Microsoft 1 TB Xbox One S Console- Forza Horizon 4 Bundle+PDP Stealth Series Wired Controller for Xbox One, Xbox One X and Xbox One S, Phantom Bla

First of the all the cloudtail seller is one of the best on Amazon. I’ve never been disappointed in their products. Secondly this time I was disappointed with packaging. Xbox one X box was well intact but the box in which the console was placed was a bit bigger. Console package was moving back and forth. I would have preferred bubble packaging since it’s a electronic device. Console was placed firmly between polystyrene slots. Controller and console were of very high quality. Trust me on this console’s quite heavy. So make sure both the hands when you pull it out of box. Box included a power cord, HDMI super fast cable and codes for Gears 5 and other gears of war versions. Xbox game pass and xbox live for a month. Xbox game pass has over 100 games. But most aren’t that good though. But it has few great titles.I’ve been using it for a couple of days now and I must say it’s a beast producing stunning visuals at 4K. The console does heat up when you run games at 4K. But it’s normal and when placed in place where there’s good air circulation then there shouldn’t be any problems. I’ve bought wwe 2k20 and Call of duty Modern Warfare from Microsoft store. They run flawlessly and so far I haven’t experienced a single bug or glitch. You can easily register your console online for warranty. Also serial number of console is enough when you register the first time. Since controller, cables everything are included in them. So warranty extends to all of them for a year. If you get an additional controller then you have to register that separately to claim warranty if any problem arises. I am. Some one who has used ps4 pro and xbox one x. If you have a great 4k tv. Then go for xbox one x. Cuz ps4 pro just up scales the game resolution for most of games compromising visuals for better fps. But Xbox One X just gives you stunning visuals at true 4k resolution with 60fps for almost all the titles out there. Every new game is enhanced for Xbox One X.

I’m writing this review after using it for hours and hours in the past 2 months (Thanks to the Covid lockdowns)

I’ll be listing down all the pros and cons that I’ve observed during this duration and also points which I was not aware of before I got the console as it might be helpful for others thinking about getting this console.

First of all, I purchased it for ₹19,990 which is definitely an amazing deal for a world class level console.

Pros:
1. Efficient cooling – Doesn’t feel like you’re standing next to the jet engine exhaust despite playing games like AC Odyssey for long durations (12-14hrs)

2. Brilliant and easy to use UI – The XBOX user interface is really simple and easy to use. Also, other features like the Avatar creator, achievement tracker etc. are really impressive.

3. XBOX Store – The XBOX store has a really really vast collection of games but most importantly there are weekly sales where you can get games at huge discounts (I got the AC Odyssey Gold edition for ₹2200)

4. Mind blowing performance – This is the most important factor for a gaming console and XBOX definitely doesn’t fail to impress here.

5. Comes with the most comfortable controller in the market yet – The XBOX One controller is really comfortable and your hands won’t hurt even if you use them for long durations.

Cons:
1. Microsoft definitely wants you to spend some extra bucks on the accessories – The biggest disappointment is that the XBOX One controller doesn’t come with a rechargeable battery and even if you get one online, you can’t charge them when they are plugged into Power or connected to the XBOX Console via USB.
Although, you can get a Microsoft rechargeable battery unit that would cost you around ₹2100 which in my opinion is a waste as the controller already costs above ₹4000.
I had to purchase an additional pair of Duracell rechargeable battery and a rechargeable battery charger for the same purpose.

2. No Bluetooth/ Microphone feature in the controller- Just like the rechargeable battery you need to get an additional XBOX accessory to chat with other players if you prefer playing online multiplayer games.
You can’t connect an external Bluetooth earphone/ headphone for the same purpose.

3. Reconnectivity Issues – There are a lot of reconnectivity issues once the network gets disconnected.
Sometimes you need to restart in order to connect it back again or you need to do it manually by troubleshooting via Settings in the XBOX. Even the remaining battery indicator does not indicate accurately.

Few points which might be helpful:
1. Once you redeem a code for a game, the download won’t start automatically. You need to go to the store, search for that particular game and then put it for download. Alternatively, you can go to the ‘My Owned Games’ section and start downloading it.

2. The XBOX doesn’t support AUX out or Bluetooth.
I use my XBOX on a monitor and a Bose SoundTouch 20 external speaker which doesn’t have a optical cable output.
In case you have a similar setup involving an external speaker only with an Audio Jack, you can connect an external AUX cable to the monitor (if it has an AUX input) and the other end to speaker and it works without any delay in Audio.

Overall its definitely worth every single penny you pay.
The only reason I’ve given it a 4/5 is because of Microsoft’s habit to make you purchase additional accessories.

EDIT:
If you really want to play multiplayer and avoid spending a few extra bucks on an earphone, download the Xbox app from the Appstore/ Playstore.
You can create or join a party and chat with all your in-game friends.