If you go out and purchase expensive electronic devices that require a power outlet to function, another key purchase is surge protection. This usually comes in the form of a power strip with surge protection built-in or a single outlet protector. They bring piece of mind and protect your gadgets. However, Microsoft does not want you to use one with the Xbox One X or One S.

That may sound crazy, but Microsoft does have a legitimate reason why and only itself to blame for not making it clearer to new Xbox One X ($562.00 at Amazon) or One S owners. It turns out both consoles have a built-in surge protector so they are protected without need of a separate device. If you decide to use one anyway, chances are your Xbox won't even turn on.

Did you know that your Xbox One is designed to be plugged directly into a wall outlet? Check out our console power guide here: https://t.co/lGymrPOQEV — Xbox Support (@XboxSupport) November 17, 2017

As Microsoft's Xbox support page explains, if you plug either Xbox One into a surge protected outlet, the console is not capable of reaching the full power draw it needs for "optimal performance." To the user, that presents as a broken Xbox, but it's really just the use of two surge protectors causing the problem.

This may be a more difficult fix than it first seems. If your entire setup is running off surge protected power strips it means buying a new unprotected cable, installing that, and hooking your Xbox up to it. That's an extra cost and some painful cable management depending on how many devices you have sat under your TV.

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If you have already tried powering up your Xbox and nothing happened because of this double surge protection problem, your console may need a power reset. That's easy to do, simply unplug the console power cord, remove the external surge protection, wait 10 seconds, then plug the Xbox back in and press the Xbox button. The console should boot as normal.

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