Questions for the gamers - Xbox related

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So my son (almost 13) wants an Xbox for Christmas - he currently has a switch but wants better game play, graphics and he just thinks an Xbox would be loads better. I have no idea on all this stuff so some basic questions!

I feel an S would be best, its £200 cheaper and basically comes with a smaller SSD, no media drive, and graphics not as good, but thinking the X would be too much.

Looking at the Game Pass thing, it means for a monthly sub he can play any game on there, but noticed FIFA is not on there - there seems to be further charge for EA games, correct? I assume that online subs is the way forward rather than buying games, unless he plans to just play a small number.

Also, there is a Gold thing, to play other people. Does that mean if he was to play fortnite or minecraft he cant play online with others without this (he currently plays fortnite with his friends online)? And on that note, fortnite is not in the game pass thing so that means he has to buy the game (also, does anyone know if he has to start all over or can carry his current fortnite profile over?).

Lots of dumb questions but this is something i don't know much about.
 
Hi Simon, i can offer some info regarding your questions as i have a young son that uses an Xbox.
Yes an Xbox One S will be fine for your son's use, he will need an Xbox Live Gold subscription (i think it's around £50 per annum) to play games online with his friends.
 
Hi Simon, i can offer some info regarding your questions as i have a young son that uses an Xbox.
Yes an Xbox One S will be fine for your son's use, he will need an Xbox Live Gold subscription (i think it's around £50 per annum) to play games online with his friends.

Thanks - the ultimate pass is around 11 a month and that is for Gold & the game pass
 
Yes the S will be fine. I’ve got an X but tbh i’ve never loaded a game disk or dvd from the drive.
Yes as above Live subscription so he can play/communicate online. I think the game pass is pretty good value and there are options to buy games outright, usually at a discount. An alternative to FIFA is PES soccer.
Also from a parent’s pov the controls and permissions are good and let you set whatever you’re happy with.
 
As long as its a Xbox Series S and not a Xbox One S I would agree it would be fine. With last generation consoles, you cant be sure if games will continue to be launched for it in the future, and I expect the One and the One S will quickly become obsolete. You can kind of see this with how quickly the 360 died after the launch of the One.

HTH
 
Yes the S will be fine. I’ve got an X but tbh i’ve never loaded a game disk or dvd from the drive.
Yes as above Live subscription so he can play/communicate online. I think the game pass is pretty good value and there are options to buy games outright, usually at a discount. An alternative to FIFA is PES soccer.
Also from a parent’s pov the controls and permissions are good and let you set whatever you’re happy with.

I didnt think the X had started shipping yet?
 
So my son (almost 13) wants an Xbox for Christmas - he currently has a switch but wants better game play, graphics and he just thinks an Xbox would be loads better. I have no idea on all this stuff so some basic questions!

I feel an S would be best, its £200 cheaper and basically comes with a smaller SSD, no media drive, and graphics not as good, but thinking the X would be too much.

I'm guessing you're considering next gen, ie Series S rather One S, Microsoft did themselves few favours with the naming, One thing you need to consider with a digitally only console is the inflated prices for games. They are usually more expensive and of course the 2nd hand market is closed to you/him

Looking at the Game Pass thing, it means for a monthly sub he can play any game on there, but noticed FIFA is not on there - there seems to be further charge for EA games, correct? I assume that online subs is the way forward rather than buying games, unless he plans to just play a small number.
Not all games especially new ones from 3rd party developers are on game pass they're mostly older games and xbox in-house game studios which are on there on the day of release. While FIFA21 is not on game pass Fifa 20 is on EA Play, which Is now, or soon will be part of game pass. Also while game pass ultimate is officially around £11 a month its often available cheaper, at the moment CDKEYS have it for £25 for 3 months and I bought it a month ago for £22
Also, there is a Gold thing, to play other people. Does that mean if he was to play fortnite or minecraft he cant play online with others without this (he currently plays fortnite with his friends online)? And on that note, fortnite is not in the game pass thing so that means he has to buy the game (also, does anyone know if he has to start all over or can carry his current fortnite profile over?).

Lots of dumb questions but this is something i don't know much about.
The gold thing :) is part of the game pass ultimate subscription, so no further outlay required. I'm assuming he plays fortnite battle Royale which I think is free. I don't play fortnite but I think accounts are now transferable to other platforms.
 
Good point above about the ‘one s’ or ‘series s’.
However i’ve got a one x and the backward compatibility means you can play all the one and older 360 games. we also noticed in microsoft store at the weekend that some of the games for the series s/x are badged as being ‘series x enhanced’. This suggests they will still be compatible with the one series but without any new features.
For xmas it may come down to availability- consoles were fast sellers in the first lockdown so combined with this second lockdown and christmas and a new model being available might make it tricky to find exactly what you want.
 
Fortnite is free to play and epic have now allowed for account merging so you can transfer accounts.

