Next-Generation Remotes
At a Glance
- Details about the design and capabilities of the Xbox 360 Media Remote and Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote.
It's been a long road … a road populated by endless speculation and rumor, a few facts, and just plain lies perpetuated by forum posters who love to deceive. But, finally, we have come to the promised land of next-generation gaming. Xbox 360™ is now fact rather than fantasy—not just the console itself, but the accessories and add-ons that go along with it.
I was fortunate enough to walk right into Xbox 360 land and sit down with some of the good folks grinding out the long hours to make our next-generation dreams reality. One such journey brought me to the office of Mohammad Shakeri, the hardware guru in charge of the next-generation remote control.
Its predecessor, the Xbox® DVD remote, may come to mind as a comparison, but the new-and-improved model is something else entirely.
Xbox 360 is capable of becoming the universal hub for all your
entertainment, and it's these remotes that seamlessly
switch between all these different functions.
Shakeri was already on board working on the headset for Xbox 360 when he was asked if he wanted to take on the remote control challenge as well. "So I said okay." Of course, the actual functionality of the remote itself is crucial, and when asked to compare the new remote with the older DVD remote, Shakeri said, "It's kind of a new standard with remotes that go out for gaming or any kind of remote control you use with your TV. From an industrial design standpoint, it sets a new standard. It feels really good to hold it, and you can stand it up, too. There aren't a lot of remotes you can stand on end."
Xbox 360 Media Remote
There are actually two different remotes: one that comes with the Xbox 360 system for a limited time (the Xbox 360 Media Remote) and one that will retail separately with even more functionality (the Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote).
Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote
Essentially, they both look the same, with a skinny base with sleek rounded lines that end slightly larger than its base. It's this wider end (the one with the sensor) that allows you to stand it upright, and while that may seem like a small feature, when you're dealing with lots of remotes, anything that takes up less room is a big big plus.
Another thing that makes me wonder, "Why didn't anyone think of this before?" is that you can turn Xbox 360 on and off with the remote. Such a small thing … but oh, so very useful.
When asked about the look of both remote controls, he smiled and said, "It is very unique. I would call it very sexy, and the other thing is that it is pretty cool that we've been able to combine Xbox 360 and Windows® Media Center Extender functionality into one remote."
That's right, just the little guy out of the box will allow you to control games and DVD playback on Xbox 360, as well as allowing you to spontaneously switch over to any specific menus (e.g. memory management) and control all of those features through the wireless remote control instead of the regular controller. The Media Remote also allows you to control the Media Extender Control.
The larger controller provides universal remote functionality, in addition to the Xbox 360 gaming and DVD functionality, as well as Media Extender control, so you'll be able to switch back and forth between controlling your TV, Xbox 360 DVD features, Xbox 360 standard gaming menus, and Media Center Extender. The thing that caught my eye? This one has backlit buttons, which is so cool!
"The group is here until midnight everyday, but people are
really excited. They're excited about the product."
In essence, Xbox 360 is capable of becoming the universal hub for all your entertainment, and it's these remotes that allow you to seamlessly switch between all these different functions.
Beyond the specs and features of the new controllers, it was refreshing to talk to Shakeri and see just how happy he is to be developing for the Xbox 360 and this whole next generation of gaming. There's a palpable sense of communal excitement going on in the hardware group as they're getting closer and closer to unveiling all that they've worked so hard for.
As Shakeri puts it, "I've done a lot of programs at Microsoft and the Xbox® group since I've been here. It's been really fun. The scale is so much bigger here in terms of the number of units and the challenge. The group is here until midnight everyday, but people are really excited. They're excited about the product. They're excited about the future of Xbox 360."
And so are we, Shakeri.
Article by Alex McLain
