Xbox One Media Remote - Review

When Microsoft first unveiled the Xbox One, it was touted as the only device you would need to watch your TV, movies and play your games; it could even let you go online. So it was strange that the machine launched without a remote. Thankfully, Microsoft have now corrected that and now you can purchased the Xbox One Remote.

The remote offers all the functions you would need from a remote, and thankfully does so in a sleek and stylish little unit. The whole remote is coated in a rubber that almost feels like a velour or felt material. The only button not to have that look is the Xbox button located at the top center of the unit. Pressing any of the buttons down offers a solid click, with the feel and sound both ensuring that you have pressed your desired button.  The directional arrows and the select button are slightly recessed, giving you ample space to locate them with ease.

The buttons provided are the basics, with movie and TV playback taking the bulk of the space. The remote also features the Menu and View buttons as well as the handy back button and TV Guide one. The Xbox button acts just like it does on your controller allowing you direct access back the main Xbox One dashboard. There is one downside to the remote and that is that it lacks an eject button for your disc drive. It's a slight oversight that won’t hamper any experience with it but the addition of it would have improved its use greatly.

Perhaps the best part of the remote is it does not need to be point at the Xbox One directly. While the unit does use IR to communicate, as almost all remotes do, it is not reliant on needing a direct line of sight to the unit. Even having it face the general direction of the Xbox One is enough.

While something like this should have been released alongside the Xbox One at launch, the fact is this is a great little remote. It feels great to hold, each of buttons works as intended. If you use your Xbox One for movies or TV this is something you need to invest in. As always, thank you to Microsoft for sending the unit for review.

The Score

9.0

The Pros

+Comfortable to hold, with responsive buttons

+Just needs to be pointed in the general direction of the console

The Cons

-There is no eject button, making the process of removing any disc from the console, more complicated than was needed