Okay, we're finally going to enter into the XBO fray...

[Teal]

...this Christmas. Haven't given the thing a whole lot of thought up til now, and would like some advice, since there are a few options.

Do I get the S? Why or why not?

Is the HDD expandable? If I only get the 500G, can I expand externally?

Not going nuts on games any more. Just keeping it to the monthly free, the long legged, and the occasionally universally great. So, to this point through mid-December, what are the truly great, long legged games?

How essential is the camera? I know the game angle is pretty dead, but for TV and that sort of thing, does the XBO do all those wonderful things without the camera?

Is there a "name your own game" bundle? Or, more specifically, is there a bundle that includes Battlefront? That's the one that my kids most want to play. Also, I know that Disney Infinity 2 and 3 are on the XBO. Is the first one at least BC? They play those games ALL the time, and we have invested WAY too much money into those damned little figurines...lol

It's been a long time coming, and gaming has taken a bit of a backseat to our farm life here, but the 360 offers nothing in the way of apps (ESPN, etc) any longer. Honestly, the decision to upgrade came the day we were trying to watch two games at the same time, and I turned on the ESPN app for the first time in months, only to find it had been shut down...lol. But we're buying movies with the DVD/Blu Ray combo packs more lately, and were setting up for this inevitability. So any and all advice (including any I might not have thought of) would be incredibly welcome and appreciated!

[dbdynsty25]

Get the S, skip the Kinect. Find one that has a throw in game you want. Like the Battlefield 1 edition. Pretty simple really.

[vader29]

Battlefront will be free in December with EA Access which is a great deal at 29.99 a year, probably will be 24.99 deals for Access on black Friday as there were last year. USB 3.0 external hard drives can be used with any Xbox One system. You need the Kinect for voice controls for the tv, I have the camera part covered and use voice commands every day for the tv, hope at some point they just release an external microphone or maybe have one built into the the Scorpio when it comes out next year.

[Diablo25]

Atta Boy TEAL!!!

1. Get the XB1S. Yes you can just get the 500 GB HD and then get an external HD to hold anything you want. Its all in the settings.
2. Get EA Access. Too many free games with it and trials for new games to say no.
3. No need for Kinect. Its more of an accessory for the voice stuff and you can do all of it with the controller. I love it but its far from necessary.

[pk500]

Atta Boy TEAL!!!

1. Get the XB1S. Yes you can just get the 500 GB HD and then get an external HD to hold anything you want. Its all in the settings.
2. Get EA Access. Too many free games with it and trials for new games to say no.
3. No need for Kinect. Its more of an accessory for the voice stuff and you can do all of it with the controller. I love it but its far from necessary.

Bull's eye. Welcome aboard!

I second DB's recommendation to get a Battlefield 1 bundle. You'll LOVE that game, dude.

[Teal]

Atta Boy TEAL!!!

1. Get the XB1S. Yes you can just get the 500 GB HD and then get an external HD to hold anything you want. Its all in the settings.
2. Get EA Access. Too many free games with it and trials for new games to say no.
3. No need for Kinect. Its more of an accessory for the voice stuff and you can do all of it with the controller. I love it but its far from necessary.

Bull's eye. Welcome aboard!

I second DB's recommendation to get a Battlefield 1 bundle. You'll LOVE that game, dude.

Oh, there's little question as to that one, but I'm looking to try and package SWBF for the resident SW geek in my house. However, the EA Access thing might work, even if it's not a physical copy he can unwrap. The little guys are more concerned with being able to play all of the Disney Infinity games, including the first one, but I can find that out myself. I'm glad I can do my own expansion, because MS gouges with those proprietary HDD drives, IMO.

[AcemanPR]

Definitely get an Xbox One S. As far as the HDD expansion goes, as long as you get a USB 3.0 external drive, you will be fine. I have a 4TB Seagate one that I've been using for a couple years and it has worked great and only at 50% capacity. You can find one of those for $80 from time to time.

[Danimal]

Atta Boy TEAL!!!

1. Get the XB1S. Yes you can just get the 500 GB HD and then get an external HD to hold anything you want. Its all in the settings.
2. Get EA Access. Too many free games with it and trials for new games to say no.
3. No need for Kinect. Its more of an accessory for the voice stuff and you can do all of it with the controller. I love it but its far from necessary.

This is the key here. Also get an external drive for extra storage. I picked up a few 2TB drives for under $80 and threw them on both my XB1's

[Diablo25]

Teal, here are the games currently in the vault for EA Access. They are FREE to download (full game) as long as you are an EA Access subscriber. Star Wars Battlefront is on the way as stated above. Superb Deal at $29.99/year

NBA Live 16
Rory McIlroy PGA Tour
FIFA 16
NHL 16
Madden 16
Battlefield Hardline
Deadspace
Dragon Age Inquisition
Titanfall
FIFA 15
Battlefield 4
Madden NFL 15
Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare
NHL 15
EA Sports UFC
Need for Speed Rivals
NBA Live 15
Peggle 2
FIFA 14
Madden 25
Plants vs Zombies

[Aristo]

And that is in addition to 10% discounts on anything you buy online, and free previews of any game. And those free previews are good any time, not just the week before release.

