Please could someone talk to me about xboxes in words of one syllable?

[Acunningruse]

DH and I are least techy people ever. DS (12) has wanted an xbox forever and I am tempted to treat him after exemplary behaviour this year. I have no idea where to start. A google search suggests some are £249 some are £400 whats the difference?

Would we need to buy anything else- storage? Controllers? Are they easy to set up?

Thanks for any info!

Following as I also need to know!

The more expensive one is the X series. It’s the most powerful and it has an optical drive for playing games on disc, Blu-Rays, and DVDs. It runs most games at higher resolutions, so if you've got a 4K TV they'll look better. If your TV isn't 4K, you probably won't see a difference most of the time.
The cheaper one is the S. It's still a "current generation" console that can play all the latest games, but it has less storage and no optical drive, so it only plays downloadable, digital games.
Most of the games that he’ll want to play are part of the digital Game Pass subscription, which I highly recommend.
You get a controller included. You can add standalone purchases of Game Pass and storage expansion cards. The box also includes an HDMI cable to connect the console to your TV
Whichever you decide, just be careful you get the "Xbox Series X/S" and NOT the "Xbox One X/S"

Go to a shop like Currys, CEX or Game and ask them to explain it in "mum" terms.
I did that for when we were getting the Nintendo 🙂

For a 12yo I would get the xbox series S but the 1TB.

Start off with some sports or Lego games. I think you can still get games on disc but you can also pay a monthly subscription to download and play unlimited games.

If he's going to play online (multi player) he'll need a headset and it will be noisy, so think about the location. It might be better to avoid voice chat until he's a little older.

Extra controller means a friend can come over and play too but they are pretty cheap (we get the PowerA ones).

You may need to set up a parent account (linked to a Microsoft account) so you can set up parental control, pay the subscription but make sure in app purchases can't be charged to the same card.

Be prepared for some arguments about time limits as it does suck them in. But can be very sociable as they play and chat with friends online.

For online games you'll need fast broadband ideally an ethernet cable or there will be complaints about "lag" and "ping".

Following OP as my son has also asked for an X box and as he's about to turn 13, is doing brilliantly at school and hobbies we thought we would treat him by redoing his bedroom to be more teenagery and get an X box.

Most of his friends have X box ones and he'd like to be able to play with them. I'm cautious about buying a digital only version due to lack of longevity. I thought the cheaper of the new style didn't take discs but happy to be corrected?

Bumping this up for more responses - as I'm also considering getting one for my13yo ds

My top tip for anyone buying a console. Set the bloody thing up the day before. Some of the games take hours to download. If it's his first console you want him to be able to go straight on. Not sit and watch it downloading til Boxing Day.

You could wrap up the box and have it already set up (if you can find a way to disguise it/hide it down behind a tv unit etc!)

I think you'll find quite a lot of mums know the different between a Switch and an XBox and (shock horror) some might even game once in a while. Gaming isn't only for teenagers.

PP advice on the type is good.
No one uses discs really these so don't worry about that. Make sure you set it up with parental controls from the outset. Which means you need to invest a bitnof time getting it all sorted in advance. Do not allow them to use your MS account but create one for them. Microsoft parental controls are very good.
On top of the Xbox you will need a controller and perhaps 2 if you want to play games together. You will also need games. A games pass will sort out the initial requirement and there's always an offer on that.

@Acunningruse If you can afford it I would get the Series X, but if you're on a budget, the S will be OK.

With the S, it's digital only (no disc drive) and you'll have to pay for a monthly subscription to Game Pass for however long you have the console.

Game Pass might not have everything he wants to play. For example, Hogwarts Legacy isn't on there. Sometimes new games don't come to Game Pass for a few years if ever.

If he wants something that's not on Game Pass, it will probably be £50-60 to download it, because with the S you are tied to digital downloads which always tend to be expensive (you have to buy them directly from Microsoft and can't buy them second hand).

If he's going to have it for a number of years, I'd say the X is a good investment. I have an S but which I'd bought an X!

@yukikata yes I know that 🙄
My comment was slightly tongue in cheek not meant as some kind of insult to adults who are gamers.

Yes I know how it was intended. It's still casual sexism.

Joking that mums are stupid and can't understand technology isn't funny though?

Agreed with PP I would get an S with 1tb and the game pass.

@yukikata jeez....it was just a casual comment.
I used to sell games consoles at one time. The customers who mostly didn't know the difference between brands, didn't know the jargon, didn't know the differences between older and newer versions were pretty much 90% female and started the conversation with "I'm buying this for my child/grandchild".
😂

Not As Good As P S 5

jeez....it was just a casual comment.

....said every man who ever wolf whistled a woman, said "cheer up love", etc etc. Come on. You can do better than this.
I know it was a casual comment and that's fine, don't make it more of a thing than it is, just register that you shouldn't say that shit!

@yukikata if you say so......dear 😂

Thank you to everyone who helped with this, tbh Im stoll completely in the dark with it. I know he wants Fifa25 (though this seems to be called something else now?!) but theres so many options I don't understand which one to pick?

My understanding is the S is a digital version (no disc) so how can this game work on both consoles?!

You download the games over the Internet rather than use a disc.

Game pass brings a lot of games so check that first