With an Xbox One console and a few good games, you're already looking at a pretty good gaming situation. But, add in a few optional extras and you could create an experience that's on an entirely new level.
While the Kinect failed to connect, the Xbox One isn't short of excellent accessories that will enhance your gaming experience. Whether you're looking for a new controller, a great gaming headset, a handy subscription, or a roomy external hard drive, you'll find an accessory here that will suit your needs.
- See also: Best PS4 accessories
The Xbox One controller is already a pretty solid piece of hardware, improving on the Xbox 360's controller that became the industry standard. Somehow, Microsoft managed even further improvement in the form of the Xbox One Elite Wireless Controller.
There's swappable thumbsticks and directional pads that offer up a better feel than the standard Xbox One controller, as well as quick-hit triggers to help out in the most high-impact shooters. While it's pretty pricy for a pad at almost three times the cost of a standard controller, you definitely get what you pay for with this premium piece of hardware.
Read the full review: Xbox One Elite Wireless Controller
2. Xbox One Play and Charge Kit
Stop throwing away money on batteries and picking up dead controllers
Price: USD: $25 / GBP: £20 / AUD: $40
Buy: Amazon | Amazon UK | Mighty Ape
While there is some benefit to having the Xbox One controller use standard batteries (like not having to worry about having a controller-free console in a few years when the other platforms controller batteries start dying and the platform manufacturers have moved on), the process of switching out AA batteries every few weeks can be maddening.
If you yearn for some simplicity, though, the Xbox One Play and Charge Kit puts the Xbox One Controller on the same playing field as the competition. Just put the simple battery back where you'd put the batteries and use a micro-USB cable to keep the controller fresh when you run out of juice.
Ever since the PlayStation 2 put a DVD player in the homes of millions, one constant has remained this millennium; using a controller to watch videos on consoles is the worst. If you're using your Xbox One as a streamer, Blu-ray player, and TV watcher, the Xbox One Media Remote is a great way to watch all of your favorite content without fumbling to remember the proper controller command to bring up closed captions or time remaining.
This remote is perfectly sized to fit every important command (including volume options that controllers and Xbox One Smartglass cant handle), is very sleek, and has a backlight that's perfect for home theaters and late-night video-watching.
4. Turtle Beach XO Three
Turtle Beach is one of the biggest most well-established gaming headset manufacturers in the business. It takes pride in its products and that's something that comes across in the affordable but surprising XO Three.
This is a headset that does a surprising amount given its price. Yes, its 50mm drivers are basic but it's physically impressive. It feels robust and it doesn't look anywhere near as cheap as it is. Its headband and earcups are large and comfortable and you can easily wear it for hours at a time.
It also supports Windows Sonic which will bring a noticeable and welcome bass-boost.
5. Xbox Live Gold 12 Month Membership
Live Gold isn't just about multiplayer anymore, get on-board
Price (annual): USD: $60 / GBP: £40 / AUD: $90
Buy: Amazon | Amazon UK | EB Games
Over the last decade-plus, Xbox Live has been synonymous with Xbox consoles; if you want to get the most out of your Xbox 360 or Xbox One, having Xbox Live to play online with friends is tantamount. Even if you don't play games online regularly, there's still a lot of value that comes with this subscription.
On top of weekly discounts, Xbox Live members also get free Xbox One games (and another pair of backwards-compatible Xbox 360 games) to keep as long as their Xbox Live subscription stays valid. It's a great deal that ensures you'll rarely even have to pick up new games, given the breadth and depth of freebies that come to Xbox Live on a monthly basis.
6. Xbox One Chatpad
Send messages in a snap
Price: USD: $35 / GBP: £30 / AUD: $55
Buy: Amazon | Amazon UK | Mighty Ape
Sometimes, a voice message won't do and you've got to send some words to your Xbox cohorts. So what do you do? Painfully trudge through the UI keyboard to slowly...type...out... each... word? Pull up your phone and dive through a series of Smartglass menus to text your fellow players? Wouldn't it be great if you had a keyboard handy at all times?
That's why the Xbox One Chatpad is so darn handy. Sending messages is a snap, even in the dark thanks to the backlit mini-keyboard. Sending longer messages to friends or redeeming one of the Xbox One's insane 25-character redemption codes is a heck of a lot easier with this sweet add-on that fits flush with your controller.
Outside of sports apps, it's tough to keep up with live events via the Xbox One. If you're a cord-cutter who still wants to stay in the conversation when network shows, specials, and sporting events air, the Digital TV Tuner is key to connecting.
If you've got a halfway decent antenna, connecting it to this tuner will allow you to pull in over-the-air channels with the benefit of the Xbox One's snazzy UI to navigate through TV listings. If you've got hard drive space, Microsoft is promising the ability to DVR programs later this year, making this little piece of tech even more valuable.
Whether you've got an old reliable headset that saw you through some Xbox 360 battles or want your PC gaming headset to pull double duty, you'll need something to get a non-official headset working with the Xbox One's proprietary controller connector.
Thankfully, there's the Xbox One Headset Adaptor that allows one to plug a standard wired gaming headset on the Xbox One console. It also helps things out by centralizing the headset commands right underneath the controller. No longer will you have to feel around on your headset's wires to find the volume and muting controls; it's all right there on the controller no matter what headset you've got connected.
10. Seagate Game Drive
The guaranteed a solution to your storage ills
Price: USD: $100 / GBP: £80 / AUD: $90
Buy: Amazon | Amazon UK | Mighty Ape
Even with the streamlined simplicity that consoles offer, sometimes storage can be tricky, especially given the sheer variety of external hard drives on the market. Will a hard drive get enough power from the console to run properly? Is the speed up to snuff enough to play full games at a proper clip? Sometimes reliability and peace of mind is worth spending a little more for, which is why Seagate's official external drive is worth seeking out.
Beyond the snazzy look and logo, you're guaranteed a solution to your storage ills and a hard drive that will work right out of the box. If you've ever had to futz around formatting your drive and crossing your fingers that your console will recognize it, the Game Drive is a breath of fresh air.
from TechRadar - All the latest technology news http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/consoles/tr-top-10-best-xbox-one-accessories-1289372
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