Every Xbox gamer dreams of perfecting their arsenal of the best Xbox accessories. It’s one of the 12 steps to gaming enlightenment, and it gives both seasoned pros and newbies a chance to experience a whole new way of playing.
A new age of gaming brought with it a series of gadgets like no other. No matter whether you love or loathe Microsoft, you can’t deny how much of an impact this series of consoles has had on the gaming world. Some of the accessories you see below might seem a little dated and entirely un-exciting now, but they were big news back in the day!
Picking The Best Xbox Accessories Ever Made
Like most of you reading this, I had an Xbox with many of the best Xbox accessories listed below. Ok, so I’ve never owned number 5, but I’m gonna go ahead and put in a bid for one after I’ve finished writing this article.
While there might not be as many gadgets to sift through as I had to do for the best SNES accessories (of which there seemed to be hundreds), I’ve whittled the available peripherals down to the top 10 that you should have to complete your collection.
How Does This List Work?
Underneath each picture will be a link through to a page where you can buy the piece of equipment in question. Some of the items are brand new, made by retro enthusiasts such as Hyperkin. But many of the items are second-hand, pre-loved gadgets that gamers have lovingly held onto.
Hopefully you can bag yourself a bargain right here!
1. Logitech Wireless Controller
Too many gamers take wireless controllers for granted these days. It’s even got to the point where buying a wired controller is a bit of a gimmick, or a necessary item for when you run out of charge. Even then, the wires are super long and can be played from across the street.
Wired controllers were all we had back in the day, and the wires weren’t long enough to kick back properly on the sofa either. So when Logitech brought out this Wireless controller for the original Xbox, players everywhere shouted from the rooftops.
This wireless controller works on a 2.4Ghz frequency and has a 20-foot radius. Now you can play Halo from the kitchen just like you’ve always wanted. The controller itself is super comfortable too and has a powerful rumble that enhances every smash, crash, and wallop. The button layout is easy to use, and you can play with up to eight-controllers with no pesky interference.
2. Intec Portable Xbox Screen
Are you ever in a situation where you ‘re playing your Xbox on the go? Do you often have to fight your partner when it comes to who gets to use the TV? If the answer to either of those questions is yes, then you should check out this next gadget on our list of the best Xbox accessories; the Intec portable screen!
This screen is the ultimate Xbox home entertainment system. Not only does it plug straight into the output port of your Xbox, but it also has speakers that give you clear sound no matter where you play. If you’re an audio nerd like me, then you can even change the bass and treble. There are settings for brightness and colour just like on any TV, and a headphone jack if you want to game in secret.
3. Xbox DVD Movie Playback
Again, DVD movie playback is something that you can pretty much do on any console bar the Nintendo Switch now, and even that has YouTube that you can get movies on. But back in the original Xbox days, having a designated remote and the ability to play DVDs was the coolest thing ever.
Just like the WaveBird (one of the best GameCube accessories of all time) used a receiver that plugged into the controller port, this remote has a sensor unit that plugs into the Xbox itself. The remote has all of the usual buttons you’d fund on a normal DVD remote including pause, skip, and scene selection.
It also fits nicely in your hand too, and features the characteristic Xbox green colour scheme (nice rhyming, right?)
4. HDMI Cable
If you’re in the market for a cable that will boost your output from a measly 480p to 1080p HD, then look no further. This next gadget on our list of the best Xbox accessories comes from the genius minds of at Hyperkin.
If there’s one company that is dedicated to reviving old consoles and keeping the retro gaming scene alive, it’s these guys.
So what does this cable do? Well, it upscales the video output of your original Xbox to 1080. It’s 7-feet long, so there’s plenty of flexibility there, and it is compatible with all HD TVs and original Xbox units. It can upscale to 720 and 1080 depending on the native resolution of the game in question, providing clear and crisp audio and visuals. It’s licensed by Xbox too; what more of a seal of approval do you need?
5. Spider Pad
Now, this is the one controller that I wish I had back in the day and the one that I’m going to purchase right after finishing this article. The Spider Pad by Naki is a redesigned Xbox controller featuring the same graphics and colour scheme as everyone’s favourite wall-crawling super hero.
The controller handles themselves have a twisted effect as they follow the contours of Spider-Man’s suit. The iconic logo sits slap bang in the middle of the controller, and all of the usual buttons that you need to play your favourite games can be found on the pad. It’s not a revolutionary gadget, but it is a cool one!
6. Xbox Memory Unit
Memory cards are thinner, smaller, and have far more storage than the next gadget in our list of the best Xbox accessories. Still, this was an essential bit of hardware back in the day.
Taking a leaf out of the N64’s book, these memory card units slotted into the controllers themselves. They were compatible with the insanely large Duke controller, the Controller S, and the Prototype Dakota Pad.
Each memory card had 8MB of save space available and could also be bought in orange and ‘transparent’.
7. Sniper Scope Light Rifle & Shotgun
One of the best parts of these articles is getting to revisit all of the old Light Guns that used to be on the scene. The Sniper Scope Light Rifle & Shot Gun was second best to the SNES Super Scope, even though the Xbox offering looked way more like the real thing!
Light Guns only work on CRT televisions. They won’t work on your fancy Samsung 4K TV, so you may need to scout the internet for an old unit before you purchase one for your collection. If you do have a CRT TV, then you can enjoy a real-life scope and pump-action shotgun reload.
This is one of the best accessories for feeling like you’re really in the heat of the action, and I urge you all to grab yourself one of these beauties if you can!
8. Xbox Controller S Blue
People love the Duke controller, but for me, it was just too damn big. When the Controller S came out, it felt much nicer in the hands and went on to influence the controller styles used for future Xbox consoles.
This very first blue version of this controller has the Microsoft logo on the top of it. They soon scrapped that and made a crystal-cased dark blue version that looked pretty swish. The cable on this controller was pretty long too; I could at least lean against the sofa, even if I couldn’t sit back on it!
9. Xbox Radica Gamester Pro
The Radica Gamester Pro is one of the first examples of a handheld steering wheel that I can remember using. It was so much easier to use without having to clamp it to a table or hook up pedals. And the best thing was that I could shove it in a bag and take it to my mates house.
This controller is designed extremely well, with the buttons sitting just in reach without getting in the way when you’re turning. The start and select buttons are situated in the middle of the panel, and the whole unit gives your games a cool arcade feel.
10. FPS Master Controller
I’ve saved the coolest of our best Xbox accessories to the very last! It’s the controller that the Master Chief himself would turn to in a crisis and looks like it’s dropped from an alien warship.
The FPS Master Controller is one of the biggest controllers ever made. Even though it’s bigger than the Duke, it somehow feels nicer in your hands. It has ten buttons and a miniature screen in the middle. All of the buttons can be reprogrammed using said screen, and there are three presets that you can toggle between mid game!
The triggers on the back of the controller have a gun-like feel, especially with the framework around them. You can change so many things on both your game and the controller without even putting the pad down. It also connects up to Xbox Live so that you can conquer the whole universe with your new epic gamepad. What more could you want!
More Content From The Retro Dodo Team!
- Check out the best original Xbox games of all time.
- Fancy a read? Here are our favourite retro gaming books.
- Here’s everything we know about the Xbox Mini.
Seb Santabarbara has bought every Nintendo console that has ever been released in his 31 years on Planet Earth. His favourite game franchise is Zelda, and he’s patiently waiting for Banjo-Kazooie to come back to the fold. When he’s not playing games, he’s travelling the world in his self-converted camper van.
