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If you bought an Xbox Series X or S a year ago, your choice of accessories was largely based on aging equipment designed for last generation systems. Now there are many more ways to improve your Xbox experience. Maybe you need a better controller to tweak your Psychonauts 2 runs, a clearer headset to chat with teammates in Apex Legends, or maybe your storage space is just running out. Here are some of the best Xbox accessories you can snap up today.
Controller: go stylish, go pro
Microsoft
It’s always smart to have a second controller on hand. Even if you don’t play multiplayer games often, you will regret not being prepared for the occasional friend or family member ready for a Mortal Kombat match. And at least it is wise to have a replacement in case something goes wrong with your main controller. (We all hit our gamepads against the wall for one reason or another – no judgment.)
While you could just get another shares Microsoft controller, there are many options worth considering. the Anniversary edition gamepad is just a bit more for $ 70 and has a chic, translucent design that will look great on your coffee table. If you’re looking for something with a little more color, this is gorgeous Limited edition of Forza Horizon 5 Model is still there. If you find that you are burning out a lot of AA batteries, consider a rechargeable solution like. consider PowerA dual controller bay. It comes with two batteries and allows you to charge your gamepads in style.
Buy Xbox Wireless Controller from Microsoft – $ 60
Buy Anniversary Edition Controller on Amazon – $ 100
Buy Forza Horizon 5 Controllers From Microsoft – $ 75
Buy PowerA Charging Station on Amazon – $ 25
Mat Smith, Engadget
For dedicated Xbox gamers, Second generation elite gamepad from Microsoft the investment can be worthwhile. It has interchangeable thumbsticks, rear buttons, and a comfortable grip. Not to mention, it’s one of the few Xbox gamepads that you can charge over USB-C.
If you’re more interested in playing older games, or just looking for a different style of controller, we’re big fans of the, too 8BitDos Pro 2. It’s incredibly comfortable, and its directional pad is one of the best on the market. It’s also a great controller for PC gaming (although any newer Xbox controller will work on computers via bluetooth too).
Buy the Elite Gamepad on Amazon – $ 180
Buy 8Bitdo Pro 2 on Amazon – $ 50
Specialized controllers are cool again!
Logitech
If you’ve played Microsoft Flight Simulator long enough, you’ll find that only a standard gamepad can get you this far. Time for a flightstick! After consulting with flight simulator fanatics and reading many reviews, we recommend moving on Thrustmasters T-Flight Hotas One Joystick. It offers realistic five-axis controls, fourteen buttons and a detachable throttle stick. And unlike some clunky PC solutions, it’s compact enough to fit on a coffee table or lap desk. (You can also use it with a computer if you want.)
If you’re more into cars, we’ve been impressed with The Logitech G923 racing steering wheel. It feels like a real steering wheel, with a comfortable grip, shift paddles made of steel and a trio of solid pedals. Once clamped to a table, it delivers a surprisingly realistic driving experience – all the better for speeding through Mexico in Forza Horizon 5. It’s definitely expensive at $ 400, but it’s an investment that will be enough for many racing games to come.
Buy T-Flight Hotas One Joystick on Amazon – $ 90
Buy Logitech G923 Racing Wheel From Amazon – $ 400
Upgrade your memory
Seagate
If you’ve been lucky enough to get your hands on a new Xbox Series X or S on launch, you are likely already familiar with their memory limits. Fortunately, you can easily get more air to breathe with one of Seagate Storage Expansion Cardsthat are just as fast as the nimble SSDs in the consoles. In addition to the 1TB card that was launched when it was launched, Seagate also recently introduced 512GB and 2TB options. We’d recommend going for the 1TB option at this point though – spending $ 400 on the 2TB seems just over the top.
You can also connect conventional hard drives, e.g. Seagate 2TB Game Drive, to the Xbox Series X and S via USB. They’re way too slow to run current generation games at full speed, but they give you a ton of storage for a much cheaper price. They come in handy for playing games from the original Xbox as well as the 360. And they can also be used as “cooling storage” to free up space on your valuable SSD. Newer games can easily switch back and forth between these drives so you don’t have to download them again.
Buy Seagate Expansion Card (1TB) on Amazon – $ 220
Buy Seagate Game Drive (2TB) on Amazon – $ 130
Optimize your sound
Engadget
You deserve better than your crappy TV speakers. While you could just plug any headphones you might be laying around into your Xbox controller, we recommend investing in a solid pair of wireless headphones. They’ll likely sound better and completely eliminate the entire cable problem. SteelSeries Arctis 9X are one of the best options, with beefy drivers, a comfortable fit, and sturdy build quality. We were impressed during our practical tests, because they sounded as good as the company’s excellent Arctis Pro PC headphones.
Buy SteelSeries Arctis 9X on Amazon – $ 200
8Bitdo
Tired of using your controller to control Netflix playback? Then grab it 8BitDos media remote control. Available in long and short designs (the latter removes numbers and other redundant buttons), they’re well-crafted remotes that match the Xbox’s clean aesthetic. I’ve used the short model to control 4K Blu-rays and tons of streaming apps, and it’s a lot easier to use than a controller when it comes to fast-forwarding. Now I don’t have to put my drink down to skip to another chapter.
