The Xbox 360 Play & Charge Kit is one accessory that you cannot go without. It contains a rechargeable battery pack where the normal batteries would be. While this adds a little bit of weight to the controller, which is something to get used to, the battery life lasts longer than regular AA batteries or rechargeable AA batteries. If you play a lot of Xbox, this is one you cannot go without. My friend that I lived with in college has this and we used it almost every single day to make sure that we had enough battery power when our friends came over.

If you have an HDTV (which you should), you should get an HDMI Cable for it. The newer model of the Xbox (I bought mine in September 2008, so from at least then on) has an HDMI outputs on all models, not just the Elite model (like the original model of the Xbox). HDMI is a digital video and audio output and greatly enhances the gaming experience. It supports resolutions up to 1080P and Digital audio, specifically Dolby Digital 5.1 for the Xbox 360. If you wanna jack up the quality, look into getting and HDMI cable. Make sure your stereo/TV/home theatre can support HDMI first but most modern ones have them built in now.

The Xbox 360 Messaging Kit is a great accessory if you are frequently sending messages to others on Xbox Live, if you have friends recovering their gamer tags on your Xbox or just sending messages to other people. You can use it when you browse through the marketplace for demos, addons, new games, DLC, themes, etc… Even if you don’t, this is still a great accessory to grab because there may be a situation where you need to message someone on Xbox Live or re-enter your email and password and everyone knows how hard it is to use the stupid on screen keyboard with the controller. This will definitely help make that easier and for Blackberry users, the keyboard is a much-welcomed site.

The Xbox 360 Quick Charge Kit is another great accessory. It quickly charges so that you can play again if you need to. Its faster than the charge and play kit I spoke about above. When my friends and I would play during college at our house, we would eat through batteries like no tomorrow. This is a great accessory for those situations where you need to keep recharging the batteries. It is a little bit heavier than the regular charging pack and it is definitely heavier than having batteries. That said, that is not necessarily a bad thing because some players like having the controller more weighted down so they can rest their arms on their lap or on the chair arms, like myself.

The Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adapter is another great accessory. The newer versions (started coming out about a year ago) have wireless N capacity whereas the old version that I have does not. WIreless N is a much faster network protocol that allows you to connect at 108 Mbps instead of 54 Mbps over a wireless network, making gameplay and your internet/network connection much more stable. If the room you play in is no where near the cable modem/network router, then you definitely want the wireless network adapter. For example, at home, my Xbox and TV were in the basement whereas my router was upstairs on the other end of the house. This made it a lot easier to set up the internet on my Xbox.

Last but not least, the Xbox 360 Wireless Headset is the last great accessory you should get. If you play often on Live, then you understand the importance of a headset. WIthout a headset, you’re alone in the match and cannot coordinate with and warn team members. The standard headset can get in the way with its short, thin wire and has a risk of breaking. You definitely want to move to the wireless headset if you’re a frequent online gamer. I still have the wired headset and I cannot tell you how many times I had to bring the controller with me because I had to run to the other side of my apartment to the bathroom or something and this would definitely have made that a lot easier.

These are some of the best accessories for the Xbox 360. They will enhance the gaming experience and optimize your online experience. With the battery packs, you will never have to buy a new battery again. With the headset and keyboard, your online communications will be made so much easier. The HDMI cable will enhance the audio and visual detail. And the wireless attachment gives you the freedom of movement anywhere in your house. I highly recommend these accessories. Do you have any? Have you used them? Let me know what you think!

Jay Booshay