Do you own or are you considering buying an Xbox One this Christmas? Share your top tips for getting the most out of your Xbox One with Microsoft. £300 Love2Shop voucher to be won. NOW CLOSED!

[ZaneMumsnet]

Across the festive season, Microsoft Xbox would like to hear the top tips Mumsnetters have for getting the most out of Xbox One for all the family.

Here’s what they say: “Providing hours of endless family fun, the Xbox One is home to the greatest games – including family favourites ‘Minecraft Xbox One Edition’, ‘Forza Motorsport 6’ and ‘Ori and the Blind Forest’ – as well as popular entertainment apps such as BBC iPlayer and Netflix Kids.“

They’ve even included a tutorial video to help you set up your Xbox One. You can view it below.









So how do you and your family get the most out of your Xbox One? Do you gather round the sofa to build a virtual world together on Minecraft? Maybe you challenge each other to FIFA football competitions? Perhaps you use the apps on your console to watch Christmas movies as a family? Have you any advice for parents considering buying an Xbox One this Christmas? Whatever your tips are, Microsoft wants to know.

Everyone who posts on this thread with their tips will be entered into a prize draw where one Mumsnetter will win a £300 Love2Shop voucher.

Thanks and good luck,
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

[marshgirl]

I have a daughter who doesn't play games so didn't consider an Xbox One.

[lexiemac13]

The XBox One is great as consoles like these aren't just games consoles these days! We watch Netflix and NOW TV regularly on ours, meaning we can catch up on programmes we've missed via iPlayer too. We have a few controllers as well to ensure we can play multiplayer family games together. Minecraft is a regular favourite at the moment and we've just got LEGO Dimensions at Christmas so we've been having lots of fun with that too!

[Awks]

I bought my dh an Xbox One for Christmas and at first it was amazing. Then the wireless handsets kept losing connection so the game stalled and the wireless connections was poor (despite it being near the router and everything else in the house operating as normal). The retailer said I had to return it and they would "assess" it but I've looked online on a few forums and user groups and this seems a common issue. Trouble is, I [aid lots for this console and a] he hasn't got it at the moment b] the retailer has been spectacularly unhelpful and c] this appears to be an issue generally.

Not impressed at all.

[cluckyhen]

We have an xbox one that my DS bought with his own money this year and also an xbox in dd room. We let them play age appropriate games but refuse to add a credit/debit card to the account after the breach a few years ago. It's also a good way of getting the kids to save up for points etc

[UkmmTheSecond]

I have a code for two weeks free Xbox live gold if anyone would like it? I already have subscription so won't use it.

My bt engineer said that consoles right next to routers can make connection quality lower, we had some problem not long after getting broadband and when he came he saw our consoles near the hub and said they shouldn't be so close. That's not what was causing our problem but thought I'd mention it.

[sealight123]

We use our Xbox One for games, youtube, and an array of apps
One of our favourites is the Amazon prime app.

Tip one- Integrate with other Microsoft products as much as possible- (Laptops, Tablets, Phones)

Tip two- Use Smartglass to use our phone as an Xbox One controller...it's a real timesaver when you are just wanting to watch stuff rather than play games

Tip Three- Take care of your controllers and keep them tidy and clean

[jayz268]

I make sure that everyone in the house is either out, or settled with an activity before I use it, so that I am unlikely to be disturbed. :)

[frizziekizzie]

We use ours all the time, for a whole host of things. We use Amazon Prime and Netflix, plus all the usual on demand freeview thingys. Most played games are definitely Minecraft and any Lego game. We keep it in the living room as it's definitely a family console. Setting it up before hand is a golden piece of advice - I wish I had done that! Even with new games - they can sometimes take hours to install/update, which could be done the day/night before whilst everyone is sleeping/out the house!

[jamielmdjs]

family friendly games get the whole family involved and Kinect is amazing for that.

watching tv/streaming content through xbox one puts it at the heart of your home entertainment

use xbox one to keep in touch with family and friends through chat

[ChazsBrilliantAttitude]

Reading this with interest as my DC are dying to get an XboxOne.

[kayleigh39]

Here's a tip for you - when you buy games, these games cannot be played straight out of the box - you have to upload/download them to the system (console). Depending on your internet speed will depend on when you can play. Ours took 44 hours to upload one game whilst my nephews took 54 hours to upload a game. So, be prepared for the "What's the point in having it if we can't play it"

[cheryl100]

We play games with our friends, play games together and it allows me to exercise in the comfort of my own home! Plus streaming movies via the internet on the xbox is great! The smartglass app has allowed my son to remain in contact with friends which has improved his spelling - plus we can monitor this closely

[arat]

My top tip is to be prepared for lots of frustration and extra costs! Our experience of the Xbox hasn't been all positive. It's great once you've got the games fully installed & working, but getting to that stage can be painfully slow. Instructions from are dire, at best, but usually non-existent; downloads are slow (even with a good internet connection); updates are frequent; if you don't want to shell out for Xbox Live, many functions are restricted.
Sorry, very disappointed with the Xbox package.

[AnneElliott]

We got it for DS this Christmas. It's good, but I agree with others that the updates take ages!

I would also like to see more games for boys over 10 but under 18. I don't allow DS to play 18 games, but there does seem to be a lack of choice for younger boys.

[ZaneMumsnet]

Thank you all for your comments and feedback. The winner of the prize draw is wannabestressfree :)

[Ikea1234]

My tip would be to take out a Live Gold account, as you get free games to download and access to online communities. Make sure you also update your box regularly, as you can now accessXbox 360 games too!

[Annbunce]

Downloading games seems to take forever so make sure you do this in advance

[emmav6]

we don't have one but i heard you can play your dvds on it which is fab for the kids

[katieskatie82]

fab for watching and streaming netflix!

[Bechoole]

Ensure when buying games for kids you check the age rating!

[wulfy1010]

Some games are great for playing together as a family and for others we just set time limits

[sarah3875]

We recently did a "swap" to Xbox. The kids love it for their games but I never realised how much I would benefit from it. I've downloaded so many films. A great console.

[glmcall123]

Download games before you want to play them, they can take a very long time which isn't great when you've got a child waiting to play.

[myusername12345]

Playing games as a family. I used to love playing golf with my parents and siblings on our ancient console.

[becky004]

We use it to watch Netflix, my son uses it for gaming. I would say shop around for games, Xbox live gold etc as you can get them £10-15 cheaper by shopping around,
Xbox live gold has been a godsend for us, our DS is autistic and for his own safety, does not go out as much as his friends, so he was quite isolated at home. Xbox live enables him to play the games and chat with his friends at the same time which he loves and he no longer feels left out.