Sony PlayStation 3 Blu-ray Disc Remote
March 16th, 2010 Posted in Video Games
- gives you streamlined access to the PS3′s Blu-ray Disc functions
- Bluetooth wireless technology
- compatible with all versions of the PlayStation 3
Product Description
The PlayStation 3 Blu-ray remote control enables users streamlined access to the PlayStation 3 system’s disc features. Unlike standard infrared remotes, the Blu-ray remote control uses Bluetooth technology so it can be u… More >>
Sony PlayStation 3 Blu-ray Disc Remote
March 16th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
I did not think I needed yet another remote control because I thought the six-axis had everything it needed for movie playing on the PS3 and, yet, I bought one. There were 2 initial reasons:
- my wife was missing a ‘magic wand’ shaped remote for playing movies
- Amazon had it at a great price in one of them lightning deals
I ended up using it myself and, in fact, using it for more than just movie playing – see below.
But, let’s do a quick inventory of features:
= It’s blue-tooth enabled and, therefore, it’s not taking any ports on your PS3. This is probably important for anyone who has a “2-USB ports console”.
= It’s wand-shaped, allowing the non-gamers to control their movie-watching activities while holding a familiar-shaped device in their hand.
= It maps ALL the six-axis buttons and performs everything a six-axis would do, except for the joystick features of R3 and L3 (but you do have the push-down or ‘click’ abilities for them).
= 2 AA battery powered (still with the original Sony batteries after 4 months of use)
= Includes additional buttons that the movie-only users would expect on a remote such as:
+ a number pad
+ eject
+ red, green, blue, yellow buttons
+ play, stop, pause
+ slow(step), scan(left/right), prev/next
+ display, top menu, pop up menu, return
+ subtitles, angle, audio
What is interesting about this remote is that you can use it for much more than movie-playing. Given that it has all the six-axis buttons, guess what? You can use it, and I do use it to:
- surf the web
- play music
- shop at the PSN store
- play certain games such as Sudoku
- turn the PS3 on/off when your six-axis controllers are in the charger and I am playing GT5 that is using a racing wheel
And, yes, you CAN turn the PS3 on and off with this remote. Turning it on is easy – you simply press the PlayStation button and the PS3 turns itself on. To turn it off, you either go as far to the left on the X-bar and all the way up and press Enter (the turn-off PlayStation icon will be highlighted) or you simply hold the PlayStation button pressed for a few seconds and then select ‘yes’ and press the X button a couple of times.
Overall: I am happy with this peripheral. Yes, it’s one more remote control but it’s a pretty good one, for the reasons I stated above.
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Notes – Aug 29, 2009, after 16 months of use
I find that I’m using the remote more and more, not only for playing movies but for navigating the XMB and at the PSN Store, also when playing music or slideshows. Due to its very convenient arrows wheel with an ‘enter’ button in the middle, navigating the PS3 and doing just about anything other than playing games is a lot easier than using the PS3 game controller. Unlike the controller which normally requires two hands to hold, this is basically a one-hand operation where you hold the remote in one hand and operate the wheel with your thumb. And because it’s Bluetooth, not IR (Infrared), you don’t even need to point it at the PS3.
And, one word on battery life. After about 15-16 months of operation, this is probably the third set of batteries so I’d estimate battery life to be about 4-6 months. Not too bad.
Rating: 5 / 5
March 16th, 2010 at 5:55 pm
Most PS3 owners enjoy not only the gaming abilities of their system, but also the built in Blu-Ray DVD player. The Sony remote control accessory lets you play those movies with great ease.
The remote combines the regular buttons of our other DVD players with the funky look of the PS3. You have a red, green, blue and yellow button – labelled with their color names! You also get a circle, X, square and triangle to do a few things like brinigng up the options and back choices.
The main buttons – play, stop, forward, back – are laid out reasonably nicely at the bottom of the remote with large buttons. There are small buttons up on top for the number keys, and a very tiny eject button.
Missing completely is a power button!! You have to hit the PS button in the center and go through the regular PS3 menus to get the power to turn off. In fact, while I was writing this review, I accidentally hit a button on the remote and the PS3 turned on. We were watching regular TV, so now I have to wait until our show is over, switch over to the PS3 and use the buttons to turn the system back off again. That doesn’t make much sense at all to me.
Also, on our Oppo DVD remote, the buttons glow which makes it REALLY nice to use in the dark or dim light that most people watch movies in. This unit is completely black with black buttons. This makes it pretty much useless in low light conditions until you memorize all of the button locations. You would think by now that remote control makers would have their buttons backlit or at least glow-in-the-dark to handle this.
