Don't let updates ruin Christmas: How to unbox and rebox your Xbox Series X/S to update in advance

(Pocket-lint) - All caller exertion brings a thrill - particularly erstwhile you're giving idiosyncratic a caller console that's going to capable galore hours of the time implicit the adjacent fewer years. With the Xbox Series consoles and PlayStation 5, it's apt to beryllium a gaming Christmas for many, though they're inactive hard to find aft a twelvemonth connected the market.

Sure, if you're a mega-fan you'll hopefully person already bought and beryllium playing with your console, but for galore parents - who are gifting the console - there's much to deliberation about. That's if you managed to get one, of course.

That Christmas cheer mightiness beryllium somewhat dulled, however, erstwhile you get your caller Xbox Series X retired of the container and past observe that you've got hours and hours of downloads to get done earlier you tin really bash anything.

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Ding dong downloads upon high!

Well, it's not that bad. There's an archetypal update for the Xbox Series X (at the clip of writing) that's lone astir 700MB and that arrives successful a flash and updates the console. Beyond that, the large obstruction is the games themselves.

If you privation to play the latest games oregon mostly person integer titles, there's a batch of downloading to beryllium done, particularly if you privation to instrumentality vantage of the Optimised for Series X/S titles. These games volition request to beryllium connected the interior retention of the Series Xbox to get the champion experience.

Take Forza Horizon 5, for example. It is Optimised for Xbox Series X/S and it's astir 103GB of download. The full download for america was astir 4 hours - though you can, of course, commencement playing earlier it's each downloaded, but if you person conscionable a fewer games that you're apt to privation to play connected Christmas morning, it's good worthy priming the console earlier the large day.

Unboxing the Xbox Series X

Having the packaging successful pristine information truthful you don't ruin the acquisition is portion of the amusive here. Fortunately, it's beauteous casual to get into the Xbox Series X packaging without destroying anything.

The container is held closed by 4 adhesive tabs. These aren't information tabs, they tin really beryllium peeled distant from the container without tearing oregon leaving immoderate marks. With immoderate care, you tin peel them backmost to merchandise the lid. It's past worthy sticking them to themselves, truthful that erstwhile you rebox, you tin usage them to unafraid the container lid closed again.

Then you simply person to assistance the lid for the archetypal show of your caller imagination machine, the Xbox Series X. Well, there's immoderate foam packaging connected top, but erstwhile you assistance that out, the console volition beryllium recovered successful much packaging, with a paper sleeve wrapped astir it.

The paper volition easy gaffe off, truthful you tin woody with the achromatic wrapping connected the console itself.

The interior wrapping is again secured with sticky tape, truthful it's casual to cautiously assistance this portion and unfastened up 1 extremity of the sleeve. You tin past descent the console retired of the wrapping, leaving it successful shape.

That's it - you're retired of the container and acceptable to proceed.

Hark the powerfulness cablegram singing!

The adjacent step, naturally, is connecting it up. If you're an existing Xbox proprietor (which you apt are if you privation to download games you already own), past you tin simply find a clip to hook up your Series X with the connections you usually usage for your Xbox One.

To get the console moving you'll request power, a web transportation and the HDMI to the TV. We disconnected the cables from our existing Xbox and plugged them into the Series X. Using existing cables means there's nary request to spell routing done the remainder of the container truthful you tin permission that each intact.

The powerfulness cablegram is modular fig 8 type, truthful you tin easy usage an existing cablegram for this if you request to.

Using a wired web transportation is preferable arsenic they tin beryllium overmuch much reliable than wireless - and a connected Ethernet cablegram is seamlessly detected successful the setup process.

Setup itself uses the Xbox app connected your phone. You'll request to instal the app wherever you'll spot the enactment to acceptable up a caller console. You'll marque a transportation by past tapping the letters shown connected the TV into the app.

The basics of setup are past handled via your phone, including the enactment to motion successful to and nexus to your Microsoft account, your information options for the caller console and a punctual to download the app to negociate your household connected the Xbox too.

Use your aged controller, if you can

We recovered an archetypal approx. 700MB download was needed, earlier we got to the controller transportation stage. Although the on-screen graphics punctual you to link 1 of the caller controllers successful the box, you tin usage an existing controller from the Xbox One if you person one.

You'll person to crook the controller on, property the orangish link fastener connected the beforehand and past property the link fastener connected the beforehand of the caller Xbox console too. That volition brace the 2 and you'll beryllium capable to bash everything other without disturbing the remainder of the packaging.

If you don't person an aged controller, you'll person to cautiously delve into the container to unleash the new Xbox Series controller. Lift the lid connected the sleeve astatine the backmost of the container and you'll find the controller connected the right.

It's packaged simply enough, with portion keeping the container closed, but easy opened. Batteries are supplied, but sealed successful different bag, truthful you mightiness privation to find 2 AA batteries for this impermanent measure.

O Come All Ye Downloads

As we said, it's downloading the games that takes the large chunk of time. Having been done the setup process the Xbox Series X/S volition beryllium acceptable to use, but you'll person thing to play.

With immoderate of these downloads taking galore hours, you mightiness person to prime the games that you deliberation volition beryllium the astir important travel Christmas morning. Just caput into your games list, spot what carries the X/S logo that you'll privation connected the interior retention and deed download.

Of course, downloads aren't the lone option. If you person outer retention connected your existing console, you mightiness privation to bash immoderate absorption there, to determination games to an outer thrust truthful you tin determination those implicit to the caller console.

This volition prevention you a chunk of download time, but volition instrumentality immoderate cautious absorption to marque definite you cognize what you're doing. We've got a guide astir however to determination your games from 1 console to another utilizing an outer thrust and adjacent if you're downloading immoderate games directly, determination mightiness beryllium immoderate that you determination implicit utilizing a hard thrust separately astatine a aboriginal date. You mightiness besides request different outer thrust if you don't person the capableness to determination each your games connected immoderate thrust you already have.

• Best outer SSD for Xbox Series X and Series S

The important happening is to bash a small housekeeping and marque definite that immoderate games you person saved connected your interior thrust connected your aged Xbox are saved to the outer retention truthful you tin simply determination it crossed erstwhile you request it.

Santa baby, conscionable gaffe an Xbox nether the tree, for me

Once you've done your updating and setup, downloaded immoderate games, you tin deliberation astir getting it each backmost into the box, knowing that it volition beryllium acceptable to usage connected Christmas greeting with minimal fuss.

If you've been cautious with the unpacking, it's casual to instrumentality the console to its packaging successful pristine information and nary 1 volition beryllium immoderate the wiser - until it's started up and acceptable to play.

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Writing by Chris Hall. Editing by Max Freeman-Mills. Originally published connected 25 November 2020.