Top Ten Must-Have Accessories for the Xbox One

When gamers gathered at the doors to their preferred retailer (or watched the post) on 22 November to obtain their Xbox One Console -- which followed Sony's PS4 that released 15 November -- you were no doubt feeling pretty good about yourself and your decision as a gamer.... Though really if you think about it, the correct answer to the question Xbox One or PS4 can only be one answer: Yes.

Since you have clearly chosen the Xbox One (or perhaps you got both of them like we did?) either way the newest console generation has now fully deployed and you can get busy exploring all that is new and good, right? Well, no, not so much really...

Sure those Day-0 Games are pretty awesome, but there are two traditional sides to making your new console as comfortable and as convenient as your old one: a lot of time spend playing on it so that you get familiar with its personality and quirks, and giving it just the right accessories to take it into the total gamer comfort zone!

We cannot help you with the former - for that you are going to need to find time in your day to play and then keep playing -- but for the latter we not only have your back mates, we know what the really good kit is that you are going to want!

Based upon our own exhaustive research, testing, reviewing, and play - yeah we play - here are the Top 10 Accessories that you need to have for your new Xbox One.

The Top 10 XO Accessories

10. Xbox One Wireless Controller (Average Retail: $59.99)

Once you have your base XO obtaining additional gamepads is really a no-brainer. Gamers who like to Par-Tay may want three more controllers for a total of four, but most gamers should start out by picking up one more so they have a pair for co-op gaming.

The Microsoft brand gamepad uses removable AA batteries that are installed under a removable cover in the bottom. It has a 30-foot range and does not suffer from the stutter effects that plagued the 360's gamepad near the end of its range.

If you plan to combine your new gamepad with a Charge & Play Kit there is a package version of the controller available for $74.99 -- a savings of around $10 over buying them separately.

Official Website: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-one/accessories/controllers/wireless-controller

09. Xbox One 4 Shot Gaming Headset (Average Retail: $159.99)

These babies will not even be on the market for another 3 months (target date for release is 15 February 2014) but they still made our list because, while the skinny they showed us at E3 2013 did not include functional prototypes, the stats that they trotted out plus their goals for the product when fully realized were very impressive indeed.

The story that the forward-looking technical briefing delivered highlighted Polk's proprietary electronic and acoustic tuning scheme called 'POET' (Polk Optimized Electro-acoustic Tuning). The POET tech is engineered to provide a richer and more complete listening experience on the 4 Shot, and thanks to their proprietary tuning and the POET system, it does a bang-up job for games and music.

Based upon experience revealed during early access the ergonomic success of the complete package includes an over-the-ear wireless headset and mic (that's right, they have a microphone) for the new XO that pretty much justifies them as a gift to yourself.

We want to make that part of the equation crystal clear -- at $159.99 the 4 Shot and its clear digital surround-sound audio is priced in the luxury end of the spectrum, and while they make a very nice gift for yourself - if you can get someone else to give them to you as a gift, hey, bonus!

When they approached the question of competitive personal audio for the Xbox One Console Polk's engineers had a list of goals that they meant to accomplish in creating their various lines of personal audio headsets:

Comfortable over-the-ear leather-padded cups joined by light pressure from the spring-steel connection of the head band.

Pivoting cups

Special wireless adapter for XO that offers the player full wire-free gaming, audio, and chat without sacrificing controls.

Fully retractable 'nearfield' microphone fitted in the base of the left-side cup that uses technology similar to that found in the tactical headsets used by the military.

Multiple-device capability: the 4 Shot can be used by more than just your XO -- it will also connect to and provide its high-quality audio for tablets, computers (both desktop and portable), and your smartphone (seriously) -- with its one-touch activator control allowing you to take calls on the latter by touch alone.

When you score yourself a pair of these bad boys -- if your dwelling happens to include children too young to understand the worlds 'No Touch!' or animals (particularly kittens or puppies who are not past the chew-on-everything-stage of development) based upon our own disastrous experiences we strongly recommend that you also purchase a storage box for your luxury audio kit.