[Teal]

Okay, that's a helluva lot better than coining up for just ONE game...thanks for the EA Access tip, fellas. That'll happen.

[pk500]

Two quick suggestions for shooters you'll dig:

1. Battlefield 1. A MUST. The best BF since Bad Company.
2. Rainbox Six: Siege. A VERY tactical, thinking man's shooter. Don't read the reviews from the release date. Ubisoft has done a fine job updating this game with patches and fixes.

[sportdan30]

Start looking for deals on one year memberships for Xbox Live. There was one recently for around $37.99 for the year. I'll bet you might even snag a better deal around Black Friday. Obviously, you'll want Xbox Live, but don't forget there are free games each month that get announced (past couples months have had WWE 2K16 and Sunset Overdrive just as an example). You only have a limited time to download these games however. Once the time has passed, they go back to retail pricing. But, if you download them in that time period, the games are yours as long as you keep Xbox Live active.

Also, see if you can find a deal on Gamers Club from Best Buy. 20% off new games and I believe used games as well. This really comes in handy for someone like yourself who is new to the Xbox One. There are plenty of discounted games in which you can get an additional 20% off.

I have been seeing a ton of used games being sold on Marketplace on Facebook as well as on Craigslist. Games for as low as $10 in some cases.

If you have a public library around, you can rent games for free for 7 days. There are usually some excellent titles available.

[pk500]

Also, see if you can find a deal on Gamers Club from Best Buy. 20% off new games and I believe used games as well. This really comes in handy for someone like yourself who is new to the Xbox One. There are plenty of discounted games in which you can get an additional 20% off.

Gamers Club Unlocked from Best Buy is the second-best deal in gaming behind EA Access. Twenty percent off all new game purchases with extra Best Buy points, an additional 10 percent added to trade-ins, and I think there's a discount on used game purchases, too.

$30 per year. The damn thing pays for itself if you buy at least three new games per year at full price.

[sportdan30]

By the way, if I had to choose one game for the Xbox One, it would be Forza Horizon 3. It trumps FH2 imo, and is just a joy to pick up and play. There is just an insane amount that you can do, and I almost guarantee your kids would love toying around with all the different cars. The visuals are beautiful, and the sense of speed is awesome, even if it runs at 30 fps.

I'm sure there will be a pretty good deal on this game around Black Friday. It has an incredible replay value and will last for months.

[Danimal]

Teal will be in just in time for the new Ghost Recon. Hopefully PK as well and we can 4 player co-op the s*** out of it.

[pk500]

Teal will be in just in time for the new Ghost Recon. Hopefully PK as well and we can 4 player co-op the s*** out of it.

F*CK. YES. I'm so in on that, dude. The nights that you, Teal and I played Operation Flashpoint: Red River online co-op were among my favorites ever in online gaming. So intense, so much fun.

But Teal will have his new XB1 before March, I hope? GR: Wildlands is released in early March 2017. Can't wait.

[Danimal]

Teal will be in just in time for the new Ghost Recon. Hopefully PK as well and we can 4 player co-op the s*** out of it.

F*CK. YES. I'm so in on that, dude. The nights that you, Teal and I played Operation Flashpoint: Red River online co-op were among my favorites ever in online gaming. So intense, so much fun.

But Teal will have his new XB1 before March, I hope? GR: Wildlands is released in early March 2017. Can't wait.

Aww hell, did it get pushed back I thought it was a holiday release at one point.

[Teal]

Teal will be in just in time for the new Ghost Recon. Hopefully PK as well and we can 4 player co-op the s*** out of it.

F*CK. YES. I'm so in on that, dude. The nights that you, Teal and I played Operation Flashpoint: Red River online co-op were among my favorites ever in online gaming. So intense, so much fun.

But Teal will have his new XB1 before March, I hope? GR: Wildlands is released in early March 2017. Can't wait.

Oh, yeah. Santa will be bringing it this year. And you know me...no way I miss a good shooter...

[Diablo25]

Teal will be in just in time for the new Ghost Recon. Hopefully PK as well and we can 4 player co-op the s*** out of it.

F*CK. YES. I'm so in on that, dude. The nights that you, Teal and I played Operation Flashpoint: Red River online co-op were among my favorites ever in online gaming. So intense, so much fun.

But Teal will have his new XB1 before March, I hope? GR: Wildlands is released in early March 2017. Can't wait.

Oh, yeah. Santa will be bringing it this year. And you know me...no way I miss a good shooter...

GHOST RECON

[AcemanPR]

Hell yeah Ghost Recon!

Also, Gamers Club Unlocked at Best Buy is $30 but is good for 2 years, not 1. Definitely a great deal. And many top titles, if you preorder, you will get a $10 gift certificate, on top of 20% off, so a $60 launch day game gets down to $38 just like that. Definitely worth getting!