Hidden Xbox Series X|S Features You Didn’t Know About

Xbox consoles come packed with a surprising number of features that most players never discover.

Most players don't even realize the number of features Xbox consoles offer. Whether it's securing your account or optimizing for the best visuals, these settings can make all the difference in the game. Let's take a look at some of the most helpful and lesser known features of the Xbox that you should dive into.

Remap Everything: Custom Controller Profiles

A series of configurations called custom presets lets you remap pretty much any button on the Xbox controller in Controller and Headset Settings. You can remap all of the buttons, even if you don't have a $200 Pro Controller (it's compatible with any gamepad). Just click the button “Configure New Profile” and customize the buttons.

The recalibration feature — a feature underutilized — is where you can adjust stick and trigger sensitivity, recalibrate vibration settings and even correct stick drift, among other things, inside. Please note, there may be a need to upgrade your controller to make sure these features are working properly.

The Share button is another great customisation to make. It will take a game action shot and screenshots by default if you press it. You can do a variety of things with it, however, such as start/stop recording, Xbox party chat, shortcut boot, and other shortcuts listed in the pop-up menu. 

The Share button also has a dual function: a press function and a press and hold function, meaning that you can easily configure a lot of different things on this single button. There's plenty more to do in this menu to give you the right configuration.

Custom Backgrounds: Dynamic Art on Your Dashboard

With the new Xbox dashboard, there is increased background space which was ideal for dynamic artwork. A feature you can use is to have the background change automatically based on the tile or app you are using. This will allow your Xbox to simulate a feature that changes your background and the background music depending on the game that you select. Go to Settings, then Personalization and turn on Game Art.

Now as you roll around the Xbox dashboard and press the various game tiles, another special background will load up in accordance with that title – and some of them are moving. There is also a customizable wallpaper feature for loading images into the menu from a USB stick within this menu.

Video Modes: How to best show the images

Those who have a next generation console will want the best graphics possible. Go to Settings, General, TV and Display Options, and then Video Modes. You will find here a series of crosses and ticks which tell you which features your current display supports. Don't forget to get the right HDMI cable, preferably the newer HDMI 2.1 version, to enable additional features and settings.

If enabled, activate Auto-HDR, increasing the dynamic range and brightness of non-HDR games to make them more modern. HDR10 supports 10bit colour and enhances brightness and colour reproduction. Dolby Vision is a good choice for the more cinematic approach to gaming, but it may cause slight input lag in the process. 

The Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) feature on the iPhone X/S helps minimize screen tearing and make the gameplay smoother. On your TV, you can get the game mode with Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) which automatically turns it on.

Also, if the TV is an advanced next-generation set, you may even have FPS counters and settings for the panel in various games modes. It's worth exploring more of these with your TV remote and finding out what frame rates your games are running at, some may be doing 120fps at 4K!

Mouse and Keyboard: Make Your Xbox a Gaming PC

You can actually use a mouse and keyboard with your Xbox — and not many players are aware of this. You don't have to enjoy using a controller for some games like RPG MMOs or FPS titles, you can use a mouse and keyboard setup and then use your Xbox as a mini gaming PC.

They can be connected in several ways. You can get a wireless mouse and keyboard with its own USB connector that works great or a very affordable wired mouse and keyboard that is a simple plug-and-play solution. An upside to using a mouse that's like Logitech is they have on-board memory.

They can be linked to the laptop, set in custom DPI and DPI profiles to be saved on the mouse's on board memory. This will then be synced to your Xbox when you plug it in, providing a little more customization than simply changing the basic sensor sensitivity.

There are also some other settings that you can change in your Xbox directly. Select Settings, Device and Connection, Mouse. Here, you can alter the clicking speed of the pointer, and you can switch between the primary and secondary button mapping.

For some games, it will also be necessary to connect the controller at the same time, and then the controller's haptic feedback may be felt even when playing with the mouse and keyboard as the primary input. In the controller settings, if you don't need vibration feedback on your gamepad, you can disable it.

Co-Pilot Controllers: A Multiplayer twist!

Inside the controller settings there is one thing that is good to enable and try out: Co-Pilot Controllers. Feature for easy connection of several Xbox gamepads with the console to play the same game, as needed for assisted play or for those who use adaptive controllers.

This can also be used creatively with a friend in a one-player game, though! You can also have two gamepads connected and split the responsibility for both shooting and aiming/moving/jumping.

Can lead to some very interesting gaming sessions on games which are designed for one player. This can be done under Settings, Accessibility, Controller and choosing Co-Pilot Settings and adding a second game pad.

Dark & Light Mode: Customize your Dashboard

It is one of the underrated functions in Xbox, Switching between dark and light mode. Your Xbox will have a sleek and modern dark mode with all of the Xbox's tiles appearing gray by default.

However, if you're looking for a more retro and nostalgic look, you can switch on light mode as well, which will give you a vibe similar to Xbox 360. It resets all of the tiles to white, and restores that classic Xbox feeling. In lower-brightness or dimmer screens, light mode will also enhance readability of text.

There's also a way to set it so that it automatically toggles between light and dark mode as per the time of day, so you can enjoy the best of both worlds. That is entirely a matter of your taste whether you want to do this with the auto settings.