My son is currently on Nintendo Switch and is getting an Xbox series S so I will be merging his accounts soon so he can pick up where he left off.

Here's some info on how to do it.
 
The gold thing :) is part of the game pass ultimate subscription, so no further outlay required. I'm assuming he plays fortnite battle Royale which I think is free. I don't play fortnite but I think accounts are now transferable to other platforms.

So fortnite is 'stand-alone'? You dont need an ultimate sub?
 
Thanks - the ultimate pass is around 11 a month and that is for Gold & the game pass

This is what I have for my son and covers a fair amount from giving him online play access as well as a big list of games. It should be noted, however, that the free games don't stay there forever and will eventually drop off.

I prefer having a disc drive as it gives me the option to buy used games at the local store such as RDR2 which I got for a fraction of the online price.

Also, I'm not sure if they've sorted it yet but the headset jack in the controller is a common failure point, I think in particular if you keep inserting and removing the headset. Fortunately, you can get a replacement component for a few pounds and includes the two different sized hex drivers. The controllers are easy to open up, takes about 5 mins max to replace.
 
Have a read here about the Xbox series S:
It won't take long to fill 512GB SSD with games but I expect just previous versions of the Xbox, you'll be able to used an external storage device.
It may not be important at present but if he uses it with a 4K tv, the maximum resolution is 1440p.
In all honesty I think the the S series is a false economy.
Updates for games can be massive, I've seen some as big as 60GB.
Even with my net connection they can take quite a while to download.
I'm not sure how the MS game pass works as I don't use it but if the games need to be installed, again even with a decent Internet connection, they will take quite a while to install.
Reports so far indicate the install time on the Xbox Series X has greatly improved.
I know it's more expensive and I don't think you'll get one for Xmas (MS couldn't fulfill all the pre orders).
If he has any friends who play on a 4K TV , he will eventually want that.
There is a good market for used Xbox one games and plenty of good ones and the most will play on the gen Xbox.
Microsoft don't even have an exclusive game to release with the new console.
Just my tuppence worth.
 
Have a read here about the Xbox series S:
It won't take long to fill 512GB SSD with games but I expect just previous versions of the Xbox, you'll be able to used an external storage device.
It may not be important at present but if he uses it with a 4K tv, the maximum resolution is 1440p.
In all honesty I think the the S series is a false economy.
Updates for games can be massive, I've seen some as big as 60GB.
Even with my net connection they can take quite a while to download.
I'm not sure how the MS game pass works as I don't use it but if the games need to be installed, again even with a decent Internet connection, they will take quite a while to install.
Reports so far indicate the install time on the Xbox Series X has greatly improved.
I know it's more expensive and I don't think you'll get one for Xmas (MS couldn't fulfill all the pre orders).
If he has any friends who play on a 4K TV , he will eventually want that.
There is a good market for used Xbox one games and plenty of good ones and the most will play on the gen Xbox.
Microsoft don't even have an exclusive game to release with the new console.
Just my tuppence worth.

Well bt are supposed to be turning up Friday to install full fibre which should me 500 mbps (250 guaranteed) so speed shouldn’t be a problem.

Tv wise he is using a 1080 tv so in the short / med term the 4K doesn’t matter.
 
EA play is being added to gamer pass, from tomorrow I believe. So will include the games on there is you get a gamer pass.

Also if you get Xbox live you can turn this into a gamer pass for £1. This is generally a cheaper option.

Can stack 3 years of Xbox live so for 3 X cost of Xbox live plus £1, then you get gamer pass for 3 years (works out approx 3 years for the price of 1 year gamer pass cost).

Although you may be lucky to be able to get your hands on a new Xbox this side of Christmas if you haven't already pre-ordered one.
 
So a question on downloading games... with 512gb it is possible/likely to run out of space. If a game was deleted can/will it store game data. i.e. if i build a profile in the cricket game and then delete, then reinstall, will it start totally from scratch or will it download the game and allow me to pick up previous profiles/achievements?
 
So a question on downloading games... with 512gb it is possible/likely to run out of space. If a game was deleted can/will it store game data. i.e. if i build a profile in the cricket game and then delete, then reinstall, will it start totally from scratch or will it download the game and allow me to pick up previous profiles/achievements?
Game saves and achievements etc are stored in the cloud si if you delete a game and reinstall it later your progress will be where you last left it.
 
So a question on downloading games... with 512gb it is possible/likely to run out of space. If a game was deleted can/will it store game data. i.e. if i build a profile in the cricket game and then delete, then reinstall, will it start totally from scratch or will it download the game and allow me to pick up previous profiles/achievements?

With the Game Pass most definitely. I got the 1TB version and I've also got a 500GB SSD hooked up via USB 3 and both are almost full.

I'll grab some screen shots showing you how much space the various games take up. Some of them are mine which I dabbled in which he may be too young for, but they are there anyway for you to see.
 
