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AIBU?

to feel dumb about getting an Xbox working on Christmas day

125 replies

HubbaBubbaMum · 28/11/2016 01:12

DH and me have never played (or seen others playing) on gaming machines (or whatever you call them!). Have finally conceded to peer pressure and Father Christmas has ordered an Xbox One S Console with FIFA 17 as a joint present for DC this year (age 10 & 7). So, how do we avoid spending half of Christmas day working out how to set it up as we are complete gaming virgins? Is it obvious? Can we buy games suitable for their age in advance to 'plug in' or do we have to open it up and get it all set up and download them in advance? (Didn't want to open the wrapping before Xmas morning ideally). Do we just play it on TV or is it better on the PC? Do we need to order control pad type things to go with it? Hope this post is giving younger MNetters a good laugh Grin. Happy to be directed to an idiots guide to the 21st Century.

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kormachameleon · 28/11/2016 01:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

GiddyOnZackHunt · 28/11/2016 01:23

I Have no actual experience but if you don't want to open it until Xmas Day then you are duty bound to spend a few hours battling with it.
Surely use a sharp knife and repack carefully so you can Google set up (WiFi password and correct sockets on telly/monitor) and test it. If it doesn't work you avoid the broken gadget horrors.

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HubbaBubbaMum · 28/11/2016 01:25

Thanks Korma but what does 'FB via hdmi' mean?

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frikadela01 · 28/11/2016 01:26

You will have a load of updates to download when it's all plugged in however once it is plugged in they generally guide you through it on screen (I'm assuming, I have a PlayStation 4)

Tbh I bet your 10 yeae old could pro a lot set it up himself. It my experience that kids these days are so familiar with technology havong grown up around it that they just "get it". My 4 year old nephew knows how to turn on and download the free games on his playstation. He was showing his dad how to do it last weekend so Christ knows how he learnt to do it.

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MumToTheBoy · 28/11/2016 01:30

It should come with at least one controller but you may need to buy a second one. There are lots of two player games, including FIFA so you will need two. Minecraft is a great game for younger children, they can build and create worlds/ buildings etc either in their own game or both playing in the same one. You'll be surprised at how quickly your kids will just take over and start playing, they will no doubt have played it at a friends. Try looking on YouTube for a video on how to set up the Xbox one s, and for other ideas of games to buy. My son is 10 and he loves racing car games and all the Lego games, like Lego Marvel and Lego Dimensions.

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PenguinsandPebbles · 28/11/2016 01:31

The Xbox I purchased last year didn't actually work, and I had to take it back when the stores reopened :( was very sad faces. It's rare but it happens (and it's not that we didn't know what we were doing as I have worked in IT for 20 years) So defiantly test it first. It can also take a while for any updates depending on your wifi speed so it's worth running that the night before.

Not sure if you will have an old TV, but my mum decided to get herself some new gizmo and her old TV didn't have HDMI port so I purchased her a new TV, or she is smarter than I give her credit and wangled a wise screen out of her "mistake" do love my mum to pieces btw so that is lighthearted

It will come with controllers, they will even have batteries.

Good luck!

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PenguinsandPebbles · 28/11/2016 01:33

Sorry so tired "a controller" is what I meant to say.

HDMI is just the cable that connects between the TV and the Xbox. If it's a new TV you are likely to have one or two of these ports on the back or side of the TV. If it's older it may be a scart and that won't work with the Xbox.

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Sybys · 28/11/2016 01:36

I'd definitely get a second controller, so the kids can play together. Set up is pretty easy assuming you have HDMI ports on your tv (i think any high-def tv will have at least one port). I'm sure your ten year old would be able to do it.

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HubbaBubbaMum · 28/11/2016 01:39

Useful advice - thanks all. Will definitely get it out and set up the week before when they're asleep to sort any problems. We've got an older TV so we'd better check we can use it!

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PenguinsandPebbles · 28/11/2016 01:43

You should be fine, it's only a few cables

The HDMI is the key bit, the port will look like this.

to feel dumb about getting an Xbox working on Christmas day
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Kelsar · 28/11/2016 02:10

If it's an Xbox then you shall need an Xbox account, which is easy enough to set up but I would recommended opening an account before Christmas Day so your ready to just log in on Christmas morning.