The unit takes two AA batteries which makes it a bit heavy, but certainly within the normal range of remotes.
It’s easy enough to sync up the remote with the PS3. It’s bluetooth powered, so you go into the PS3 menu and use the options there to indicate you have a new remote. Note that the base level PS3 will not handle this – you have to have a connection to the internet from your PS3 and run an update routine. If you don’t have an internet connection for your PS3, you have to create an update CD on your PC to do this update.
Well recommended – but it really could be much better to be great.
Rating: 4 / 5
March 16th, 2010 at 7:10 pm
I’d bought my PS3 about four or five months ago. I have a pretty nice HDTV and really wanted a Blu-Ray player to compliment it. It also didn’t hurt that I had a bunch of PS2 games I still wanted to play.
After everything was all set up and I started watching a couple of movies, it became apparent extremely quickly that I was going to need a remote for the Blu-Ray features. Using the controller was just overly complex to make it a real option.
When I finally grabbed a remote, there were a few things I noticed immediately. Namely, the simple fact that it was a Bluetooth device meant that there was no chance that I was going to be able to use this with any of my other devices like my TV or my surround-sound receiver. Some people don’t really care, but I hate having a thousand remotes lying around. I’d rather just have one and forget about it.
Considering that the PS3 is the only device that the remote is able to control, I fail to see why it’s covered with buttons. Outside the obvious ‘Play/ Pause/ Stop’ buttons, I don’t understand the decision to make this look so much more complex then it has to be. I would have tried to make the button layout as simple as possible. If it’s not going to be able to be used for another device, it (at least) could be easy to use. I would say that two-thirds of the remote’s face, you’ll never use.
Another reviewer mentioned it, but it bears repeating. If you touch any button on the device, it’ll automatically cue-up your system. The PS3 is a wonderful piece of equiptment and I like it a lot, but man that sucker kicks out a TON of heat. Having said that, I do try to make a deliberate effort not to keep it on longer then I have to. When I’m sitting and watching TV, however, I tend to have both my remotes next to me. I can’t even tell you the number of times I’ve accidentally leaned a little too much to one side and booted-up the system. This is complicated by the fact that there’s not just a ‘power’ button anywhere. I actually have to toss my receiver over to the PS3 device and manually shut the system off. It sounds like a small deal, but it’s REALLY annoying after you do it a few times.
I’m sure this was mentioned several times before, but I sincerely wish that the device was back-lit. I, like many others, usually watch TV in low-light. Between the (unnecessarily) complex button configuration and the simple fact that you can’t read the thing, it makes simply watching a movie more of a chore then it needs to be.
Not an outright “bad” piece and certainly a better option then the controller. It’s also better then any of the third-party devices that I was able to find. All that having been said, however, I’d still say that Sony’s remote wasn’t very well thought out either. There’s a lot of issues that the smallest amount of consideration should have been able to change.
Rating: 3 / 5
March 16th, 2010 at 8:21 pm
A must-have accessory for your PS3 Blu-ray DVD viewing pleasure! I love that it works without having to point it at anything, thanks to being Bluetooth… you don’t even have to be in the same room! (not that there is much application for the latter, but thought it worth mentioning). Anyway, it works perfectly and helps add to your PS3 experience. We have a nice universal remote also, but the “Bluetooth factor” makes this Playstation remote our family’s favorite so far. I hope all remotes go that way eventually… much better than IR!
Rating: 5 / 5
March 16th, 2010 at 10:18 pm
Not much can be said that already hasn’t. It’s an OK remote, on par with most typical remotes that are included with any stand-alone player. Sony really should have included this remote with the PS3, it just makes sense, especially with their renewed push for the PS3 as a Blu-Ray player with the release of the 40GB model.
I can only give the remote 3 stars overall though. The buttons should glow or have backlighting. A few of the buttons could be labeled better or located more prominently. But as far as Sony remotes go, this is pretty good. The bluetooth functionality is great. It eats batteries like crazy.
Many people are incorrectly reporting that this remote does not have a power button. In a sense, that is somewhat true. Any button on the remote will turn on (wake up) the PS3. This was a bad idea, they should have limited the wake-up functionality to the “PS” button in the center of the remote. This center “PS” button is also the “off” button. Simply hold the button down for about 3 seconds and the PS3 will ask if you want to turn it off, push the OK button, it shuts down.
As more and more AV components migrate to bluetooth remote control, I’m sure we will see universal remotes (like the Logitech Harmony) come forth with bluetooth capability. This remote will tide me over for a year or so until that day comes. …Hopefully before the PS3 has become obsolete.
Rating: 3 / 5