Some good news came my way on the weekend when I was contacted by my local retailer to find that my preordered Xbox Series X arrived sooner than expected. After missing out on launch day I’d resigned myself to accepting I’d not see one until closer to the end of December so this was a big surprise. After bringing it home I had to set it up (of course) and I’ve got to say something about the console’s box as it might just be the best packaging I’ve ever seen in a consumer electronics item.

It all starts with the exterior of the box. At first it looks much like any other box you’ve probably seen for games consoles but when you look closely at the plastic stickers holding it closed – the ones you normally either cut through or tear at with your fingernails – you’ll see one end of the sticker is loose and marked with an arrow. It’s basically a pull tab that makes those stickers really easy to remove. Once they’re gone it’s then a case of lifting up the lid and seeing what’s inside. Safely locked inside a foam cocoon is the Series X which is nestled in there in such a way as to easily lift it out without worrying about parts of the box catching. Considering the weight of the thing that’s a smart move. The “Power Your Dreams” card doubles as instructions and the protective wrap around the console is easy to pull apart so once it’s out you’re ready to set up.

After that it’s then just a case of getting the cables from the rear compartment in the box and plug it in. Both the power and HDMI cables are tied using sticky plastic similar to the outside ones and are easy to pull apart. Connecting those up is something that can’t improve too much but might require some help. I find HDMI cables annoyingly difficult to plug in by touch if you’re trying to reach behind a TV to connect. The hardest item in the whole box to disassemble was the bag holding the batteries for the controller… but I guess those likely need some protection in case of leakage. Using batteries still requires agile fingers for removing the controller cover and putting them inside correctly – having one of those play and charge battery packs or even having one that snaps in and doesn’t require a cover on the controller could help a lot. That’s the only real negative I have though.

It’s strange for me to be banging on about the package my new console came in before saying anything about the console itself but (for me) this is the first time I’ve seen a console take accessibility seriously right from the start of a new owner’s experience. That it also presents as well as it does is an additional bonus and I can’t help but be impressed with the work that must have gone into coming up with a solution.

So that’s just me talking about a box that some thing called an “X-box ” came in. Hopefully in the next few days I’ll have something to say about the console itself! 🙂