Prologue: Getting to Know the Xbox One

This book explains how to tap into the powerful features of the Xbox One so it can take its rightful place as the centerpiece of your home entertainment system. Despite its name, the Xbox One is actually Microsoft’s third console, after the Xbox, which debuted on November 15, 2001, and the Xbox 360, which debuted on November 22, 2005.

The Xbox One debuted on November 22, 2013. It proved an immediate hit, selling more than 1 million consoles in the first 24 hours of its rollout, spanning just 13 initial countries. The Xbox One represents a fresh start for Microsoft because none of the games or accessories for their previous consoles work with the new system. In fact, the Xbox One interface has more in common with the Windows 8 and Windows Phone operating systems than it does with even the latest version of the Xbox 360.

Of all the new features in Xbox One, one of the most impressive is its capability to integrate your cable or satellite box with it. Although a cable or satellite receiver box is not required, the HDMI In on your console would be awfully lonely without it. The benefit of connecting such a box to your Xbox One is that not only can you reuse the primary HDMI input on your television (freeing other inputs for other devices), but you can also enhance the use of your cable or satellite service. If your cable or satellite receiver box does not presently connect to your television via HDMI, then you must contact your service provider for a newer model that the Xbox One can take advantage of.

Finally, although an existing wired or wireless network is not strictly a requirement after initial setup is finished, you’re limited to playing only retail game discs unless you go online. Similarly, without an Xbox Live Gold account (see Chapter 3, “Examining Xbox Live”), access to the most interesting Xbox One features, like many of the video and music services, Skype video chat, and online gameplay, are not available.

However, before you start trying to hook up the Xbox One to your TV, sound system, or cable or satellite receiver box, it’s wise to familiarize yourself with all of its parts so that you can plan accordingly. For instance, you ultimately want to place your Xbox One console in a location where it’s both stable and there’s enough clearance around the unit to ensure none of its ventilation openings are blocked. You also need to make similar arrangements for the Kinect sensor, along with providing it a clear view of your living space. If a wireless Internet connection is not available, you want to place your console close enough to make a wired connection to your home network; otherwise, you’ll have to make do without many of the connected features that make the Xbox One so great. Nevertheless, even if you choose to eschew online features and just want to play disc-based games, you still need a broadband Internet connection for first-time setup to download an initial update before your shiny new console will even let you play.

Now, let’s review the features on the front of the Xbox One console:

• Disc slot—This is where you load and unload a Blu-ray, DVD, or audio CD disc. Once a disc is inserted part of the way into the slot, it is automatically pulled into the console and read.

• Eject button—Press this button to eject a disc that is inside the console.

• Xbox button—This is the power button and LED status indicator.

• Cooling vent—This vent allows heat to escape from your console. This vent should never be blocked.

Now take a look at the features on the left side of the Xbox One console:

• USB 3.0 port—Use this port to connect wired accessories, such as the Xbox One Play & Charge Kit (see “Accessorizing Your Xbox One” in Chapter 4, “Personalizing Your Xbox One Experience”).

• Eject hole—If a disc ever gets stuck in your console, you can use this to manually eject it. See “Manually Eject Discs” in Chapter 1, “Setting Up Your Xbox One,” for how to use the eject hole.

• Accessory Pairing button—Press this button when you want to connect additional wireless accessories, such as a wireless controller, to your console.

• Cooling vent—This vent allows heat to escape from your console. This vent should never be blocked. Similarly, the entire right side of the console has a cooling vent.

Finally, take a look at the features on the rear of the Xbox One console:

• Power supply port—The power supply plugs directly into this port.

• HDMI Out—One end of the included HDMI cable plugs into here, while the other end plugs into your television. See “Hook Up Your Xbox One” in Chapter 1 for more information on connecting to your television.

• S/PDIF—This port provides optical audio output, which is typically used to connect to sound systems. An optical audio cable is not included. See “Display & Sound” in Chapter 2, “Navigating Your Xbox One’s Dashboard and Settings,” for more information on connecting to a sound system.

• HDMI In—The HDMI cable from your cable or satellite receiver box optionally plugs in to here. See Chapter 1 for more information on connecting a cable or satellite receiver box.

• USB 3.0 ports—USB stands for universal serial bus. These ports enable you to attach peripheral devices to your console, such as a wired controller or, eventually, a flash or hard drive for additional storage capacity. Your console has three of these ports, one on the side and two in back.

• Kinect port—This is the dedicated Kinect USB port, handling both data and power for this motion and voice control camera device.

