Getting back to Consoles

L

LaatSahab

Skilled
I used to game on consoles when I was in school. My first console was Atari 8400 and my last console was PS2. After that, I played on PC for the next 4-5 years. Since then, I've not been gaming. Recently found time in life so decided to get back to it. With launch of new generation of consoles and ever-increasing prices of GPU and continuous product revision and updates in PC world, I stuck to console side. Opted for a pre-owned XBOX Series S because 1080P 60FPS is enough for me right now, and I do not even have a 4K 120Hz display at the moment. Plus, there are a lot of games from the previous generation that I haven't played, so Series S was the most cost-efficient option from this point too. Now, through my other thread about consoles, I was able to clear my doubts regarding network-less operation of the console. In this thread, I want to know about some Dos and Don'ts and tips and tricks and must have accessories for it.
1. I'll be needing a battery for the controller. What would be a durable and cost-effective option; rechargeable AA batteries from Duracell or 3rd party compatible battery pack?
2. Suggest me a good HDMI Audio extractor so that I may feed the game audio to my stereo setup. Would the new HDMI 2.1/2.2 standards play spoilsport in this?
3. What are my options for increasing storage of the device? Are 3rd party external hard disks compatible with it? What are the Pros and Cons of external HDDs, Platter and SSDs both?
4. Is the Game Pass subscription necessary? Does the trick of topping multiple Gold passes with an Ultimate trial one still holds?
 
LaatSahab said:
I used to game on consoles when I was in school. My first console was Atari 8400 and my last console was PS2. After that, I played on PC for the next 4-5 years. Since then, I've not been gaming. Recently found time in life so decided to get back to it. With launch of new generation of consoles and ever-increasing prices of GPU and continuous product revision and updates in PC world, I stuck to console side. Opted for a pre-owned XBOX Series S because 1080P 60FPS is enough for me right now, and I do not even have a 4K 120Hz display at the moment. Plus, there are a lot of games from the previous generation that I haven't played, so Series S was the most cost-efficient option from this point too. Now, through my other thread about consoles, I was able to clear my doubts regarding network-less operation of the console. In this thread, I want to know about some Dos and Don'ts and tips and tricks and must have accessories for it.
1. I'll be needing a battery for the controller. What would be a durable and cost-effective option; rechargeable AA batteries from Duracell or 3rd party compatible battery pack?
2. Suggest me a good HDMI Audio extractor so that I may feed the game audio to my stereo setup. Would the new HDMI 2.1/2.2 standards play spoilsport in this?
3. What are my options for increasing storage of the device? Are 3rd party external hard disks compatible with it? What are the Pros and Cons of external HDDs, Platter and SSDs both?
4. Is the Game Pass subscription necessary? Does the trick of topping multiple Gold passes with an Ultimate trial one still holds?
Click to expand...
Hi, I'll try to answer some of your questions. Please keep in mind that I don't own a Series S or X or for that matter any console but I do play games on xbox gamepass pc.
  1. I don't think there are any battery pack available from any reputed brands in India. I would suggest going for regular rechargeable AA batteries from Duracell as these are easy to find & replace in the future. Plus can be utilized somewhere else if you later find a good quality battery pack.
  2. No idea. Something like https://www.amazon.in/AmazonBasics-Audio-Stereo-Extractor-Converter/dp/B07KRWYN4R/ could work. Regarding HDML 2.1 support, I don't think you'll be able to find any extractors yet. From my understanding HDMI 2.1 is mostly required for 4k 120Hz mode, although do check if regular extractors with HDMI 2.0 versions support 1080p 120Hz output as the Series S does support games at 120Hz. If that is not something that you are interested in, lack of HDMI 2.1 support is not an issue.
  3. 3rd Party storage devices are supported. I would recommend going with sata based external SSD, something like https://www.amazon.in/Samsung-500GB-Portable-Solid-State/dp/B074WZJ4MF/, so that the transfers are fast & you are still able to run the last generation games through it with relatively fast loading times. For new games, you will be required to run them through the internal SSD so you'll have to move around your games from external to internal.
  4. It is not necessary but is highly recommended. Check our the games available on game pass right now, if you can find 5-6 games that interests you, and trust me there are a lot more just on ea play, you should subscribe to the game pass immediately. Keep in mind the upcoming games too, which will be available day one. Yes the trick still works, I subscribed this way 2-3 months back. You get a 3 years + subscription of ultimate at around 7k-8k price, which is an insane value. You can refer this link for more details: https://www.reddit.com/r/XboxGamePass/wiki/index/gold-ultimate-conversion
 
If I get Game Pass Ultimate, will I have to buy new games separately ? Games such Ghost Recon Breakpoint, Star Wars Fallen Order etc.
 
LaatSahab said:
I used to game on consoles when I was in school. My first console was Atari 8400 and my last console was PS2. After that, I played on PC for the next 4-5 years. Since then, I've not been gaming. Recently found time in life so decided to get back to it. With launch of new generation of consoles and ever-increasing prices of GPU and continuous product revision and updates in PC world, I stuck to console side. Opted for a pre-owned XBOX Series S because 1080P 60FPS is enough for me right now, and I do not even have a 4K 120Hz display at the moment. Plus, there are a lot of games from the previous generation that I haven't played, so Series S was the most cost-efficient option from this point too. Now, through my other thread about consoles, I was able to clear my doubts regarding network-less operation of the console. In this thread, I want to know about some Dos and Don'ts and tips and tricks and must have accessories for it.
1. I'll be needing a battery for the controller. What would be a durable and cost-effective option; rechargeable AA batteries from Duracell or 3rd party compatible battery pack?
2. Suggest me a good HDMI Audio extractor so that I may feed the game audio to my stereo setup. Would the new HDMI 2.1/2.2 standards play spoilsport in this?
3. What are my options for increasing storage of the device? Are 3rd party external hard disks compatible with it? What are the Pros and Cons of external HDDs, Platter and SSDs both?
4. Is the Game Pass subscription necessary? Does the trick of topping multiple Gold passes with an Ultimate trial one still holds?
Click to expand...
1. Get this battery charger - https://amzn.to/3xUlIud and Rechargeable batteries - https://amzn.to/3iwL4HV. Both are of very good quality
2. What inputs can your existing stereo setup take? I was not able to make out for sure, but it looks like Xbox series S does have a 3.5mm out. If both, xbox and your stereo setup have a 3.5mm jack, you can connect them by a 3.5mm cable. If no, you can think of buying a hometheater which have audio passthrough to TV. Another option is Xbox series s>HDMI to TV>Optical out or SPDIF out from TV>Stereo setup.
3. Don't know but should be fairly early to google
4. Yes.
 
LaatSahab said:
If I get Game Pass Ultimate, will I have to buy new games separately ? Games such Ghost Recon Breakpoint, Star Wars Fallen Order etc.
Click to expand...
If they get released on game pass, you wouldn't have to buy them. Game pass is like Netflix of games where some games are added & some are removed every month. Whatever games are owned by Microsoft & its studios like Bethesda etc. or are part of EA play, they always stay on game pass & the new ones from Microsoft will be launched on game pass on day of the launch. It's like an ever evolving library with all the first party as well as third party games.
 
How’s the experience trying the XBox 1S? I am a SWE and don’t really want to but a gaming laptop again for casual gaming.
 
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