back and forth between multiple games. When you select a suspended game, you’ll see a Quick Resume banner in the corner as it loads in seconds. It does, however, have a few quirks and caveats, which you can read about here.
Silence Noisy Notifications
If you’re tired of notifications interrupting your games, you can customize which ones appear from the Settings > Preferences > Notifications menu. From here you can turn notifications off entirely, or select which types of notifications you want to see, and for how long they appear on screen.
Enable Surround Sound
Surround sound is more accessible than ever thanks to affordable 5.1 systems, and Dolby Atmos gives the Xbox a leg up over its competition for serious home theater enthusiasts. The Xbox also supports different virtual surround formats for gaming headsets—like Windows Sonic, Dolby Atmos, and DTS Virtual:X.
Head to Settings > General > Volume & Audio Output to set your speaker output (you may have to play with a few settings depending on how your system is configured) and to enable 3D headset audio. Note that you’ll need to install the Dolby Access and DTS Sound Unbound apps from the Microsoft Store for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support. Speaker support is free, but a one-time in-app purchase is required for virtual headphone audio.
Play Anything, Anywhere
Just because you own an Xbox Series X doesn’t mean you’re limited to playing games designed for that console. If you never quite got through your last-gen backlog, Xbox’s robust backward compatibility has you covered. The Series X and Series S can play any game the Xbox One can, which means a number of Xbox 360 and original Xbox games as well.
Some of those games even support Smart Delivery, which means you’ll get the Series X-optimized version of the game when it’s available at no extra cost. And if the game supports Play Anywhere, you can even play it on a PC, switching back and forth between platforms without losing your progress.
Get Reminders to Take a Break
Some nights I sit down to play some Forza Horizon, and before I know it, it’s been three hours and I haven’t moved. It’s important to take regular breaks to give your hands, eyes, and back a rest, and your Xbox can remind you to do so at regular intervals. Visit Settings > Preferences > Break Reminder and set the timer for your desired interval and take your Xbox’s advice when it reminds you to get up. Ergonomics experts recommend more frequent breaks, so 30 minutes is the best setting here. It’s tempting to keep pushing through, but your body will thank you.
Take a Screenshot or Record Gameplay
Whether you just pulled off an awesome combo or found a hilarious bug, you can grab a screenshot or video clip and share it with your friends. To grab a still image of your gameplay, press the Share button—the box with an arrow—on your controller. To capture the last few seconds of gameplay as a video clip, hold down the share button—from there, you’ll be given the option to view the capture, edit it, and share it with the world. You can also tweak how this feature works from Settings > Preferences > Capture & Share, setting a longer duration for video clips, remapping the shortcuts, and more.
Control Xbox With Your Voice
The Xbox Kinect may have been controversial, but there was something incredibly futuristic and convenient about turning your Xbox on with your voice. Nowadays that’s commonplace thanks to voice assistants like Alexa and Google, and the Xbox Series X and Series S allow you to perform a number of voice commands with the smart speakers you already own.
Open Settings > Devices & Connections > Digital Assistants and check Enable Digital Assistants. Then, open your Alexa or Google Home app to add your Xbox as a new device, which will enable you to turn the Xbox on or off, launch a certain game, and grab game footage with your voice.
Buy and Download Games From Your Phone
Some of my all-time favorite games were recommendations my friends gave me when I was nowhere near my Xbox. Instead of waiting for those games to download when you get home, you can buy them from your phone, and start downloading them to your console right away so they’re ready as soon as you plop down on the couch. Grab the Xbox app for your phone (Android, iOS), connect your account, find the game in question, and tap the Download to Console button.
