Your Xbox’s USB Port Is for More Than Just Charging—Here’s Everything You Can Do With It

Is there a USB cable that is constantly dragging your Xbox console? Although you probably use it to load your controllers, there are many other uses for the many ports found at the front and back of your console. Some might even surprise you.

1

Develop your storage

Your Xbox console has a limited quantity of rapid internal storage in the form of a NVME reader. All games published during the Xbox Series X generation | S require the use of this faster storage, as new games require increased speed for improved loading times, streaming high -resolution textures and data writing. If you want to extend this type of storage, you will have to buy an expensive extension card that is part of a dedicated slit.

But you can also extend your storage pool available by connecting a USB player. In doing so, you can store and play Xbox One or Xbox 360 games directly from the reader, without occupying a precious space on your internal storage. You can choose between traditional slower hard drives or faster solid readers, the latter offering faster loading and transfer rates.

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In addition to that, you can also use these discs as “cold storage” for your Xbox Series x | S. Although you cannot play these games directly from a slower reader, you can transfer game data to a USB volume to temporarily store them. In many cases, data transfer to your internal player could be faster than downloading games again (although it depends on your internet speed and if you use a wireless or wired connection).

To start, make sure that the reader you want to use has no important data and connect it to your Xbox Series X | s while it is on. You will see a context window, simply follow the instructions on the screen.

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2

Copy screenshots and videos

Whether you are erased from space or just want to make sure that your screenshots and videos are safe, you can use the USB port of your Xbox to enter your captured supports to an external reader for guard. This is particularly important since Microsoft removes your Xbox network catches after 90 days.

To do this, you will need a USB player (ideally flash storage) which is formatted in NTFS. You cannot use the same reader on which you store games, as this is formatted differently. Connect your NTFS reader, launch the “Captures” application, press “Manage” to select your catches, then use the “Copy to external storage” button to start the transfer.

3

Use controllers in wired mode

By connecting your controller directly to your console, it will automatically switch to wired mode. Rather than using Bluetooth, the inputs will be transmitted to your console on a faster cable connection. Although it is questionable that you are able to make the difference, for certain types of games such as shooters in the first person Twitchy and beats, opt for the lower latency option could help.

In addition to this, many devices require a wired connection. This includes simulation controllers such as wheels (and pedals), flight yokes and fighting sticks. If you follow this path, it is probably worth investing in a long and robust cable that suits work. You will probably want to use one of the USB ports on the back of your console, so that the front port is free for other uses.

4

Connect a keyboard and a mouse

An increasing number of console games now support the mouse and the keyboard, a particularly true fact on the Microsoft console, where PC ports are not uncommon. The obvious advantage here is for first -person shooters as Infinite halo And Call of Duty: Black Ops 6who both take the mouse and the entrance to the keyboard natively.

The other games you may want to play with a keyboard and a mouse include real-time strategy games like Microsoft Empires Age ports, city manufacturers and management games like Cities: SkylinesSurvival craft with PC-Afirst interfaces like 7 days to dieand older games like Terraria or the Commandos Remasters.

If your mouse and your choice keyboard work under Windows, they must “just work” on an Xbox. You can achieve this using a direct cable connection or by fixing a 2.4 GHz wireless dongle to a replacement USB port.

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5

Quickly associate your controller

Your Xbox controller has a button along its upper edge to be associated with your console and other Bluetooth devices. Although this is practical (especially if you want to use your controller with a smartphone, a tablet or something like the steam game), there is a much easier way to twin a controller with your Xbox quickly: by connecting it.

I use it all the time because there are two Xbox Series X consoles installed next to each other in the living room. Sometimes it is best to play a shared screen game or use the same screen multiplayer. Connect the controller to the console with which you want to couple it first, then press and hold the Xbox button in the middle to activate it. It will join the Xbox, after which you can disconnect it.

The best thing is that when you think it of its “home” console, it will remember your previous preferences (and it will therefore be always linked to a specific profile and will automatically sign this person).

6

Plug a USB camera

Did you know that you can broadcast directly from your Xbox Series X | S via a live streaming platform like Twitch? In addition to capturing the gameplay directly on your console (no necessary capture card), you can also pass a flow from a webcam external to your flow if you have a connected.

Microsoft says that any 1080p webcam which uses the Yuy2 or NV12 format, such as the Microsoft Lifecam Studio or Logitech C922X should work. If you already have a webcam that strikes the house and you are curious to know if it is supported, you could as well connect it and see what is going on.

Once you have configured the streaming on your console using the relevant application, you can press the Xbox button to display the guide, then go to your profile tab and select “live streaming”. From here, you will see a “camera options” menu in which you can switch to the “Camera” setting. In this menu, you can also decide where the webcam flow appears on the screen.

Unfortunately, this will not work with Discord (which is also natively supported on the Xbox).

7

8

Connect a USB hub for more ports

Ironically, the other thing you can use the USB ports of your Xbox is to extend the number of USB ports you have. Consider that if you have a wired keyboard and a mouse, and you use a single USB port just for the load, you will not be able to connect an external “cold storage” reader, a flash NTFS reader for backup catches or any additional controllers that require wired connection. At this point, you will want a USB hub like the Ultra Slim 3.0 Ultra Slim Port Hub.

Remember that, unlike many modern hubs, Xbox Series x | S required a hub with a USB-A connection (not the new USB-C standard). You will also want to prioritize USB 3.0 compared to the slower USB 2.0 standard if you hope to use these ports to transfer data.

The most flagrant omission on this list is perhaps the USB helmets, which are supported on PC and PlayStation but not on Xbox. If you want to use a wired helmet on your Xbox, you will need to connect it to your Xbox controller via the 3.5 mm stereo port.

Do you have a Sony console instead? The USB port of your PS5 also has many interesting uses.