7 Essential Xbox Controller Tips

The Xbox is a brilliant console that is capable of many amazing feats, but so is the humble controller that goes along with it. The Xbox controller has many secrets of its own, and there’s a good chance you may not even be using it to its full potential.

If you want to make the most out of your Xbox controller, here are seven essential tips that you might not know yet.

1. Utilize the Sync Button on Your Xbox Controller

One of the best parts of the Xbox is Game Pass. Game Pass is a subscription service that gives you access to hundreds of games that are all available to play whenever you want, and not just on your Xbox console. You can also get Xbox Game Pass on your PC.

Using your PC to play Game Pass is a whole new experience that could improve the quality and performance of your games even more than the Xbox Series console itself, but you still might want to use your Xbox controller to play them. That is where the sync button comes in handy.

If you hold down the Xbox button on your controller until it starts flashing and then double-tap it again, it will automatically connect to the last device it was connected to. Few scenarios are more annoying than turning your Xbox controller on to connect it to your PC and hearing your console boot up from the other room. This feature prevents that from happening completely, so you never have to trudge all the way over to your console to turn it back off again.

2. Remap Your Xbox Controller Button Layout

Every console uses a different button layout. These subtle changes can be hard to keep track of, especially during the most heated moments of your game. Every gamer has experienced pressing the wrong button to jump and running straight off the edge of a cliff instead. That exact scenario itself may be a little specific, but if you switch between consoles frequently, you will be familiar with the issue.

The best way to avoid this issue is to remap the buttons on your Xbox controller . You can do this with the rest of your consoles too, so they all have the same button inputs, and you will never mistake the jump button again. Changing the button layout on your Xbox controller is incredibly easy and can be done via the Xbox Accessories app or in theDevices & connections section of your console’s settings.

3. Add Profiles for Your Button Layouts

If you thought changing your button layout once was helpful, wait until you discover that you can create unique button profiles for each game you play. Each game maps the buttons out a little differently. Perhaps you open the map differently, jump differently, or press a different button to pull the trigger.

Your Xbox allows you to create up to 255 custom button layouts which you can fluidly and easily switch between while gaming. Creating a different button layout for each game can be extremely helpful, especially if you are playing a first-person shooter or other competitive game that requires hairpin accuracy and split-second decisions. Knowing where your inputs are and relocating them so they’re closer together could be all you need to make the next rank.

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4. Add a Co-Pilot

Co-pilot is one of the best accessibility features that the Xbox has to offer. It allows two individuals to use two separate controllers that act as one. This is different from playing co-op, where two people have their own controller because rather than having two inputs, the co-pilot feature effectively splits one controller into two.

This allows one person to move around while the other mans the weapons, for example. Co-pilot makes it much easier for people who are very young or have decreased motor skills to play and enjoy games with the help of friends or family.Setting up and using co-pilot on your Xbox is a quick, easy, and effective way to get everyone involved without risking your little brother causing too much havoc in your save file.

5. Design Your Own Xbox Controller

Xbox has a wide range of extremely cool controllers to choose from, like the Starfield or Halo-themed controllers, but did you know that you can also use Xbox Design Lab to customize your very own personal Xbox controller ?

Image Credit:Xbox

Xbox Design Lab is a website that lets you design each component of your Xbox controller to create the controller of your dreams. Pink custom shell with aqua blue buttons? Consider it done. Do you want every part of your controller to be a different color of the rainbow? You can do that, too. You can even get your gamer tag engraved on it. Perhaps not the ones we made up when we were 12, though. Some things are better left in the past.

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6. Claim Your Xbox Controller as Your Own

You don’t have to use Xbox Design Lab to get your name engraved on your controller to claim it as your own. All you need to do is link your specific controller to your Microsoft account . This becomes particularly useful if you share your console with your family or friends and have a few different profiles logged in at once.

By linking your controller to your account, your console will automatically log you in as soon as you turn it on rather than having to select your profile manually. And every second counts when it comes to getting enough free time to play video games. Linking your Xbox controller to your account gives you more time to game and less time mucking around in menus, making it a simple yet valuable Xbox controller hack.

7. Purchase the Rechargeable Battery Pack for Your Xbox Controller

The Xbox controller is one of the best on the market, especially if you use it to game on several different platforms. But the Xbox controller has one massive flaw. That is, of course, the type of batteries it uses. The Xbox controller uses two AA batteries to power your gaming experience, and they don’t last all that long.

Image Credit:Xbox

If there is one scenario more annoying than fumbling the jump button in-game, it’s running out of batteries mid-boss fight and having none left in the house, even in the darkest corners of that kitchen drawer that everyone uses for random items like batteries and sticky tape. Thankfully, Xbox offers its own rechargeable battery pack that prevents this travesty from occurring and allows you to charge your controller as you would any other.

Xbox Rechargeable Battery Pack costs around $24.99, but it’s arguably the most essential tip there is when it comes to your Xbox controller, and it is worth every penny.

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Now that you know every tip and trick there is about your Xbox controller, you are free to use it to game to your full potential. Whether it was learning that you can create button profiles for each of your games, using the sync button to easily switch between devices, or discovering you can create your own brand-new custom rainbow Xbox controller with your gamer tag proudly emblazoned on the front, we hope there was at least one secret here that you didn’t know before.

But if there is one tip that stands out above all else, it is definitely the rechargeable battery pack. That is sure to change your Xbox life for the better, and you will never know what you did without it.