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This week Microsoft released a dedicated media remote for the Xbox One and unlike the old busy Xbox remote the new Xbox One remote is a simple device. The remote is designed for control the media apps on the Xbox One include the OneGuide.

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As you can see from the pictures it’s a small remote with a nice soft plastic back. It has backlit keys that come on automatically when you move the remote which is a nice feature. There are transport controls including Play/Pause, rewind, fast forward, skip back and skip forward. There are four way navigation controls with a select button plus back, menu and option buttons. There is an Xbox guide button and an OneGuide button. If you are in the US you get an integrated TV guide but here in the UK you get a view of some of the on demand video available.
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I tested transport controls with the Blu-ray app and Netflix and it works very well, the buttons do what you would expect them to do. I also tested the volume controls which used the Kinect as an IR Blaster to control the TV and this works very well.

The IR receiver is actually on the Xbox One and not on the Kinect so you have to point the remote at the Xbox for it to work, my Xbox One is in a cabinet so the remote doesn’t work at all which is a real shame. I don’t know why the Kinect can’t relay the signals to the Xbox.
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So for £19.85 the remote is a simple alternative to using the Xbox One controller and the backlit buttons make it easy to use in a dark room. It’s just a shame you have to point it directly at the Xbox One.

Here I take a look at the Xbox One Media Remote

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