Getting the most out of your Xbox One and Microsoft Surface.

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Sep 11, 2013
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via Xbox Wire

If you’ve got an Xbox One, you probably already know that, in addition to playing great games, the console offers a wide range of built-in entertainment and media options. But did you know how nicely the Xbox One interacts with your Surface tablet? If you’re a fan of both, you owe it to yourself to take a closer look at the “Xbox One Tips and Tricks” video from Sean Ong.



Sean, a 28 year-old clean energy engineer, husband, and father of two from Seattle, Wash., has been making videos about Surface for a while now, including his “Why I Love My Surface 2” video that’s garnered over 225,000 views since it went up in November of 2013. However, it wasn’t until recently that he decided to take a stab at a video incorporating both his Xbox One and Surface. “Many of my viewers were most interested in the Xbox integration part of my Surface videos, so I decided to make a new video that was more Xbox-centric. I was blown away at the many possibilities of having the HDMI input on the Xbox One.”

As you’ll see in the video at the top of this article, Sean provides a number of tips and tricks that the average user might not have known were possible without a good deal of internet digging. While he discovered many of them on his own simply by experimenting (or “playing around,” as he puts it) with his Xbox One, he did have a bit of outside help. “I learned about the TV converter box from onlysublime - who I mention in my video and provide a link to in my video description. I also learned about the home button double-tap trick and keyboard trick from others on Reddit.”

While there are a ton of great tips in the video, the big question is which one is Sean’s favorite. “Hands down, it's the ability to cast audio and video to my Xbox One (the "play to" functionality) from my Surface. I use that all the time!” Perhaps not surprisingly given his love of technology, he also really likes all of the built-in TV functionality the Xbox One offers. “Controlling over the air TV with my voice is pretty sweet, too. Right now, the bulk of my time on the Xbox One is actually spent on TV, movies, music, and apps - but I'm forecasting a dramatic shift to gaming as more titles become available in 2014 and beyond!”

It’s clear that Sean is a fan of both his Surface and his Xbox One, but we couldn’t help asking if we should expect a Windows Phone video in the near future to round out the device trifecta. “My wife just got a Nokia Windows Phone and I have to admit - it's really tempting. I love to tinker with technology - so she's wise to keep her phone away from me for now.”

Hopefully Sean’s video taught you a few new ways to get the most out of the combined power of your Xbox One and Surface. To keep up-to-date on Sean’s video offerings, be sure to subscribe to his YouTube channel or follow him on Twitter.​
 

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i have an original surface RT. nice piece of tech, but limited by the crappy MS store. Smartglass on the ONE will finally give me a better use for it :)
 
The surface is a lot better than most people say. I've had mine for about 7 months now and me and my wife love it
 
The surface is a lot better than most people say. I've had mine for about 7 months now and me and my wife love it


it is very nice, but it lives in the shadow that is the apple app store. very few "free" apps, minimal availability for things people want like Facebook. It took AGES to get an official Facebook app, that is bad form. I love my surface, but truth being said, I play around on the iPads a lot more.
 
I always wanted a MS tablet, but never wanted to really buy a tablet. This looks like great functionality though with the X1. Makes me hope for X1 and Surface bundle one day.
 
it is very nice, but it lives in the shadow that is the apple app store. very few "free" apps, minimal availability for things people want like Facebook. It took AGES to get an official Facebook app, that is bad form. I love my surface, but truth being said, I play around on the iPads a lot more.
You're right. The marketplace doesn't hold a candle to what iPad and android have, but I find I don't need most of it. Why use an app for Facebook when you can pull up the real Facebook in my browser? Then I dont have to worry about missing features or cut down features and what not. The surface can't be beat for multitasking and productivity. I love having MS office suite on there.

I'm not saying that asurface is better than an iPad, but they are better than most people make them.out to be
 
agreed with all your points, but the average consumer assumes there are APPS for the stuff, rather than viewing the Surface as a tablet/laptop gadget.

I love, LOVE the fact that I have a full featured Office on it. Plus the Metro Interface shines on a tablet!
 
To clarify, this also works with Surface 2 (non-pro). I have the Surface 2, and its miracast functionality is identical to the Surface Pro/Surface Pro's integration.

...I picked up a used Surface 2 for $385. Rock solid device. Full outlook integration, full office integration, very fast/zippy performance, and all of the Windows 8 apps/etc. While my primary work PC is a laptop with plenty of power, I use my Surface 2 for my meetings, email, home-use via SmartGlass, etc, etc, etc - and it's just a really awesome device.
 
The Surface Pro is absolutely fantastic. Without a doubt my number one purchase of 2013. I bought a brand new one from someone for 750 euros and that is quite a steal. It has completely replaced my laptop, so it definetely can function as one imo. I never was a fan of Internet Explorer but IE Metro on the Surface Pro is amazing. The Surface Pro is the s***! :)
 
Totally with you, Mosquito Smasher.