Audio accessories and storage company Slappa (www.slappa.com) makes a really nice infant-and-animal-proof hard headphone storage case (the model is SL-HP-07) that at an average retail price of around $35 is wicked cheap insurance for you to keep your $160 headphones in like-new condition both cosmetically and performance wise. We beehive these are totally worth buying!

Official Website: http://www.polkaudio.com/products/4shot

08. Wireless Keyboard (Average Retail: $29.95 to $49.95)

Gamers used to the gamepad keyboard for the 360 easily found that the faster thumb-based typing obtained on it made entering codes and having conversations all the better, but it seems that at launch that device is surprisingly absent for the XO. Fortunately there seem to be a variety of third-party keyboards out there, including wireless in both mini and full formats.

07. Kinect for XO TV Mount (Average Retail: $19.99)

While most gamers found ways to mount the original Kinect its relative light weight and easier to mount bottom meant that it could be attached using velcro tape. Not so the new Kinect which is a bit more beefy - so the solution is the official TV Mount -- assuming you plan to use the device at all?

06. The N1 Sound Bar (Average Retail: $299)

It comes in two colours - black and white - and with a whopping price tag, but if you can afford it the N1 does give your games and your video watching a particularly rich sound.

Created by Polk Audio the N1 creates bigger and richer sounds using tech that amplifies the sound throughout the different ranges using chambers inside the slim device - well, either that or there is a full orchestra of little people inside it...

Official Website: http://www.polkaudio.com/products/n1

Our Top Five Essential Accessories for the Xbox One continue on the next page.

05. Xbox One Chat Communicator Kit (Average Retail: $24.99)

While the Kinect theoretically sports a mic along with its camera, for serious tactical gaming pleasure and coordinating your battle moves on your second gamepad, what you really need is the Xbox One Chat Communicator Kit just like the one that comes with your XO for its primary gamepad controller.

The lightweight headset is similar to the one from the 360 - it's single ear and boom mic allows you to chat in-game while still being aware of what is going on in the room around you.

Featuring nice and clear digital audio, with mute and volume controls built in, the headset connects directly to its gamepad controller, so you will want one of each just to be complete and all. Oh, and no batteries required.

04. Thrustmaster TX Racing Wheel (Average Retail: $399)

This almost did not make the list because it is so expensive, but then we remembered that you get what you pay for, and what you are paying for here is a precision steering wheel controller for playing racing games... So if you can afford it this one will make your racing a little more realistic...

The TX features metal gas and brake pedals, and gear sequential paddle shifters, makes Forza 5 sing like a, well, like a Ferrari, and looks cool. Looking cool is not as important as working very well -- which it does -- but still...

Official Website: http://www.thrustmaster.com/

03. Joystick Fine Control Extenders by KontrolFreek (Average Retail: $4.99 to $34.99)

It may sound like a simple idea that can be accomplished with .50 cents of plastic and rubber but the reality is more complicated than that, and then there is the fact that along the way to pioneering the science of improved gamepad joystick control and accuracy, KontrolFreek developed and engineered a brand and product line preferred by shooter champs and gamers who play games that require very fine control and accuracy from their gamepad.

KontrolFreek set the standard on the 360's gamepad with their SNIPR and FPS Phantom lines, but it was their Sports Lines (Tee, Hoops & Football) that began to get them noticed, and their RCADE Line that made made playing Pac-Man, Galage, Mortal Combat and Injustice: Gods Among Us almost like flitting your sweaty hands on the real Arcade Controls!

Note that the KontrolFreek 360 / PS3 series of stick extenders is NOT compatible with the new XO and PS4 gamepad joysticks, so you'll want to be sure to get in on the pre-order for the XO / PS4 lines that are now coming out. You'll want to hit up the company website at kontrolfreek.com for the fastest access to the new lines -- and for serious gamers we make the following recommendations based upon game genre:

Action-Adventure: CQC Signature Line

Arcade and Casual: Ultra Line

FPS & Shooter: SNIPR and FPS Freek Lines

Sports, Racing, and Platformer: No recommendations at the present time...

