Xbox series X stock – live: Game and EE restocks available now – how to get a console

Game has restocked the Xbox series X this morning.

It’s not possible to buy the console by itself. Instead the retailer has a bunch of different bundles available, with the cheapest costing £464.98 and coming with a t-shirt or a cap. The console is usually priced at £449.

Good morning! Welcome to Friday’s Xbox series X stock tracking liveblog.

We’re continuously scanning the retail horizon for available stock to bring you live updates as soon as Microsoft’s newest console appears. That way, you’ve got the best chance of bagging one before it sells out again.

That’s all from us for today, and what a day it’s been.

Amazon dropped the Xbox series X on us like it was nothing, spilling over with fresh consoles for a good 30 minutes before selling out again. It’s the first time the retailer’s restocked since early January, and hopefully marks a change in fortunes for Microsoft’s beleaguered production lines.

If you missed it, don’t worry. We’re coming back tomorrow to resume the search on your behalf, so join us then to be first to know when the Xbox reappears.

The Xbox series X has impeccable built-in security when playing games online, but there reasons besides security to install a VPN for the Xbox.

If you use your Xbox as your main entertainment hub, a virtual private network allows you to spoof your location and access telly shows and movies not normally available in your country, such as those found on American Netflix, which is full of amazing things they don’t want British people seeing. You can’t install a VPN directly to an Xbox series X, but you can install one on your internet router to anonymise all of the web traffic in your home in one fell swoop.

The Xbox series X is often bundled with a gaming headset to bump up the price and stave off scalpers.

The console doesn’t come with its own headset but the Xbox series X is compatible with all existing headsets for the Xbox One. The Xbox wireless controller (£54.99, Currys.co.uk) also has a headphone jack, so you can plug in your regular headphones to have game audio play through them rather than your TV.

If you need to upgrade or you don’t have your own headset yet, Microsoft sells the wired Xbox series X headset s(£54.99, Currys.co.uk). Lots of third-party manufacturers make Xbox compatible headsets too. We’ve rounded up the best gaming headsets you can buy today.

There are two next-gen Xboxes, the less powerful Xbox series S and the top-of-the-range Xbox series X.

All Xbox games old and new will run on both consoles, though on the less powerful Xbox series S the overall graphics quality will be dialled down. The Xbox series S does not have a disc drive, has half the storage capacity and can only play downloaded games. The Xbox series S is much easier to find in stock than the series X. It’s also cheaper and costs just £249 (Amazon.co.uk).

Here are the details, if you’re into comparing teraflops.

• CPU: Custom Zen 2 8-core CPU
• GPU: 4 TFLOPS, 20 CUS
• Memory: 10GB GDDR6
• Storage: 512GB SSD
• Resolution: 1440p at 60fps

• CPU: AMD 8-core Zen 2 @ 3.8 GHz
• GPU: 12TFLOPS, 52 CUs @ 1.825 GHz
• Memory: 16GB GDDR6
• Storage: 1TB custom WD SSD, optional 1T
• Resolution: 4K at 60fps

If handheld gaming is more your thing then check out our review of the new Nintendo Switch OLED. The console features an OLED display for the first time, which is larger than before and produces punchier colours and deeper blacks. There’s also a redesigned kickstand and double the internal storage of its predecessor.

Our reviewer said of the £309.99 console: “The larger display is fantastic and playing games in handheld mode is an absolute joy. The kickstand feels so solid and makes us never want to look at that little toggle on the back of the original Switch ever again…this is absolutely the best version of the console yet.”

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While we wait for more consoles to appear, let’s go over some of basic tips when it comes to securing an Xbox series X. Preparation is key to success, and there are a bunch of things you can do right now to ensure you’re ready when the next restock happens.

• Register an account and save your payment details at each of the retailers that stock the Xbox series X. They’re listed in the main article above
• Are you a BT customer, or know somebody who is? Register your interest on the BT site to get exclusive access to BT’s next drop
• Download each retailer’s app (if they have one) and add the Xbox series X to your wish list or “save for later” list
• When the console drops, use the link in your wish list to add the Xbox to your trolley – this usually has a higher success rate than navigating through the website
• Keep note of the prices of bundles to ensure you’re getting a good deal. Rounding up, the console itself is £450, controllers are £50, the official headset is £90, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs £11 per month. Newly released game are £60, but retailers usually bundle older games with the console
• The pay-as-you-go Xbox All Access programme is good value for money, so long as you don’t already have a Game Pass subscription

To get the most out of the Xbox series X, you’ll need a 4K television.

Many next-generation games allow you to choose between a performance mode and a graphics mode. The former downgrades the visuals slightly for smoother framerates, while the latter mode enables higher resolutions and more fancy effects at the expense of framerate.

If your TV only goes up to 1080p, you won’t be getting the most out of your new Xbox series X. To help you upgrade your set without breaking the bank, we’ve pulled together a list of the best 4K TV deals for entertainment, movies and gaming.