I got my wife a Surface Pro, and she has that voice activated Dragon Software on it, so you uses it for everything, and uses voice all the time to dictate notes and such.
 
I loved this quote:

"Right now, the bulk of my time on the Xbox One is actually spent on TV, movies, music, and apps"

...I love it because this is coming from someone who 'cut the chord' of cable/Satellite 5 years ago... yet, the X1's HDMI input is still incredibly useful for him, and he's discovered just how flexible/interesting/meaningful those features are anyway.

Just goes to show, the nay-sayers insisting HDMI input isn't of value unless you have cable/satellite are wrong. It's incredibly useful, and has many other purposes.
 
I see the guy using internet on his Surface and it shows the exact same thing on his tv being done by Xbox One. Does this all happen without the Surface connected via HDMI to the Xbox One? Cause that would mean i can play a movie or show using my Surface and the Xbox One shows it in full screen on tv?
 
I see the guy using internet on his Surface and it shows the exact same thing on his tv being done by Xbox One. Does this all happen without the Surface connected via HDMI to the Xbox One? Cause that would mean i can play a movie or show using my Surface and the Xbox One shows it in full screen on tv?
The browser is only with hdmi, however, you can send just about any movie or music you are watching/listening to by going to the device charm button and select play and then select you Xbox one. I do it all the time. No hdmi needed for that.
 
The browser is only with hdmi, however, you can send just about any movie or music you are watching/listening to by going to the device charm button and select play and then select you Xbox one. I do it all the time. No hdmi needed for that.

Awesome, so let's say i have a video on my Surface, i can let the Xbox One play that without ever needing to connect it to HDMI? That is pretty awesome. Can it be done with the first Surface Pro as well? I got the Pro, not Pro 2.
 
The Surface intrigues me more than the other Tablet devices, but I'm not sold yet.

It isn't mainstream yet and has nowhere near the app support that other tablets have. Also, I'm waiting until Microsoft stops trying to be hip/cool with their dreadful metro interface and instead adopts something more clean, neat, and professional looking (aka like the Droid and Apple interfaces).
 
Surface is awesome. I just might have to get one. It's amazing how much you can do with one box. The Xbox One is the all in one set top box.
 
Awesome, so let's say i have a video on my Surface, i can let the Xbox One play that without ever needing to connect it to HDMI? That is pretty awesome. Can it be done with the first Surface Pro as well? I got the Pro, not Pro 2.
If you've updated to windows 8.1, you should have no problem. I have a surface RT 1st Gen and it works great
 
The Surface intrigues me more than the other Tablet devices, but I'm not sold yet.

It isn't mainstream yet and has nowhere near the app support that other tablets have. Also, I'm waiting until Microsoft stops trying to be hip/cool with their dreadful metro interface and instead adopts something more clean, neat, and professional looking (aka like the Droid and Apple interfaces).

I have the surface rt. the problem the surface suffers from, on the metro side of things, is app support. It's no where near the amount of apps on ipad and android.

But, the benefit of the surface rt, is flash support and you can pretty much do everything in browser. I actually use the browser more then I use apps.

I would suggest if you ever start looking to get one though is go for a intel chipped one. I honestly don't see the arm based tablets lasting much longer when a baytrail based one get's nearly the same battery life as the arm versions haha.

the metro style is made for touch devices man, but again, what the win8 market lacks is app support. It's fantastic in a all touch device.

I personally really am digging the 8 inch tablets right now. The new Lenovo Think Pad 8 is pretty pimp, but I am holding out for either a Surface branded 8 inch or a nokia 8 inch.
 
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Smart glass is awesome with the surface. I'm actually thinking about getting a windows phone so all my sh1t is connected..... but I would have to agree with Zombie on the amount of Apps they have.... if they can get cought up in this area it would be a no brainer.
 
Maybe someone could help. I have a surface pro and tried to cast some video (YouTube and local) it starts up on the Xbox, but shows no video, only sound. Kinda disappointing.

Any ideas?
 
The Surface intrigues me more than the other Tablet devices, but I'm not sold yet.

It isn't mainstream yet and has nowhere near the app support that other tablets have. Also, I'm waiting until Microsoft stops trying to be hip/cool with their dreadful metro interface and instead adopts something more clean, neat, and professional looking (aka like the Droid and Apple interfaces).

Yeah, I couldn't disagree more with that perspective.

Droid's interface is cluttered, confusing, crowded, and inconsistent... a far cry from "clean", "neat", or "professional looking".

Apple's interface is clean, neat, and *maybe* "professional" looking, but it's also old, stale, dull, and stagnant.

MS's LIVE TILES are incredibly clean, neat, and professional looking. So much more uniform and functional than the 'dead grid of icons' from the competitors.

The UI is almost universally something which is *hugely* popular and impress to people who compare it to Apple/Android... it's one of MS's biggest differentiators, and LIVE TILES are also something almost universally agreed on as being a positive improvement to 'dead icon grids'.

Totally disagree with you there. Really, and completely disagree.