Xbox One Media Remote Review – Almost all the right buttons

The Xbox One is quite the media playing powerhouse, poor user library streaming aside. With back up for well-nigh pop video streaming services similar Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, Blu-ray playback, and the ability to control many cablevision Goggle box boxes direct through the panel, it has about of the moving picture and TV-watching bases covered. Kinect voice commands for video playback can be fun likewise.

Yet - for many flick and Goggle box watchers, nothing beats the feel, convenience, and responsiveness of a traditional remote control. Microsoft has finally released the Xbox One Media Remote with but those people in mind. Despite widespread stock problems since the remote's release, nosotros've finally managed to pick on up and put information technology through its paces.

Pocket-sized and fun to hold

Compared to the original 360 remote control, the Xbox Ane Media Remote is downright tiny. The entire device has a soft, smooth exterior which makes it surprisingly pleasant to hold. Lending to that ergonomic blueprint is the remote'due south convex back, which curves outward. This causes a little wobble when y'all gear up it down on the back, but you can ever place information technology face downward if that bothers you.

The back is 1 large piece with a subtle Xbox logo engraved into it. Instead of a divide bombardment compartment door like most remotes take, the entire back plate must be removed to access the batteries. It takes a little getting used to, merely makes for a more attractive appearance.

The Media Remote is entirely matte black. The button labels all have a very dull appearance that could make the remote difficult to distinguish if placed on black article of furniture. Luckily, the buttons won't be hard to see in the dark thanks to the congenital-in gyroscope. Tilt the remote or press a button and they all calorie-free up a cool white color.

Buttons

Although the Xbox One Media Remote houses xx buttons, that number proves slightly anemic for movie playback. Noticeably absent are the A, B, X, and Y buttons plant on the Xbox 360 remote (and for which Playstation remote controls also have their own equivalents). This causes bug because the Media Remote can't emulate all the bones functions of an Xbox One controller. Nosotros'll expand on that in a fleck.

At the top of the remote is a shiny Home (Guide) button, the but non-soft button on the device. Information technology still lights upward though. The Home button is essential for rapidly returning to the Home screen or back to the most recent app. It also powers the console on and off in the same style as a standard controller.

Just below that, you'll find the View (Back) and Menu (Start) buttons. Menu is fairly important considering it opens context menus on the Abode screen and inside the various video playback apps. You tin can use information technology to shut programs on the Home screen, access the Settings menu within Netflix, and many other functions.

View on the other hand has absolutely no purpose on this remote control. It does nothing on the Home screen, nor practice any of the video apps I tested utilize it. Considering the remote lacks a few important buttons, the designers really should not have blown one on a function irrelevant to video playback.

Ironically, the view button's label suggests a useful purpose: managing snapped applications. One of the main purposes of snapping apps is to enable video playback while playing games and performing other functions. It would be great to toggle control between the snapped app and the main window with a single touch of a button, just instead nosotros accept to double-tap the Home button.

The recessed arrows and enter button allow the remote to navigate organization menus, Blu-ray and DVD menus, and video playback apps like a dominate. Enter essentially acts like the A button on a controller, as it always confirms card selections. Still, the arrow pad and enter don't truly emulate a controller's d-pad and A push, which we'll cover soon.

Below the arrow pad sit down the Back and OneGuide buttons. Back acts a lot similar the B Push would, backing out of menus within apps and the system menu. The OneGuide button launches the OneGuide with its Tv listings and other functions. If you haven't connected your console to a supported cable box, the push button won't be of whatsoever use to you.

Next you'll discover Book buttons, Mute, and Channel buttons. Mute is the just push that doesn't extrude from the remote, but it's still easy to press. The Volume and Mute buttons do admittedly nothing if you oasis't set your Kinect up equally an IR equalizer. That'southward silly because the Media Remote *is* an IR remote and could communicate directly with other devices fifty-fifty without a Kinect.

The Channel buttons (surprisingly) practise make themselves useful in the system menus. From the master home screen, pressing them will jump betwixt Habitation, snapped apps, and the Store/Bing screen. In many system menus like Friends' Activity, the channel buttons deed similar page upwardly and down buttons, scrolling chop-chop through content. That said, not every menu makes use of them.

Finally, the standard array of Play/Intermission, Rewind, Fast-forward, Skip Back, Skip Forrard, and Terminate occupy the lesser of the remote. Play is easy to find by bear on considering of that non-extruded Mute button.

Performance problems

Much as I beloved video streaming, I still lookout a ton of Blu-rays and DVDs. The Media Remote mostly improves the disc-watching experience, with one major exception. It lacks a defended menu push button! The pop-up carte du jour is an essential component of navigation on Blu-rays, and DVD menus also go lots of utilize. Yet somehow, non a single button on the Media Remote performs those functions.

With a regular Xbox Ane controller, you lot tin can launch a disc's popular-upwards menu by pressing the Carte du jour (Start) button. The aforementioned button on the remote does aught. To access a pop-up menu or top menu, you have to press Play/Pause to open the playback carte, select the ellipsis push on the side of the carte du jour, and then find the menu push button of pick. What a convoluted and unpleasant identify to hide ane of Blu-ray and DVD's most important functions.

I already mentioned the Media Remote doesn't emulate the verbal same functions equally a regular controller, which explains why the remote's Carte button does nothing during disc playback. It turns out that apps must specifically support the remote in order for it to piece of work. Guess which uber popular video app doesn't support the remote so? YouTube! Launch the YouTube app and y'all won't exist able to navigate at all. Only the Home or Dorsum buttons will exit the app.

Overall Impression

The Xbox One Media Remote's lack of a menu button for disc playback and incompatibility with YouTube need to be fixed ASAP. Luckily, those are both simple app issues that Microsoft can address without much attempt. The Media Remote SHOULD have included all four primary face buttons and emulated a standard controller, just like the Xbox 360 remote did before it. Merely throwing out things that worked fine in favor of lesser implementations has been a mutual blueprint trait of the Xbox Ane (come across our launch review for many more than examples).

Those complaints aside, the Media Remote is notwithstanding an essential purchase for pic and TV lovers. Information technology's far too like shooting fish in a barrel to interrupt playback by hitting the triggers on a regular controller, and Kinect vocalisation commands sometimes fail to work. The Media Remote provides exactly the instant responsiveness and convenience you'd want in a remote control. It works peachy with Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Video, and too does an admirable job of navigating system menus. The price could exist a little lower, merely you won't notice a amend video command option for the Xbox One anytime soon.

Note that the remote remains scarce at the time of review considering Microsoft brusque-shipped all domestic retailers. The supply issues should clear up inside a week or two.

• Xbox 1 Media Remote – $24.99 – Amazon Link

###Baronial, 2022 Update

The Media Remote now works with YouTube!

We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/xbox-one-media-remote-review

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