Xbox 360 Universal Remote
Xbox Remote. The Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote was designed to serve as your integrated control center for the entire Xbox 360 experience. Play DVD movies and music, plus control your TV and your Media Center PC with one controller. The centralized, glowing Xbox Guide Button gives you quick access to your digital movies, music, and games library, and backlit buttons make the keypad easy to see in a darkened home theater. So kick back, relax, and enjoy the ride.
Windows XP Media Center Edition Button and Media Center Edition functionality are featured A, B, X, and Y buttons are included for basic control of your Xbox 360 system, even without a controller Numbered and backlight keypad gives you full functionality, even in the dark.
Xbox 360 Universal Remote
With all this, the standard wireless gamepad isn’t up to the task. It times out and powers off after a few minutes, leaving you waiting and waiting for it to reconnect if you want to simply pause your video, much less do anything more complicated. Even then you have to navigate the on-screen menus and it’s generally inconvenient. This is where the Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote comes in.
As a low-cost solution for controlling media playback on your Xbox it’s perfect. It has all the buttons you’d want, and because it works by IR instead of wireless, it responds instantly and the batteries will last a long time, just like any other standard remote. Of course you do have to point it at your Xbox 360 to work. The area in which it will pick up the signal is wide enough that you won’t have to worry about pointing it at just the right spot, like I’ve had to do with some DVD players I’ve owned.
Yes, you can use the standard controller to access the DVD menu items – but it’s a royal pain to move through the various menus and sub-menus to get to some of the items. Also, it’s not very intuitive for non gamers to page through to the items.
In comparison, this controller is incredible easy. it looks like and acts like any other TV remote. You have the standard buttons that everybody knows how to use – play, pause, fast forward, rewind. If someone walks into the room, you don’t have to page through a menu quickly – you just hit the pause button.
The best part of this remote is the worst part of using an Xbox 360 controller. When using the controller, you generally have to be very careful how you set it down. If you accidentally bump one of the triggers, it’ll fast-forward, or rewind your program; so generally you have to turn off and back on your controller whenever you need it. With the remote, all you have to do is pick it up, and use it. No more having to be extra cautious with your controller. Highly recommended for that feature alone, if nothing else.
Check out our other top reviews on the Wireless Xbox Controller.