• IR Out—This is an infrared (IR) output port for connecting an optional IR blaster. See “Accessorizing Your Xbox One” in Chapter 4 for more information on IR blasters.

• Networking port—This is an Ethernet, or network, port, allowing for a wired connection.

• Lock port—This port enables you to connect a laptop lock to keep your console secured in areas where physical security may be an issue. See “Accessorizing Your Xbox One” in Chapter 4 for more on what to use with the lock port.

• Cooling vent—This vent enables heat to escape from your console. This vent should never be blocked.

Kinect’s microphone remains active at all times, so it’s always ready to receive voice commands from the user when needed, even when the console is in Sleep mode (but not when it is powered off). Although it’s not necessary to keep Kinect active or even plugged in, if you don’t, you’ll clearly be missing out on some interesting functionality.

Now, take a look at the features of the Xbox One wireless controller:

• Left stick—The primary analog control stick, which functions much like a D-pad, but due to its analog nature (detecting minute movements) is not as precise when navigating menus. It also functions as a button when you press down on it, often bringing up secondary functions or in-game menus.

• Left and right bumpers—Digital buttons that often act as quick scroll buttons in menu screens, with the right bumper scrolling right and the left bumper scrolling left.

• Xbox button—A digital button with a wide range of functions. If the console is off (LED status indicator off), hold this button to turn on the console. If the console is already on and the controller is off (LED status indicator off), hold this button to turn on the controller. If both the console and controller are already on, hold this button down to bring up the option to turn off the console or controller. With both the controller and console on, press this button at any time to show the Home screen (see Chapter 2). Finally, when viewing two snapped apps, where you move one to the right side of your screen while you do something else on the main part of your screen, press this button twice in rapid succession to toggle between the two apps.

• X, Y, A, B buttons—Digital buttons that can serve any assigned menu or in-game function. Typical usage for the X button is to cancel or exit a selection. Typical usage for the Y button is to bring up a menu. Typical usage for the A button is to accept selections. Typical usage for the B button is to go back to a previous screen or exit a screen.

• D-pad—A digital control that provides eight-directional input, enabling you to go up, down, left, right, up and left, up and right, down and left, and down and right. Some games do not allow use of the D-pad for movement but map certain in-game functions to it.

• Right stick—The secondary analog stick, often used to look around and adjust the camera angle in games that provide this functionality. It is also sometimes used for moving around in games, though use of the left stick for this function is much more common. The right stick also functions as a button. For example, in games that enable you to adjust the camera angle, pressing the button might return the camera’s vantage point to the center.

• View button—A digital button used to focus in on an activity in a game or app, such as accessing the address bar in Internet Explorer (see Chapter 10, “Surfing with Internet Explorer”). The function of this button varies depending on the app or game, with some completely ignoring its existence.

• Menu button—A digital button to access game- and app-specific menu options, such as Settings or Help, along with commands within the user interface, such as pressing the equivalent of Enter on a keyboard.

• Right and left triggers—Analog buttons that act as up and down quick scroll buttons in menu screens, with the left trigger scrolling down and the right trigger scrolling up. These are also called impulse triggers, which means they can feature rumble effects during gameplay.

• IR window—Infrared LEDs that are hidden behind the smoked plastic cover. These help Kinect see the controller and are used for auto-pairing controllers to the console (see “Assigning a Profile to a Wireless Controller” in Chapter 4).

• USB charge port—A Micro-USB port used to connect a USB cable to the controller for charging the optional Xbox One Play & Charge Kit or third-party equivalent (see “Accessorizing Your Xbox One” in Chapter 4). With a USB to Micro-USB cable plugged between the console and controller, the controller can also act like a wired controller, with no need for batteries.

• Connect button—A button used to sync a controller with a new or different Xbox One console (see “Connecting Additional Controllers” in Chapter 1).

• Battery cover—A cover for the compartment where the included AA batteries go.

• Expansion port—An accessory port, used to attach add-ons like the included Xbox One chat headset.

• Earpiece—Enables you to hear friends and family.

• Microphone—Enables your friends and family to hear you. The whole earpiece and microphone assembly rotates to accommodate use on the left or right ear.

• Expansion port connector—Plugs in to the expansion port on the Xbox One wireless controller to establish and secure a connection.

• Mute—Mutes your microphone so that others can no longer hear you.

• Volume up/down—Increases (when you press +) or decreases (when you press –) the volume you hear in the earpiece.