The first five minutes: settings I always change

Whenever I install a new game, I head straight to the settings before touching the first level. It only takes a minute and it saves a lot of frustration later.

First I check the frame rate cap and effects. If there's a battery-saver or performance mode, I'll try it and see if I even notice the difference. Usually I don't. Then I look at control options — sensitivity, tilt versus buttons, and whether I can move things around.

Audio comes next. A surprising number of games default to loud, and some have separate sliders for music and effects that let you keep the good sound and mute the annoying loops.

Finally I check for haptics and notifications. A gentle buzz is nice; constant nags to come back are not. Five minutes of setup and the game fits me instead of the other way around.