I'm New To Xbox Megathread : CHRISTMAS 2015 EDITION

CatInABox

Hey Everyone,

Last Christmas, we got dozens of new threads, all asking for advice on buying an Xbox One. To stop all those threads from clogging up the main forum, we created the "I'm New To Xbox Megathread : CHRISTMAS 2015 EDITION" thread, a place to combine all the various threads into one place. We had some amazing posters on the forum helping out people with no clue about consoles, and hopefully we'll get the same this year.

Hopefully people coming into the forum will see this thread and ask their questions here, but if not, the way we'll deal with it is:

1. Newbie posts new thread
2. Xbox Sages on the Xbox Forum answer the questions in that thread
3. After a couple of days, the thread is merged into this one

Normally, I'd just direct people to the various Megathreads, but they can be pretty intimidating for people who are new to all this, so this is how we'll deal with it over Christmas.

To everyone coming here for the first time, welcome! We hope that everyone here can help you. As a starting point, have a quick read of our FAQ, your question might already be answered there.

EDIT: Some advice taken from the FAQ, as it's a question that's been cropping up a few times:

I’ve bought an Xbox One for my child as a Christmas present, do I need to do anything pre-Christmas?
In order to have the smoothest Christmas morning, yes, you do. Connect the Xbox to your TV, and to your internet, and then turn it on. It will download and install the latest update, which can take some time depending on your internet connection. Once that’s complete, you should then install any games that you bought with it. In some Xbox One bundles, the game comes as a code that allows you to download the game.

Some games are up to 50 or 60 GBs in size, which can mean a very long download time on slow broadband. If you have slow broadband, you might be better off bringing it around to a friends house with better broadband.

CatInABox

JoyPad

Well, let me be the first with the stupid questions.

Bought an Xbox One from Argos for the son. He asked for GTA5, but he's not getting that, he's only 12. I also got him an XBox Live subscription.
Apart from Minecraft, which he currently plays on his computer, what else is there that might be interesting for his age? Any good games rated E?

Thanks.

Max Mafioso

I dont know if its on the One but I do enjoy Terreria a little more than Minecraft.
Its the same type of game but as a side scrolling platform instead of 1st Person
Aside from that, I am 35 years old and I still enjoy some of the Lego games and I will be getting the Disney Infinity 3.0 thingamajig soon too.

Also, check out EA Access, for something like €25 a year you get some top games like Fifa 14, NBA, Titanfall and a host of others.
Some are full games while others will be like a Demo for 10 hours.
Well worth it

CatInABox

JoyPad wrote: »

Well, let me be the first with the stupid questions.

Bought an Xbox One from Argos for the son. He asked for GTA5, but he's not getting that, he's only 12. I also got him an XBox Live subscription.
Apart from Minecraft, which he currently plays on his computer, what else is there that might be interesting for his age? Any good games rated E?

Thanks.

As has been said, the Lego games are great for kids too. The Forza games (Horizon 2 and Forza 6) are also great games.

With your Xbox Live subscription, there's something called "Games with Gold", basically it's free games that change every month. If you've got Xbox Live activated, then you can get several free games per month. Some of the quality might not be great, but still, they're free!

JoyPad

Right. So, I'll probably grab the LEGO Dimensions starter pack in Smyths, this game has a decent score on GameSpot. Maybe Terraria too.
As soon as we set up the console, we'll look into Games with Gold, and the EA Access thing (looks like it can only be bought on the console itself).

Thanks!

Max Mafioso

Actually, I think someone posted that Gamestop are selling monthly codes for EA Access but to be honest you would be better off getting the Annual sub online as it works out cheaper.

Stone Deaf 4evr

JoyPad wrote: »

Right. So, I'll probably grab the LEGO Dimensions starter pack in Smyths, this game has a decent score on GameSpot. Maybe Terraria too.
As soon as we set up the console, we'll look into Games with Gold, and the EA Access thing (looks like it can only be bought on the console itself).

Thanks!

Just on the off chance you aren't aware, lego dimensions is one of those 'toys to life' affairs. as in you buy a toy, scan it into the game and then the toy appears in the game. as you can imagine this can lead to more and more purchases just to get extra characters.

for standalone games with no future purchases, try Lego Batman 3, Lego Jurassic Park, Lego Marvel superheroes (which is excellent!) or the Lego movie game.