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BadLad · 28/11/2016 03:31

It's not hard to do, but it can take a while for updates to download and install, then games have to be installed if they're on disk, and often have patches or updates of their own. Definitely set it up before Christmas Day to get it ready for play, then pack it away.

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neonshine · 28/11/2016 05:09

Minecraft, Fifa 17 & Forza are good games for ages 7 & 10.

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AGrinWithoutACat · 28/11/2016 06:19

Optional extras

Charging dock for the controllers
Coloured skins for the controllers

Skylanders is the game that keeps giving in the house, there are several games out now and you buy different characters to use in the game (costs a fortune if you buy them new but Smyths often sell off older ones at £1 each or my local buy swap sell has ppl selling bundles inexpensively)

Disney Infinity and Lego Dimensions have a similar concept

All are good for younger kids

Another winner here are racing games and party /carnival games (we have a Wii and a PS4 so not sure what's available for the Xbox)

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silverlace · 28/11/2016 06:23

We did this last year. The actual physical setting up isn't too complicated but loading games and downloading updates can take a long time. Our broadband is pretty slow and it was several days before everything loaded. Also you need to set up player accounts and typing is fiddly. You can get a keyboard which might be worth it, it would have saved me a lot of work.

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Mamabear14 · 28/11/2016 06:52

Downloading the games takes forever on Christmas Day. Mine were most annoyed last year that FIFA took half the day, I think the servers are just so busy. So if you can do that before so it's all loaded to go that will be a big help. We have minecraft, lego dimensions, sky landers, terraria, rocket league, plants vs zombies, roblox. All good for smaller kids.

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Allovertheworld16 · 28/11/2016 06:57

Definitely set it up the week before. I left it till Christmas Day and got stuck.

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sleepwhatsleep · 28/11/2016 07:01

Plants vs zombies 2 is a very good game for their age range. I'm 26 though and I enjoy playing it too!

Definately plug in the Xbox a few nights before. Also buy a few games and insert the discs as after the Xbox has updated and set itself up, each game also has to be installed which can take up to 4 hours per game in my experience. I imagine that with everyone else doing the same, that around Christmas their servers will be even slower. I would do it at least a week before Christmas once they've gone to bed and just hide it somewhere during the day.

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sijjy · 28/11/2016 07:11

I found setting up the Xbox to the tv easy. Setting up the accounts though was very hard work. I had to get my younger brother on FaceTime to help me Blush
Now my 10 yr old is more savvy than me and has turned his child account into a adult account and I have no idea how to change it back again. Have spent ages on google. I will be using Microsoft chat help at some point as I really want his account set back to child

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HighNoon · 28/11/2016 07:14

Surely YouTube is your friend here? Must be a video with step by step guide on setting this up. Also your kids may be more expert than you think !

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FlyingElbows · 28/11/2016 07:14

Please check your TV is compatible ports wise as the one s is designed to be used with a 4k TV and if your telly is old it may not work which would be a terrible shame. They're easy to connect, it's just an hdmi cable from console to TV, but it can take ages for it to set itself up so do it in advance. It will do all the work and prompt you when it needs you to do something. Definitely get more controllers and a charging cradle (I think we've got Venom ones from Amazon). Kid friendly games are plentiful such as Minecraft, Lego Dimensions, PvZ, Terraria and Skylanders.

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firewithfire · 28/11/2016 07:19

Try it beforehand but if you really can't manage it the 10yr old will find it easy and will probably enjoy it. Agree about downloads being slow on xmas day though.

Portal is good for kids if they have that on Xbox one

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GiraffesAndButterflies · 28/11/2016 07:22

I don't want to be a downer, but family arguments about how to set up the new computer, ending with all children sent to their rooms and forbidden to actually play on it, are the stuff Christmas Day memories are made of. mine anyway

And you're planning to avoid all this by setting it up early. Sad Won't someone think of the children?

