Microsoft set out to make more than a game console with the latest gen of its Xbox console. These hidden tricks maximize its already considerable abilities.
The Xbox Series X and S are not just little boxes for playing games; They are thoughtfully engineered, comprehensive entertainment hubs. You should stop thinking your console is only built for good graphics and start seeing it as a deep, flexible computer. Its operating system is always being fine-tuned, updated, and expanded. Like your smartphone, these devices are packed with hidden capabilities, smart service integrations, and crucial quality-of-life tweaks that let you do much more than just game.
That’s easy to forget when this console generation brought huge power and incredible graphics. Systems like the Xbox Series X or Series S offer a quick, solid-state drive (SSD), 4K gaming, and 120 frames per second (fps). These high-impact specs are the core selling points and make a difference with big titles, but they’re not the only factor.
If you don’t explore the available options, you’re missing out on huge hidden convenience, faster performance, and great customization. We look beyond the initial flashy launch specs and dive into the clever, useful, and unexpected features baked right into the operating system.Suspend multiple games with quick resume
One of the best parts of the current console generation is the ability to suspend several games at once using Quick Resume. While the PS5 can only handle pausing a single session, leaving you tethered to one active game, the Xbox Series X/S lets you use this feature to keep multiple digital adventures running in the background simultaneously.
Think of it as creating a save state for the entire application rather than just some internal checkpoint within the game world. You won’t have to deal with those menu screens or loading prompts that typically kill the immersion of the gaming experience.
Since the system writes the game state directly to the internal storage, it can survive a complete loss of power. This means you can pack up your system for a trip or move it to a new room without losing your exact spot in a game.Link two controllers as one with Controller Assist
You’re probably used to standard multiplayer where everyone gets their own character, but Copilot is completely different. This mode lets you tie two controllers together. The system sees this merger as just one input device, so both devices are sending commands to the exact same character or menu screen at the same time.
If you want to link two controllers on your Xbox, the first thing you need to do is get both devices connected. Grab your main gamepad, hit the Xbox button, and go to Profile & system, then Settings. You’ll find the Controller settings under Accessibility. Once you’re there, select Turn on Controller Assist.
It’s fantastic if you need to help your kid finish a frustrating level, but you don’t want to actually snatch the controller away from them. There are many creative uses for an Xbox controller, but this is a good one for siblings or parents who want to help their kids in hard sections or simply bond over a game.Turn your console into a dev kit
Sure, the regular Xbox Series X/S retail interface is great for hitting up the Microsoft Store and Game Pass, but there is a hidden part of the console that ramps up what it can do beyond just playing games. You can shift your device into a special sandbox environment that was initially created for those making software. It lets the hardware operate like an open platform for you to mess around with.
You have to sign up on the official Windows site and pay a small $19 fee, but you’ll get an account you can use from then on. That formally registers your specific machine for dev purposes.
This whole thing is completely legit, and it makes sure that the regular retail side of your console is entirely separate from the development part, so your game library stays safe while you check out the new potential. What this does is unlock the power to install and run homebrew software. These are community-made apps and tools that Microsoft doesn’t distribute through the regular storefront, and you can then sideload them into the console.Download games you do not own yet
One of the most underrated things the modern Xbox ecosystem does is let you separate installing a game’s data from actually owning the license for it. That feature really cuts down on the frustration between buying a game and getting to play it right away. The key to doing this is the Xbox mobile app. It’s incredibly helpful because you can queue up a download for basically any game available in the Microsoft Store, even if you haven’t bought it yet.
After dealing with shipping, you normally put in the disc just to sit through hours of installation and patching before you can actually start playing. However, this feature allows you to proactively install the physical title while you wait for your copy to arrive.
Just search for the title in the mobile app and push the installation to your console ahead of time. This handles those truly huge file sizes associated with current AAA games long before the package even shows up. This forward-thinking approach means that once the disc finally shows up, your console just needs it to receive the disc to play.Dim the lights with night mode
One of the most practical tools actually fixes a huge physical annoyance you find when gaming in the dark. That Xbox logo on the controller and the console itself is notoriously bright. If you like to game in a dimly lit home theater or bedroom, that static, piercing light seriously breaks the immersion and becomes genuinely distracting.
Fortunately, the System Settings have a Night Mode that lets you easily dim these LEDs or just switch them off completely. This customization gives the setup a much stealthier aesthetic, making sure the device isn’t stealing focus from the action on screen.