CatInABox

JoyPad wrote: »

Right. So, I'll probably grab the LEGO Dimensions starter pack in Smyths, this game has a decent score on GameSpot. Maybe Terraria too.
As soon as we set up the console, we'll look into Games with Gold, and the EA Access thing (looks like it can only be bought on the console itself).

Thanks!

Sounds good, but be aware of what Stone Deaf 4evr says, it's the same with Disney Infinity.

Also something else to be aware of, the "Games with Gold" are a timed event, so the games available in November are only available to get in November. You could set his account up on Xbox.com, then add the Xbox Live to the account, and then "get" Novembers games. It just adds them to the digital account, so you'll lose out on a month or two of Xbox Live, but you'll gain 4 - 6 games.

Also, the Xbox 360 games on Games with Gold will also work on the Xbox One, just so you know.

JoyPad

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

Just on the off chance you aren't aware, lego dimensions is one of those 'toys to life' affairs. as in you buy a toy, scan it into the game and then the toy appears in the game. as you can imagine this can lead to more and more purchases just to get extra characters.

Yes, I saw that in the reviews. They also said you can complete the game with the three characters from the starter pack. The expansion is also welcome, as it opens up the door for future presents that don't break the bank. I like to reward my son for doing well in school, and not by buying insanely expensive presents, but €20 add-ons to a favourite game would be nice every now and then.

He's already played Lego Batman and Lego Movie games on Nintendo consoles.

ShadowHearth

As much as I love Terraria, it's a tough game to play on console, specially for a kid. It's very complex amd waaaay more advanced tjen minecraft, even if it is 2d. Check it out yourself first, your kid can get lost in that game very very quickly. Plus playing that game involves a lot of wiki shouting and reading.

I don't know what exactly stands for E rating these days, but what about raymon legends? Fantastic side scroller.

I know he is 12 and gta is a bit rough for a kid, but I bet he knows what his mates playing. Maybe they are in to halo games? If he likes racing games forza horizon 2 is fantastic and less hardcore then proper forza games.

Some smaller classics would be rogue legacy, but it can be a bit hard.

talking_walnut

ShadowHearth wrote: »

As much as I love Terraria, it's a tough game to play on console, specially for a kid. It's very complex amd waaaay more advanced tjen minecraft, even if it is 2d. Check it out yourself first, your kid can get lost in that game very very quickly. Plus playing that game involves a lot of wiki shouting and reading.

I don't know what exactly stands for E rating these days, but what about raymon legends? Fantastic side scroller.

I know he is 12 and gta is a bit rough for a kid, but I bet he knows what his mates playing. Maybe they are in to halo games? If he likes racing games forza horizon 2 is fantastic and less hardcore then proper forza games.

Some smaller classics would be rogue legacy, but it can be a bit hard.

My young lad knows a hell of a lot more about Terraria than I do and he's 11. We just beat the wall of flesh recently due mainly to him sorting us out with the weapons, armour etc and me joining in to help fight the bosses. He watched a lot of YouTube videos and figured out what he needed do from them. If your kid does that with Minecraft already he'll be fine with Terraria.

Rayman and Halo are both good options. Specially if you (or someone else) plays with him. They good on they're own but even better with someone else.

OniTenshi

Hey everyone, I'm picking up a console tomorrow and want to grab an extra controller. From what I can see Smyths seem to be the best value at 55, is there anywhere else cheaper?

Also I'd like to get either a play and charge kit or one of those charging cradles for 2 controllers, can anyone recommend one option or another and why?

Thanks for the help!

Generic Dreadhead

I'm Cormac, and I am new to X-Box One

CatInABox

Cormac... wrote: »

I'm Cormac, and I am new to X-Box One

Welcome Cormac!

General advice is:

Get Xbox live from CD keys or some place similar
Get the free Games with Gold each month.
Get EA Access.

With that, you'll have a massive collection of games in no time.

Faker74

Ok, recently made the jump from PS3 to the Xbox One.

A rather stupid question, probably covered elsewhere, but that is what this thread is all about right?