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gillyginger · 28/11/2016 07:27

Thank you for this thread
Flowers I have just do an Xbox so will have a proper read of it later,

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LouisvilleLlama · 28/11/2016 07:33

It can take hours so to avoid little ones having to wait patiently I would get it out before hand and load it all up. Setting up the console is easy, HDMI lead into the back of the console to the TV, the lead comes included, then a 2 part plug socket, which you connect together and then plug into the back of the Xbox on the right side ( Side note the Xbox has 2 HDMI ports I would imagine it's the same as the original Xbox one and the HDMI port you have to use is right next to the power input)

If you have to connect the controller ( one comes with it) there should be a button I don't know where in the S models but on the originals it's a silver button on the side. The controllers need 2 AA batteries or if it comes with a power pack a couple hours charging. Some phone chargers and I believe the Xbox comes with a USB lead can be plugged into a USB plug or the Xbox and can be played without batteries.

You will need a Microsoft / Xbox account you can set it up the console or on the computer. You'll need to have an email address and a phone number perhaps to help with account security and you'll set up a password, and it'll ask a couple other details name etc. It may ask you for a username think of something a little cool as if you let your children online that is what it'll come up as.

It'll during start up installation ask you for wifi details and will update. Depending on the package you will need to go to the store which is on the menu then go down a little and redeem a code which will then allow you to download the game, but if you have a disc version you will have to put it into the console and it will install and then need an update. This can take hours and probably will, especially if you have to redeem it from the online store as it depends on your internet speed but even so it can be temperamental, the plus side is if it is a digital download ( through redeeming the code on the console) then you don't have to worry about losing/ damaging the disc.

You may want to access settings on the console especially if you're allowing them online, you can change settings so that they don't have to input the account password every time they play ( or that they do if you want to monitor them that way and you input the password always ) also if they can talk/ hear other people playing you can have it set to everyone or friends only for example which means that he can talk in a " party chat" with his friends which he would need to add them through their Xbox live username ( the username I told you if they ask to choose something cool, but if they don't you could be assigned something random like EarphoneGiraffe2016 for example) I believe there is also settings for what they can do so play age restricted games, how long/ when they can play for but I'm not exactly certain of the options.

Another thing you will want to be careful of is card details they can be stored and used easily without any more info once it is stored, again I believe this can be altered in settings but if the children are that young I wouldn't risk it, so if you allow them to purchase something i would check it isn't stored. A good way to avoid this is that you can buy in different denominations from as little as £10 to various amounts higher in shops like GAME or I believe Amazon do it and give you a code. These would be redeemable through the redeem a code function on the store on the console, then when you purchase something it will take it out of that money, be careful you can't withdraw it, but if something's £30 and you have £25 preloaded you use that £25 and input your card details for the other £5 but again I don't recommend it. If you are going to allow them to play online with people around the world and their friends then you will need to pay for an Xbox live membership which is a couple £ a month I think around £40 for a years subscription( it gets cheaper per month the longer the subscription - 1,3,12 months) again you can buy this in GAME or maybe even Amazon and another reason not to have your credit card details stored as it could auto renew if you aren't careful! When you create a new account it may give you a 30 day or 14 day trial I'm not sure, but again if it has your card details it could auto renew. Without it I think he can chat with his friends through the microphone (it comes provided and plugs into the controller) but can't play with them. That's a lot of information on the Xbox itself now FIFA.

Playing FIFA for offline multiplayer you will need two controllers one comes wi the console, you will need to buy another so the DC can play together or DH and one DC, 3-4 people can play together but that's more controllers and it becomes confusing who has the ball. There are about 6 different skill levels beginner is the easiest the players just basically stand there, but if it's their first game that may be for the best, or amateur. The game should ask you a few questions to make a player profile such as skill level, controller configuration for which classic is fine and most widely used, if it's just the DC and offline two button is an option it limits the finer details of play and finesse but only uses two buttons to pass shoot/ tackle etc which for say a 7 year old especially may be ideal, these settings are all easily changed in the main menu, but if you're prompted to play a game before this it'll most likely be on Semi Pro difficulty, you can just press pause and quit out of it to the main menu.

