Here's What You Should Do Before Giving A PS5 Or Xbox As A Gift

Two words can strike terror into even the most holiday-enthused heart: "assembly required." Delivering a box of work instead of a fully assembled gift is practically no one's idea of merry and bright.

Electronics, unfortunately, can be an unexpected challenge in that regard. Luckily, we're not talking IKEA-level complication here. Tech typically comes prebuilt by experts. And yet, there's good reason to crack open the box on a shiny new gadget before passing it on to the recipient of your choice.

As the Sony Blog reports, prepping tech gifts can be a gift in itself. Giving a game console, for example, is a much sweeter deal when the recipient can unwrap, plug, and play it without error messages or download times jamming up the flow. Here follow a few simple steps to take if you plan to give a Playstation, XBox, Switch, or any other gaming platform to a friend or family member this holiday season.

Fear not! The steps to prepare a game console for gifting are a breeze. They just take a bit more preparation and patience than a fraught Christmas morning might allow. Three simple steps should set up your station for some very welcome holiday gaming.

Get Online

As in so many situations, the first step is the most important: get your box online and download any necessary updates. A pre-holiday upgrade will give your gift recipient out-of-the-box access to the system's game purchase and social media functions, and – Santa forbid – catch any stray error messages that might chill holiday cheer.

Set Up Accounts

As Sony reports, this step is particularly important for parents giving kids a new console. Setting up a new profile will give you access to the system's content moderation tools. It will also give you the almighty login and password, letting you control when and what your children play. If you're gifting an adult or an established gamer of any age, they may already have a profile to play with, and that's great. It also never hurts to have a spare. Give them the login info along with the box — that way, they can play on the preset account and input their personal information later.

Install

One of the best reasons to give a console this holiday is that, briefly at least, it can be a gift for everyone you celebrate with. With a few games installed or included, a new game system can become the centerpiece of a celebration. If you're using discs, buy a title or two alongside your console, plug, and play. Don't hesitate to buy used games if cash is a concern. If you're running on the cloud, install a few friendly games before celebration ensues. Here are some of our favorites from this year, plus a list of titles perfect for co-op with family and friends.