So on turning on the console I got 30 days of Gold free. I also got 2 14 day free trail vouchers with the games I bought with the console.

Will these stack up? I.e could redeem them all straight away and get 58 free days? Or should I wait for the 30 days to end, then redeem a 14 etc.?

On a similar note, I have a free EA access 30 day trail. This needs to be redeemed by 31/12/2015. Not really gonna have the time to make the most of this trail in the near future. Does this mean I can redeem on 30/12/2015 and get 30 days, or do I need to count back from December 31st and redeem on 01/12/2015?

CatInABox

Faker74 wrote: »

Ok, recently made the jump from PS3 to the Xbox One.

A rather stupid question, probably covered elsewhere, but that is what this thread is all about right?

So on turning on the console I got 30 days of Gold free. I also got 2 14 day free trail vouchers with the games I bought with the console.

Will these stack up? I.e could redeem them all straight away and get 58 free days? Or should I wait for the 30 days to end, then redeem a 14 etc.?

On a similar note, I have a free EA access 30 day trail. This needs to be redeemed by 31/12/2015. Not really gonna have the time to make the most of this trail in the near future. Does this mean I can redeem on 30/12/2015 and get 30 days, or do I need to count back from December 31st and redeem on 01/12/2015?

Can't give you an exact answer on either of these, but I do know that in general with Microsoft, subscription do stack, i.e. Buying two Xbox Live codes will add them together.

On the EA Access, I would assume that it just needs to be redeemed by the 31st, and can be used into Jan.

JoyPad

OniTenshi wrote: »

Hey everyone, I'm picking up a console tomorrow and want to grab an extra controller. From what I can see Smyths seem to be the best value at 55, is there anywhere else cheaper?

Also I'd like to get either a play and charge kit or one of those charging cradles for 2 controllers, can anyone recommend one option or another and why?

Thanks for the help!

I think the cheapest today is the Covert Forces special edition controller, in Argos.
Reduced to €44.99
Find stock with this awesome tool: http://www.checkargos.com/?search=4159775

Peppa Pig

I'm fairly au fait with the Wii but the kids want an xbox1 now.

Probably going to get the FIFA16 bundle.
Does anyone know if there are 2 controllers in the box or do I need to but another one?

I'm also a bit concerned about this comment above.

I also got 2 14 day free trail vouchers with the games I bought with the console.

Does the bundle only come with the game for 30 days

CatInABox

Peppa Pig wrote: »

I'm fairly au fait with the Wii but the kids want an xbox1 now.

Probably going to get the FIFA16 bundle.
Does anyone know if there are 2 controllers in the box or do I need to but another one?

I'm also a bit concerned about this comment above.
Does the bundle only come with the game for 30 days

There's usually only one controller in the box, so you'll need to pick up a second one. Look into the covert forces controller, usually the cheapest in Argos.

The games that come in the box are usually download codes, but they're permanent. The comment above relates to an Xbox live gold subscription, which allows you to play online.

talking_walnut

Peppa Pig wrote: »

I'm fairly au fait with the Wii but the kids want an xbox1 now.

Probably going to get the FIFA16 bundle.
Does anyone know if there are 2 controllers in the box or do I need to but another one?

I'm also a bit concerned about this comment above.
Does the bundle only come with the game for 30 days

Nah, the game is yours to keep. It's the Xbox Live Gold that he's talking about. He got 2x14 day trial codes with the console. So he'll be able to play online for 28 days before having to pay.

Nolimits

OniTenshi wrote: »

Hey everyone, I'm picking up a console tomorrow and want to grab an extra controller. From what I can see Smyths seem to be the best value at 55, is there anywhere else cheaper?

Thanks for the help!

Argos have the covert forces controller for €44.99
http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/4159775/Trail/searchtext%3EXBOX+ONE+CONTROLLER.htm

Edit, I see it's been covered.

Peppa Pig

So next question- what is Xbox live? It is like games on demand?

Also is it worth getting the kinetic.

You know when you are getting old when you have to ask the most basic questions

Stone Deaf 4evr

Peppa Pig wrote: »

So next question- what is Xbox live? It is like games on demand?

Also is it worth getting the kinetic.