With the Game Pass most definitely. I got the 1TB version and I've also got a 500GB SSD hooked up via USB 3 and both are almost full.

I'll grab some screen shots showing you how much space the various games take up. Some of them are mine which I dabbled in which he may be too young for, but they are there anyway for you to see.

Useful - rocket league he has been playing on switch so good to see its a low size - looking at the bigger ones, i dont think they will be ones he is playing for a good while!
 
Useful - rocket league he has been playing on switch so good to see its a low size - looking at the bigger ones, i dont think they will be ones he is playing for a good while!

Aye, Red Dead was a bit of a beast, but worth it for the visuals.
 
Well bt are supposed to be turning up Friday to install full fibre which should me 500 mbps (250 guaranteed) so speed shouldn’t be a problem

If the downloads from MS max out your connection which I very much doubt, then fine.
My connection is 70mbps and it never maxes out downloading from their servers.
 
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EA play is being added to gamer pass, from tomorrow I believe. So will include the games on there is you get a gamer pass.

Also if you get Xbox live you can turn this into a gamer pass for £1. This is generally a cheaper option.

Can stack 3 years of Xbox live so for 3 X cost of Xbox live plus £1, then you get gamer pass for 3 years (works out approx 3 years for the price of 1 year gamer pass cost).

Although you may be lucky to be able to get your hands on a new Xbox this side of Christmas if you haven't already pre-ordered one.

Managed to get on from BT this morning - all the usual places out of stock but spotted their store had them in stock so thats Christmas sorted!!!

Does anyone have any recommended headsets? He currently has a Turtle Beach one for Switch (although that may go with the switch for my daughter) which is fine but thinking a wireless one may be better (or even the Xbox one that fits on one ear like in a call centre as he may then hear me shouting when its dinner!)
 
Managed to get on from BT this morning - all the usual places out of stock but spotted their store had them in stock so thats Christmas sorted!!!

Does anyone have any recommended headsets? He currently has a Turtle Beach one for Switch (although that may go with the switch for my daughter) which is fine but thinking a wireless one may be better (or even the Xbox one that fits on one ear like in a call centre as he may then hear me shouting when its dinner!)

I got him a Recon 50 I think it was called, but the mic eventually stopped working. I think it's A Recon 70 he now has, forgive me but I can't remember specifics. It has a fold down mic.

Personally, I think a full headset is better so that he has better directional audio and it's more immersing. The volume doesn't go all that high anyway so he should hear you over it.
 
If the downloads from MS max out your connection which I very much doubt, then fine.
My connection is 70mbps and it never maxes out downloading from their servers.

Just did a speed test and 415 mb/s which is the fastest I have seen. First few days was a bit up and down but often showing at 300+.
 
EA play is being added to gamer pass, from tomorrow I believe. So will include the games on there is you get a gamer pass.

Also if you get Xbox live you can turn this into a gamer pass for £1. This is generally a cheaper option.

Can stack 3 years of Xbox live so for 3 X cost of Xbox live plus £1, then you get gamer pass for 3 years (works out approx 3 years for the price of 1 year gamer pass cost).

Although you may be lucky to be able to get your hands on a new Xbox this side of Christmas if you haven't already pre-ordered one.

Ok, so basically get one of these for £40 - https://www.cdkeys.com/12-month-xbo...MIkfLRrpCI7QIVi_jVCh3djgouEAQYASABEgLt3PD_BwE - then when I activate this will upgrade to Ultimate for just £1 extra?
 
I’m not sure if the game pass is converted at 1:1, see below from xbox web page...

After you join Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, you can continue to redeem Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass codes. These codes will automatically convert to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate based on the following conversion table. Conversion ratio subject to change.
Token says…You get…
1 month of Gold20 days of Ultimate
3 months of Gold50 days of Ultimate (1+ month)
6 months of Gold79 days of Ultimate (2+ months)
12 months of Gold4 months of Ultimate
24 months of Gold8 months of Ultimate
1 month of Xbox Game Pass (Console Games)20 days of Ultimate
3 months of Xbox Game Pass (Console Games)2 months of Ultimate
6 months of Xbox Game Pass (Console Games)4 months of Ultimate
12 months of Xbox Game Pass (Console Games)5 months of Ultimate
24 months of Xbox Game Pass (Console Games)10 months of Ultimate
1 month of Xbox Game Pass PC Games20 days of Ultimate
 
I’m not sure if the game pass is converted at 1:1, see below from xbox web page...



It is if you don't already have game pass i.e. maximise live gold subscription first, then sign up to game pass with the £1 offer. It then converts 1:1. However if you already have game pass and use codes for live gold it doesn't map 1:1.

People have done this a few times i.e. if you let your game pass elapse, I understand you get the £1 offer again. So can then use the live gold first, then the £1 offer. But doesn't work if you have a live game pass subscription
 
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