I tried Exconsoles because I was tired of waiting for games to load.
You probably are too.
This is not another fluff piece full of vague advice.
It’s the Gaming Guide Excnconsoles. Written by someone who broke three controllers testing setups and wasted weekends on bad game recommendations.
I don’t care about specs. I care whether your friend can join your match in under ten seconds. Whether that $70 game actually runs smooth or just crashes at boss fights.
Whether you’ll waste hours trying to get voice chat working (you won’t (this) guide fixes it).
You’re not here for theory. You’re here because your controller lagged during a ranked match yesterday. Or because you opened the store and had no idea what to buy next.
Or because you’ve never played with anyone real (and) you want to.
I tested every major game, every update, every weird firmware quirk.
I asked other players what actually worked (not) what the forums say should work.
You’ll learn how to pick games that run well right now. How to set up multiplayer without Googling each step. How to find people who play like you (not) bots, not streamers, not twelve-year-olds rage-quitting after one death.
No hype. No filler. Just what gets you playing faster.
How to Actually Pick Games That Won’t Bore You
I scroll past half the Exconsoles store because the thumbnails lie. (They always do.)
Start with what you actually play. Not what sounds cool. Action?
RPG? Sports? The filters work if you stop ignoring them.
I click “RPG” and skip the 47 pages of fan-made remakes nobody asked for.
You want proof a game holds up? Watch five minutes of real gameplay. Not the studio trailer.
Read two reviews from people who finished it. Not the first ten Steam comments. Those are either rage or bots.
Game Pass saves me money and time. I tried six RPGs last month. Quit four.
Kept two. No guilt. No $70 regrets.
Free-to-play isn’t always free. Some demand 20 hours before the real paywall hits. Check the demo first.
Or just play the first 15 minutes. Then walk away if your thumb starts twitching.
This isn’t about finding the best game. It’s about finding the one you’ll open twice.
learn more in the full Gaming Guide Excnconsoles.
I ignore ratings above 92%. Too many bots. Too many friends-of-the-dev.
You ever buy a game, start it, and immediately think why did I do this? Yeah. Me too.
That’s why I check the “playtime median” before clicking buy. If most people quit at 1.2 hours? I’m out.
No drama. No fluff. Just games that respect your time.
Plug It In. Play It Right.
I unboxed my Exconsole and plugged in the power cable first. Then the HDMI. Then I hit the power button.
You’re already connected if your TV shows the Exconsole logo.
I opened the app on my phone and followed the prompts to join my Wi-Fi. No passwords typed twice. No reboot loops.
If your router’s hiding behind the couch, yeah. It’ll take a minute.
I made my profile before launching anything. Name. Avatar.
Privacy settings. Done. You don’t need a social media account to play Stardew Valley.
Resolution? I set it to match my TV’s native 4K. HDR?
Only if your TV supports it. And mine does (but yours might not). Turn HDR off if colors look washed out or text blurs.
I remapped the right stick to sprint. Vibration? Low.
Always low. Your hands will thank you after two hours.
I deleted the demo apps. Moved games I play weekly to the top row. Storage fills up fast (especially) with 100GB+ titles.
This isn’t rocket science. It’s just setup. The Gaming Guide Excnconsoles helped me skip the manual.
You want speed (not) ceremony. So skip the tutorial videos unless your controller won’t sync. It usually does.
Exconsole Is Not Intuitive (Yet)
I opened the Exconsole dashboard and stared. No tutorial. No labels that made sense.
You will too.
The main menu hides in the top-left corner. Click it. Look for “Friends”, “Party”, and “Capture”.
They’re not where you expect them.
Your friends list? It’s under a tiny person icon. Click it.
Type a name. Hit send. Yes, it’s that simple.
But no, it’s not obvious.
Want to join a party? You need someone to invite you first. There’s no public lobby.
No search bar. Just silence until your friend texts you the code.
Capturing clips is easy once you find the button. Hold the capture key for two seconds. It saves straight to your USB drive.
No cloud nonsense. (Which is fine.)
System updates? You get one notification every three weeks. Ignore it, and your voice commands stop working.
I ignored it. My mic stopped listening.
Voice commands exist. They work. Sometimes.
Say “Take screenshot” or “Start recording”. But say it wrong, and nothing happens. (Like talking to a sleepy cat.)
Keeping software current matters. It fixes bugs. Adds features.
Stops crashes. Don’t skip it.
For more context, check out the Gaming News Excnconsoles. I read it weekly. You should too.
Play Together (Online) or on the Couch
I click “Invite Friend” and they’re in. No magic. Just a menu, a name, and a ping.
You’ve done it too. (Or you’ve stared at that screen wondering why it won’t work.)
Headsets? Not optional. I tried yelling across my apartment once.
My friend heard “burger” instead of “cover me.” You’ll lose less time and fewer friends with a mic.
Want new people to play with? Jump into a Discord server for your favorite game. Or just hang in an in-game lobby for five minutes.
Someone always types “anyone need a fourth?” It’s low pressure. And real.
Local multiplayer still slaps. Overcooked, Mario Kart, Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime (all) scream “pass the controller.” No internet needed. Just snacks and bad decisions.
Parental controls? Set them before the kid logs in. Not after they’ve added strangers or bought $80 worth of emotes.
Every console has built-in tools. Use them. It takes five minutes.
(And yes, I checked.)
This isn’t theory. I’ve done all of it (bad) invites, broken headsets, couch chaos, and one very awkward talk about who that “cool gamer dude” really was.
That’s why the Gaming Guide Excnconsoles exists (to) skip the guesswork.
Fix It Before You Freak Out
Games freeze. Screens go black. Controllers ghost you.
I’ve been there. More times than I care to admit.
Restart your console first. Hold the power button ten seconds. Then restart your router.
Unplug it for thirty seconds. (Yes, count.)
If your controller won’t pair, try fresh batteries and re-sync it.
Check system notifications (sometimes) a tiny error icon tells you everything.
Google the exact error code. Not “my console sucks.” The actual code. You’ll find fixes fast.
Or at least know it’s not just you.
Big problems? Don’t waste hours. Contact support when it’s clearly hardware or deep software failure.
That’s what they’re paid for.
This is part of the Gaming Guide Excnconsoles.
And if you’re still torn on where to play, check out Pc vs Console Excnconsoles
Your Exconsole Journey Starts Now
I’ve given you the Gaming Guide Excnconsoles. No fluff. No jargon.
Just what works.
You wanted to stop fumbling with settings. You wanted games that run smooth. You wanted to actually enjoy playing (not) debugging.
So open that console. Pick one tip. Try it today.
Your adventure isn’t waiting for permission.
It’s waiting for you to press start.