Here are some tips for squeezing as much performance as possible from Microsofts home consoles.
Assuming your internet speed surpasses the speed of your wireless connection, Ethernet could be the answer.
The good news is that the Xbox Series X and S have gigabit Ethernet ports.
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
Youll also avoid latency introduced by a congested wireless web link.
If you cant manage a wired connection, consider using the fastest possible wireless band available to you.
For the Series X and S, that will be the 5 GHz band.
Jordan Gloor / How-To Geek
double-check that your router is as close as possible for best results.
Unfortunately, external drives (even if theyre solid-state) are slower than the drive inside your console.
For mechanical, spinning-platter hard drives the load times will be much more noticeable.
you’re able to also purchase additional fast storage in the form ofXbox expansion cards.
These start at $89 for 512GB with 1TB and 2TB options available.
Performance mode favors frame rate over visual fidelity.
If you want a game to look its absolute best, regardless of frame rate, pick quality mode.
Be careful about toggling between the two.
It can be very jarring to move from 30 frames to 60 frames and back again.
Many games require a restart to switch modes, which can help mask this transition.
Much of the time, the game youre playing will decide which mode is best.
Slow-paced games with heavy controls often feel fine at 30 frames per second.
Beat em ups, rhythm action games, and competitive shooters generally benefit the most from a performance mode.
For some, prioritizing frame rate is an absolute must, regardless of whats being played.
Even in performance mode, dips in frame rate are possible.
Corbin Davenport / How-To Geek
Not all televisions and monitors will support VRR, but its safe to say that most new displays do.
Use the Variable refresh rate drop-down menu to choose Always On or Gaming Only to activate the feature.
Youll need a display that supports either HDMI-VRR or AMD FreeSync to use this feature.
if you bump into flickering on black items, you might want to turn this off.
Finally, high dynamic range (HDR) gaming is one of the highlights of the console generation.
ensure you dust every surface of your console to ensure adequate airflow.
Intakes require far more attention than exhaust vents since they can easily get clogged up.
The next time you switch it on, it starts up almost immediately and is ready to play games.
This is convenient, but its no substitute for a proper restart.
Youll see the Xbox startup logo hang around, and youll hear a start-up chime too.
Restarting can help solve issues with crashing, web connection connectivity, and other wonky behavior.
Its enabled by default for most games that support it.
