Hundreds of thousands of parents buy their families video game consoles as gifts every year. Many of those consoles are destined to be wrapped ahead of time and opened up by elated children only to require several hours of setup or, even worse, to be hindered by internet issues caused by rowdy internet trolls – the ultimate killjoy.
The good news is that all of those potential problems are avoidable. Below is a list of all the things you can do to make sure that you and your family can avoid that fate.
Open the Box
This is an unlikely problem, but it is not unheard of for consoles to be returned to retailers with missing components (and sometimes even missing consoles). Opening the box ahead of time gives you the chance to go back to the store and get a complete console ahead of time. You won’t be able to do that on Christmas morning.
Check Your TV
Modern consoles hook up to televisions using HDMI ports. Most TVs have multiple HDMI ports, but many of them might already be taken up by your family’s cable box or even your other consoles. It;s a great idea to check ahead of time whether or not you have a free HDMI port on the back of your TV. If you don’t, then you’ll likely want to invest in an HDMI switch. That will let you plug multiple devices into one HDMI port on your TV and switch between them using a remote or a button on the switch itself.
Plug it In!
Modern consoles are more like computers than the Nintendos we opened on Christmas morning as kids. They have complex, powerful software running under the hood and they need to be hooked up to the internet in order to set them up. These downloads and installations can take a while so it is a good idea to hook the console up while the kids are away and complete everything.
Some of the things you’ll be able to get taken care of ahead of time are: downloading firmware updates, setting up user accounts for you and your kids, and setting up parental controls.
Don’t Forget About The Games
Many games need to be partially installed from the disk, and many of them need to download patches from the internet in order to play. These installations can take a lot of time and it will feel like an eternity with your kids breathing down your neck. Do yourself a favor and take at least one of the games you are giving out of the plastic and throw the disc into the console. The install process will be almost automatic and it will give your kids something to play right away once the console is hooked up!
What do you think? Sound off in the comments and let us know your thoughts!
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