There are several game modes:

Play now- a friendly game, this is where you play a single game of football, normally used for offline multiplayer, you choose a home and away side, one person home to the left, one away to the right. Next is the team any team can play any other apart from the ladies teams who have to play as each other, then kit colours make sure they don't clash. After that is a screen where they can change settings and team management like their line up, and other details which to be honest they probably won't care about, it auto selects play so they can just click. One thing you may want to check is the game time the default I think is 6 minutes a half, you may want to put that to 4-5, it can go up to 20 so that's a 40+ minute game total. You'll then have a loading screen which will be a training drill, once the game has loaded ( around 15-20 seconds ) you'll have to press a button to start the match. Now they just play, unless there's a bad injury and they have to make a substitution which you select the player that has a bandaid or ambulance by their name and then go down the page and there will be subs and choose one. This screen will come up for a red card also. If they score people do get bored of replays they show each goal 3 times just press a to skip them. Apart from that the only time play will be interrupted is half time and full time.

Career mode - choose to be a player or manager. A manager give you more options you select your team and play every game in the season, you have targets to meet or you get fired such as win the league. You can also do transfers during the transfer window, will have to deal with players who aren't playing and are upset and may want to leave and injuries. You play out multiple seasons. As a player you can be a player already in the game or yourself in which they will have to make a character, then they train, get sent out on loan or sold, play the game but you have the play as team option where you play normally, or play as player and you just control yourself, you may not play every game or the whole game and the game finishes when you're subbed off. You still have targets but instead of win the league it will be "have a rating of 8.0+, score 3 goals" etc for the next so many games. If they play as the player then you might want to change the camera angle as it'll be different, just go into settings and camera and make sure all are set to TV.


Journey mode - this is new it's like player career mode but it's a cinematic storyline where they choose how to answer questions and behave and it impacts them in the game. They'll have training which will also dictate whether they start or will be benched. The storyline is meant to mimic a real footballers career it follows Alex Hunter who gets one last chance with his friend, signs a contract at the the same club as his friend ( you choose it's automatic), then he gets sent out on loan whilst his friend is kept and they become rivals and it's how you make your way up. There will be highs and lows so if they play they may get disheartened but shouldn't.

Skill games- this is where they practice little mini games on different aspects of the game: passing, shooting, dribbling etc they earn a score and can progress to harder challenges. It has a leaderboard so they could have a friendly little rivalry.

Practice arena - on the same option it says skill games there's an option to turn right on the right stick and it should give you practice arena the default here is 1-1 with the keeper and they can just practice shooting or if they press the button on the left middle it can change to a certain number of players on the pitch, taking free kicks corners etc.

Online multiplayer - this you will need an Xbox live subscription for they start in division 10 you can choose any team to play with and the game tries to match you up with a player of the same * team and skill level, they win a certain number of points (1 for a draw, 3 for a win ,0 for a lose ) They will get promoted each season is 10 games.then if they lose enough they may get relegated again


FUT - this is their biggest mode it's like a card game, you collect players and then you can use them in game.this is both online and offline, but you get players in packs from coins you get from selling players you already have on the transfer market, or playing games. You can buy them with real money ( largest bundle is £79 worth of ea points the draft and can be bought with 2 clicks that's why I said be careful about your card) it works the same as online multiplayer but you can only use the cards you have, and each have to have contracts and fitness to play, which you get by applying cards you get in packs or the transfer market. Chemistry is also important to how the players perform and you get that by hosing players of the same nationality, club, or league)

Draft mode in FUT is where you enter and you open random packs choose one player from each pack and make a team, this gives you an oppprtunity to play with the best players for up to 4 games but if you lose then you lose them players. You get prizes which differ depending on if you win 1,2,3 or 4 games.

Weekend league, each day you can enter a tournament up to 4 times to get into a weekend tournament where you can win rare prizes such as exclusive packs with better players.

Hope I've covered enough! Sorry if some doesn't make sense my iPad goes funny if I write too big comments for some reason!

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