Buying new - What do I need?

Hello, Murbot. I'm Arturo, and I'll be glad to provide assistance with your inquiry today.

I think you're talking about the Xbox Series X, right?

If that's correct, I personally recommend the Elite Series 2 in terms of upgraded controllers. Especially for the paddles, because I can map some buttons, like pressing the R stick or L stick, and the option to short the trigger (this one allows me to shoot faster compared to the default option).

In case you're interested in checking out the Elite Series 2, here's the link from the Xbox website:
https://www.xbox.com/accessories/controllers/elite-wireless-controller-series-2

Of course, there are other accessories, but I didn't test them.

Moreover, purchasing the controller is not a must, but you may notice a difference compared to the standard Xbox controller.

Additionally, if you mean the expansion card when you say "mem card", it is not mandatory. The main difference between the dedicated expansion card and a regular external hard drive is that you can play and store next-gen games (games with the "X|S" badge), with a regular external hard drive, you can only store next-gen games, and in order to play them, you just need to transfer them to the internal storage of the console.

I hope this helps. Thanks for your attention,

Arturo.

The list you have there will do, but to play online multiplayer, you will need to get Game Pass Core (new name for Gold) or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which includes Game Pass Core, Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, EA Play & Cloud Gaming.

The Elite Series controllers won't really make much of a difference to your gameplay. If you want to use one, then that is entirely your choice.

Keep jn mind you do have 2 year warranty if it is over you can goto fixit and order the parts as they have an offical third party agreement as far as controllers go

Hello Andrewwalsh_1o666, sorry to hear you're having trouble with your controller.

Please double check the controller warranty via this link https://support.xbox.com/en-US/help/hardware-ne....

Once the repair has been set up and you have received the shipping label via email you can pack up the controller. Please be sure to send only the controller and nothing else as Xbox does not guarantee that extra items such as triggers or thumbsticks will be returned.

However, if it was just recently purchased I might recommend checking to see if the store offers a replacement service.