You know when you are getting old when you have to ask the most basic questions

xbox live is essentially the network that is used to play multiplayer games. at the top end its €60 a year but you can buy it much cheaper online.

for that, you'll get 2 free xbox 1 games every month and 2 free xbox 360 games that will also be playable on the xbox 1.

The kinect, eh, at this stage, I'd be inclined to advise against getting it, there arent a huge amount of games for it and there certainly arent many coming out for it. I have one, and while the voice commands etc are nice and all, I could happily live without.

Nolimits

Peppa Pig wrote: »

So next question- what is Xbox live? It is like games on demand?

Also is it worth getting the kinetic.

You know when you are getting old when you have to ask the most basic questions

Xbox live is basically the ability to play online multiplayer. You also get 4 games for free per month through this, and you only keep those 4 per month as long as you have live gold. The cheapest place to pick this up is usually cd keys. You'll get it for about half what the likes of gamestop would charge.

As for the kinect, I love mine and use the voice commands a lot. Saying that if I never had it I don't think I'd miss it, especially with the redesign of the dashboard meaning the dashboard is no longer designed assuming that you have the kinect the way the old one was.

Cunning Alias

Anyone have any game recommendations for someone picking up an xbox for Halo 5 / Master Chief collection?

Is Destiny worth it if you aren't bothered with xbox live (I play Halo for the single player :P)?

Max Mafioso

I love Destiny but I dont play it enough, its a great game but you need to have Xbox Live to play it as its an online game.
Ryse Son of Rome is also a pretty good game. I have actually stopped playing it because I am near the end and dont want to finish it lol

Faker74

Another couple of newbie questions.

Got a game bundled with the Xbox One, via download code. I presume this game is tied to my microsoft account and not the console? If in the future I wanted to say get an Xbox One slim (assuming they release one), would I still be able to download a game bundled with my first console?

I see people talking about the OS update that is due on the 12th. When do Microsoft tend to release these updates? Can I download from midnight tonight? Tomorrow morning before going to work?

Cheers

MiskyBoyy

Any of the updates ive gotten for the preview of it were released about 1am Irish time. Not sure if they'll do the same for the full dash tho. Might be 1am tomorrow night instead as it will be the 12th in U.S. we'll find out soon I suppose.

CatInABox

Faker74 wrote: »

Another couple of newbie questions.

Got a game bundled with the Xbox One, via download code. I presume this game is tied to my microsoft account and not the console? If in the future I wanted to say get an Xbox One slim (assuming they release one), would I still be able to download a game bundled with my first console?

I see people talking about the OS update that is due on the 12th. When do Microsoft tend to release these updates? Can I download from midnight tonight? Tomorrow morning before going to work?

Cheers

It's tied to your account, so anywhere that you go, the game goes too. This means that you can log into your friends xbox and download your games their too, etc.

MS generally release one update a month, most are quite small in their amount of changes, but the one tomorrow is massive, a total reworking of almost everything.

If your console is set to "Auto-On", then there's a chance that it'll download automatically while you're at work, but as it checks just once a day, I'm not sure if it'll catch it. Not sure on the time either, as they're an American company, they could release it at 2 in the morning for us.

TitianGerm

Cunning Alias wrote: »

Anyone have any game recommendations for someone picking up an xbox for Halo 5 / Master Chief collection?

Is Destiny worth it if you aren't bothered with xbox live (I play Halo for the single player :P)?

Don't buy Destiny if your not going to to get Live. Destiny is an online game.

Faker74

Right, been using the XBOX ONE for about 2 weeks and enjoying it immensely but want to at least try the tv service through the console, and try to limit the number of controllers / remotes I am using.

So my tech is:

Samsung TV (with 3 HDMI ports, and an optical audio amongst other connections)
Samsung Sounder and sub-woofer (2 optical audio, 3.5mm audio and HDMI ports) these ports are on the sounder, the subwoofer is wireless.
Xbox One,
Sky HD box.

Currently the Xbox and Sky HD box are wired directly to the tv through their own HDMI cables, and to the sound bar through their own optical cables. So 2 boxes, 4 cables.

What is the best way to wire everything to give the XBOX control, and optimise the Video and Audio outputs?

I do not have a Kinect, but I do have the Xbox Media Remote if that makes any difference