Ahh, nothing is better than the smell of a new gaming console. Lucky for you, you are likely getting one from Santa Claus this year in the form of an Xbox One. There are an overwhelming number of Xbox One accessories currently available, but some of them are frivolous. But, some of them aren’t; there are tons of great Xbox One accessories that deserve your hard-earned dollars and will enhance your Xbox One gaming.
So without further ado, here are the 10 best Xbox One accessories currently available:
1. KontrolFreek FPS Phantom
Not only do custom stick mods look badass, but they also serve another purpose: they help you aim better. They increase the range of motion by 40% and have a concave face so that you can get a better grip on your Xbox One controller’s sticks. And, what does that mean? It means increased accuracy and a reduction in hand and thumb fatigue. These sticks might not seem like much, but the FPS Phantom will take your Kill/Death ratio up a notch.
Price: $16.99 (23 percent off MSRP)
Buy the KontrolFreek FPS Phantom here.
2. Wireless Controller + Play & Charge Kit
It’s unfortunate that the Xbox One only comes with one controller, because there are so many great couch multiplayer and competitive multiplayer games available that require two controllers. So, one of the first Xbox One accessories you should buy is definitely another wireless controller, but buy one that comes with the play & charge kit. The controller will charge will you play and when the console is in standby mode and will be fully charged in 4 hours.
Price: $71.99
Buy the Wireless Controller + Play & Charge Kit here.
3. “Blood Spatter” Xbox One Custom Controller
As far as bloody games are concerned, there aren’t many Xbox One games that glorify blood yet. There’s Killer Instinct, Shadow of Mordor and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (did I miss any?). But if you think blood and gore is badass, this is the controller for you. The “Blood Splatter” controller looks like something out of Dexter, and will let visitors know not to mess with you.
Price: $99.95 (23 percent off MSRP)
Buy the Blood Spatter Xbox One Controller here.
4. PDP Afterglow Karga
The PDP Afterglow Karga Xbox One headset not only sports powerful 50mm Neoymium drivers, but also houses them in a badass shell. The headset comes in two different glows (green or blue). It has extra padding around the ears for a comfortable fit. The headset line will release on November 7.
Price: $79.99 (20 percent off MSRP)
Buy the PDP Afterglow Karga Xbox One headset here.
5. SquidGrip
One of the biggest problems with the Xbox One controller is the fact that the hard plastic can leave your hands sweaty after long Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare play sessions. Your hands start sliding out of control, and then there goes your ratio. The SquidGrip provides a low-profile, firm-padded surface for your hands that makes gripping the controller easier.
Price: $14.90
Buy the SquidGrip for Xbox One here.
6. Seagate 2TB USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive
Let’s face it — you’re going to run out of space on your Xbox One’s hard drive sooner than you originally anticipated. With the average Xbox One game requiring over 50GB of data, it’s no surprise that I’m already at 93% full on my own personal Xbox One (and that’s only because I have already had to delete game files to make room for more games). There was a recent update to the Xbox One that made it so that users are now able to use external USB 3.0 hard drives, as long as the drive has over 256GB of memory. A truly great cheap and portable hard drive to use with your Xbox One is the Seagate 2TB 2.5-inch USB 3.0 Portable External Drive. 2TB for less than $100 is a great price, and would make a great addition. Did I also mention you’re able to play movies from your hard drive as well? Sounds like you’re going to need a lot of space…
Price: $94.99 (41 percent off MSRP)
Buy the Seagate 2TB External USB 3.0 Portable Drive here.
7. dreamGEAR Xbox One Dual Charging Dock
If you hate the thought of giving more money to Microsoft, well, then don’t give it to them. Instead of buying their play n charge kit, check out the dreamGEAR Dual Charging Dock for Xbox One. This allows for you to charge up to 2 Xbox One controllers at once, simply by replacing the stock Xbox One controller cover with their rechargeable battery. It also has an LED charge indicator that lets you know when each controller is fully charged. No more buying batteries. No more messing with rechargeable AA batteries. Just play, put them on the charger when you’re done, and you’ll be good to go for the next time you want to play.
Price: $34.99
Buy the dreamGEAR Xbox One Dual Charging Dock here.
8. Elgato Game Capture HD60
You know what happened to me just a few weeks ago? I was playing Dragon Age: Inquisition and defeated my first dragon. I was so excited, but unfortunately I was the only one in the room, so I can’t share my glory with anyone. But here’s what truly annoyed me: my Xbox One would only allow me to record 5 minutes of gameplay — the dragon took nearly 13 minutes to take down. So, all I could really share with my friends was the last few minutes of the battle, followed by my character standing in an open field while I tried to figure out how to actually record the gameplay through my Xbox One. To hell with that experience; I decided I wouldn’t let that experience happen to me again. Instead, I purchased the Elgato Game Capture HD60, a game capture device that allows you to record your most impressive kills with ease, live stream your gameplay to Twitch with ease (and yes, it’s better quality than using the Xbox One app), and even upload your recordings to YouTube, Twitter or Facebook. It records in full 1080p at 60FPS with advanced H.264 encoding.
Price: $179.95
Buy the Elgato Game Capture HD60 here.
9. Xbox One Kinect Sensor
Forget caring about whether or not the Xbox One Kinect Sensor is useful for games on the Xbox One — although it is, that’s not the selling point to me. Instead, focus on what else the Kinect Sensor was originally meant to be used for, too. Skyping on your big screen TV and controlling your Xbox One without having to worry about where the hell you left the controller are the two biggest selling points. The Xbox One Kinect Sensor certainly has not be used to its full potential yet, but there are some great games that utilize it properly, such as the recently released Just Dance 2015 and Kinect Sports Rivals.
Price: $149
Buy the Kinect Xbox One Sensor here.
10. Thrustmaster VG Ferrari 458 Spider Racing Wheel
Many gamers picked up an Xbox One for one reason: Forza Horizon 2. Forza Horizon 2 is a racing game that comes packed with the best graphics and coolest cars that make it one of the most realistic driving video game experiences to date. Still, it lacks one important factor for being ultra-realistic — a racing wheel! The Thrustmaster VG Ferrarri 458 Spider Racing Wheel for the Xbox One is the best Xbox One racing wheel available to date, and it is at a much better price point than most of its competitors. At less than $100, you can take the Thrustmaster racing wheel for a spin on your Xbox One.
Price: $92.26