At press time there is no equivalent to the SpeedFreek Line of extenders which are a wing-like model engineered to provide a cradle for each thumb so that there is absolutely zero-chance for a digit slipping off of the stick and messing up your perfect run -- and that is why we don't make a recommendation for the Sports, Racing, or Platforming genres.

Well, we don't make any recommendation other than to wait until KontrolFreek rolls out the PS4 / XO line of SpeedFreek extenders because they not only make all the difference in the world in terms of fine control and what a lot of gamers these days call 'input reliability' they are, without a doubt, a critical element in the tool kit for gamers who like to win.

Official Website: http://www.kontrolfreek.com/

02. Xbox One Play & Charge Kit (Average Retail: $24.99)

This is not a licensed bit of Kit, it is the Microsoft brand Charge and Play Kit and it is pure bloody gold for the serious gamer for a number of reasons, which we are about to cover.

Veteran gamers learned with the Xbox 360 that while the wireless gamepad is cool, running out of power on your gamepad in the middle of a battle? Not cool man, not cool at all! The same holds true for the XO -- even more so because where the 360's gamepad had minor issues that made tethering it to the console with a play cable preferable, the XO's gamepad has no such issues, so you will want to go full commando-wireless!

Microsoft's Charge & Play Kit comes with a combination tether / charging cable and a rechargeable power pack that slots nicely into the bottom of your new gamepad. It takes about 4 hours for the battery pack to charge fully and less if it is not really low, which means you can tether it to your XO to top-off over night while you recharge your batteries with sleep!

If you are hardcore and you go for long gaming sessions you might optionally want to pick up a spare power pack or two -- Nyko makes the Xbox One Power Pack (Average Retail: $12.99) you can add to your basket when shopping for your Charge & Play Kit.

Official Website: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-one/accessories/batteries-chargers/play-and-charge-kit

01. DreamGEAR Dual Charging Dock for the Xbox One (Average Retail: $34.99)

The Numero Uno slot in any Top 10 List is always reserved for the most important or significant item in the list, and based on our experience with the Xbox One and its controller the Number One Slot in the Top 10 List is clearly where the Charging Dock belongs.

Taking into consideration 30-plus years gaming experience it is our considered opinion that a solid charge dock is way more than a luxury -- it is a necessity.

There is nothing more annoying than finding your controller out of juice in the middle of a gaming session -- well, perhaps there is one thing more annoying: having to tether yourself to your console to continue that gaming session!

US-based DreamGEAR is a third-party video game console accessory manufacturer whose Charging Dock for the XO offers gamers a stylish but far more importantly a stylishly functional charging solution for their new console!

The small footprint for the dock means you can place it on any flat surface near your XO and its two-controller capacity and Y-Cable connection to your Xbox Bone means that it will keep both of your controllers nicely topped-off.

The package also comes with two power packs, so if you have not purchased a Charge & Play Kit they have you covered, though to be frank we consider the packs included with the dock to be more of a back-up choice as the Microsoft brand Charge & Play Power Packs perform better in our option.

The features for the device include:

Charges up to 2 Xbox One controllers simultaneously

Individual LED charge indicators for each controller

To use the dock simply connect its Y-Cable to one of the slots on your XO then set up the dock on a flat surface nearby. The XO sends power to the slots even when it is off (which for the XO means in standby mode) so when you are done with your gaming session you can 'turn off' the console and then slide your controller into the open slot on the dock, where the status light will clearly inform you that it is now being charged.

Having a charging dock for your Xbox One is really a no-brainer, because keeping your controller in a fully charged state as well as recharging it when you are done with your gaming session makes a lot of sense and, what is more, is a heck of a lot more convenient than being forced to tether yourself to the console while you play and wait for the controller to recharge!

So there you have it, our Top 10 accessories for the Xbox One as of right now - No doubt other fantastic accessories will be released for the Xbox One.