9 hidden Xbox One features only power users know about
Play your saved games on any Xbox One.
Any time you save your progress in a game on the Xbox One, a copy of that save file is automatically saved in cloud storage, too.
This means that if you visit a friend's house or buy a new console, all of your latest saves will be instantly accessible as soon as you sign in to your profile!
See how much data your console is using.
In order to check your Xbox One's data usage, go to Settings —> Network —> Bandwidth Usage.
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Continue your Xbox 360 games on your new Xbox One.
By now, you probably know that there are over 100 Xbox 360 games that are playable on your Xbox One, but did you know that you can start playing a game on your Xbox One right where you left off on your 360?
In order to make your Xbox 360 saves accessible on your Xbox One, you have to enable cloud saving on your Xbox 360. To do so, go to Settings —> System —> Storage —> Cloud Saved Games, and select "Enable."
Next, start the game on your Xbox 360. When you save your progress, select "Cloud Saved Games" as the desired save location. Once the upload is complete, this save file will be accessible when you start the game on your Xbox One!
Use your phone or tablet as a controller.
First, download the Xbox One SmartGlass app and make sure both your phone and Xbox One are on the same WiFi network.
Then, select the "Connect" icon at the top of the screen and select your Xbox. Not only does this app let you view your screenshots and achievements from your phone, but you can also use your phone as a keyboard instead of trying to type with the the controller.
Stream Xbox One games to your Windows 10 PC.
First, enable streaming on your Xbox One. Go to Settings —> Preferences, and make sure "Allow game streaming to other devices" and "Enable the SmartGlass connection from any SmartGlass device" are selected.
Connect your Xbox app to the Xbox One using your PC. Then, when you select a game from the Xbox App on your PC, hit "Play from console."
Expand your storage with an external hard drive.
One of the biggest pains about downloading games digitally is the inevitable moment when you start running out of hard drive space. The good news is that the Xbox One is compatible with external hard drives, allowing you to quickly increase the total amount of storage.
Watch TV with Sling and ditch your cable plan.
Rather than shell out large amounts of money for an expensive cable bundle, you can subscribe to Sling for $20/month and get 20 channels, including TBS, ESPN, and AMC.
With Sling, you can also pause and re-wind most channels, in addition to having access to many shows for three days after the initial date they aired. Click here for more details.
Plug your cable box directly into your Xbox One and make it the home base for all things TV and gaming in your household.
This lets you take full advantage of OneGuide, an app on your Xbox One that shows TV listings and lets you pause and re-wind shows, just like you would normally on your TV. Except now, everything is one convenient spot — no more HDMI-input-switching when you want to start watching "X-Files."
Click here for more detailed instructions on how to hook this up.
Alternatively, if all you get are local channels directly from a coaxial cable plugged into your TV, you can buy this adapter that lets you plug the cable into your Xbox One. In most places, OneGuide is able to pull local TV listings using your zip code.
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