Looking to get the most out of your Xbox gaming console? XboxDIY’s video series “5 Things You Didn’t Know About Your Xbox” dives in to helpful tips, time-saving tricks, and hidden features about your Xbox gaming console that you won’t find anywhere else.
In This Guide:
Episode 1 kicks off the series by exploring some tips that make it easier to navigate Xbox Operating System along with a way to quickly and easily troubleshoot some common issues you’ll run into with your Xbox One. We’ll dig into some other cool recording features and functionality that will make your Xbox gaming experience that much better.
Have a tip or trick that you’d like to learn more about or see featured in our video series? Drop a comment below or send me a message via the contact form – I would love to hear from you!
Feature #1 – The Menu Button
You’re probably wondering why the menu button makes the top of our list.
While the start button is about as straight forward as it gets, next-gen gaming consoles offer much more functionality and, with it, a need for a change in how developers approach user experience.
Historically, we’ve used start/menu buttons to pause games or open start menus. The menu button on Xbox One still does that – but it also does much more.
Let’s take a look.
Select a game tile on the Xbox home screen and click the menu button. A new menu appears with various options related to that game or app. You might have options like: pin game to menu, or quit – helpful for when your game crashes or freezes.
Instead of spending time sifting through settings menus, the menu button gives gamers quicker ways to manage their Xbox games and applications right from the home screen.
Feature #2 – Gameshare on Xbox
Gameshare (or Game Sharing), is a feature that Microsoft released for the original Xbox One that allows two different people to share Xbox games without a disc.
By signing in to a friend or family members Xbox and making it “My Home Xbox’, they will get to play any games you have bought regardless of whether you are signed in with your account or not.
We have an in-depth article on How to Gameshare on Xbox. Head on over if you want to learn how to share your digital game library with a family member, or friend.
Feature #3 – Record Gameplay without a Kinect
If you don’t have an Xbox Kinect, or are looking for a more friendly way to record your gameplay footage on your Xbox console or snap screenshots, the Windows 10 update for Xbox One allowed you to access these features by pressing a few quick buttons.
To access gameplay capture features:
- Double-tap the Xbox home button
- Hit Y to save a screenshot
- Hit X to record footage
By default, the Xbox One and Xbox Series S|X can record 30 seconds of gameplay. You can also now navigate to new menus as of more recent updates that let you record up to 5 minutes of gameplay footage.
You can also record and capture gameplay using an external capture card, such as the Hauppauge HD PVR 2, that give you more options when it comes to recording, sharing, and streaming gameplay footage on your Xbox console.
Feature #4 – Hard Reset / Clear Cache on Your Xbox
If your Xbox games are downloading slowly, the internet isn’t working, or if you’re having problems with one of your games, shutting down and clearing the cache on your Xbox can help resolve some of these problems.
Much like rebooting a computer, properly shutting down your Xbox and clearing the cache can help while troubleshooting different Xbox issues.
Clearing the cache and properly shutting down your Xbox is simple:
- Power down your Xbox
- Hold the Xbox button on the front of your console down for 10 seconds – wait another 10 seconds
- The light on your power brick will flash orange, switch to white, and then permanently to orange
You just hard reset the Xbox and cleared the cache. Your Xbox console is now in a standby state.
Because there’s been so much chatter about how to clear cache or do a hard reset on Xbox consoles, I put together a comprehensive guide on Clearing the Cache On Your Xbox Console so you don’t have to do any guesswork.
Feature #5 – The Xbox App
If you haven’t already used the Xbox App for your mobile device, you’re missing out.
The Xbox app for Xbox gaming consoles (and Windows PC) allows you to control your Xbox with your mobile device (phone, tablet, etc.).
You can take advantage of features such as watching recorded game clips on your phone, browsing the Microsoft Store, or using your mobile device as a virtual keyboard for your Xbox.
Using the Xbox Mobile App to type in passwords, search the Xbox Store, and send messages is much easier than using your controller, and it doesn’t add the weight of an Xbox Controller ChatPad.
We hope you enjoyed the first episode of “5 Things You Didn’t Know About Your Xbox ”. Stay tuned for future episodes where we explore all the cool features and functionality the Xbox has to offer, including accessories, apps, and operating system updates. Have a topic you want us to explore? Drop a comment below or visit our Contact page and send us a message.
0 Comments