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Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray DVD Remote

Manufacturer: Sony Part number: 98046

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$19.35 - $24.99 at 11 online stores

CNET Editor rating:
3.0 stars Good
Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 6 reviews

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Manufacturer info

Bottom Line:: If you do a lot of movie watching with your PS3, the Sony PlayStation 3 Blu-ray DVD Remote is a nice luxury, but it's not a must-have accessory for the PS3.
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CNET editors' review

Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray DVD Remote

price range: $19.35 - $24.99

Reviewed by: David Carnoy
Edited by: John P. Falcone
Reviewed on: 02/01/2007
Updated on:09/19/2007

The good: For those who plan on regularly using their PS3 for playing Blu-ray and DVD movies, this is an attractively styled Bluetooth remote with a generally well-thought-out button layout and design. The remote also is very responsive and faces no line-of-sight issues because it uses Bluetooth radio, not IR (infrared).

The bad: No backlighting; can't control any of your other A/V components; not a huge upgrade over the functionality offered by the PS3's standard controller.

The bottom line: If you do a lot of movie watching with your PS3, the Sony PlayStation 3 Blu-ray DVD Remote is a nice luxury, but it's not a must-have accessory for the PS3.

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Editors' note: Since the release of the PS3 Blu-ray remote, several IR solutions have surfaced. We've taken a look at one of these, the Nyko Blue-wave IR remote, and seems to be an even better solution for Blu-ray and DVD playback control. As a result, we've lowered the rating of this model accordingly.

Truth be told, the Sony PlayStation 3 is currently the Blu-ray player we use to test a lot of the HDTVs we get in for review here at CNET. As potentially higher performance Blu-ray players come out, that may change, but right now the PS3 is one of the best Blu-ray players on the market. As frequent Blu-ray viewers, we're perfect candidates to test out the remote that's designed for PS3 movie watching, the Sony PlayStation 3 Blu-ray DVD Remote ($25).

The remote, like the wireless game controller that comes with the system, features Bluetooth wireless connectivity. In fact, it behaves just like a Sony wireless game controller would, except you have to manually pair it to the system via the accessories link in the settings menu (it uses port number seven). However, once you've paired it, you shouldn't have to worry about doing it again.

There are certain advantages to Bluetooth technology, the biggest of which is you don't have to deal with the line-of-sight issues you encounter with IR (infrared). For example, we pointed the remote in the opposite direction with our back to the system, and it still worked fine. The remote also is very responsive with virtually no lag time between button press and onscreen action.

The only problem--and call this an editorial aside--is that if you're trying to control all your components with a universal remote such as a Logitech Harmony model, the PS3 isn't compatible because Sony conveniently decided to leave off an IR port. (Admittedly, that's a shortfall of the PS3 itself, not the remote reviewed here.) Hopefully, the company--or a third-party vendor--will rectify this annoying situation by putting out some sort of IR USB dongle that allows you to control the PS3 with an infrared remote. If that little dongle cost $20, Sony (or Logitech, or whoever) would find plenty of buyers. But we digress. Back to the review.

All in all, there isn't a whole lot to complain about. This is a perfectly decent remote that is attractively styled with a generally well-thought-out button layout and design. (In fact, the ergonomics and design are notably superior to the DVD remote that Sony released for PS2.) The color-coded red, green, blue, and yellow buttons are designed to match upcoming "soft keys" within the Blu-ray menu system. The most-used buttons (play, stop, and pause) are larger than the rest of the keys and set in the middle of remote. You should be able to navigate those keys just fine by touch, but accessing some of the other buttons in the dark by feel alone will be more difficult. Unfortunately--and this is our biggest gripe--the remote isn't backlit. And, obviously, it's limited to controlling the PS3, so you'll have to use another remote to raise and lower the volume of your TV or A/V system.

The 8.5x2.0x1.0 inch (HWD) controller is powered by two AA batteries, which should last a fairly long time because the remote has no LCD screen (Sony doesn't offer a battery life rating). We did appreciate that the PS3 offers the same small onscreen, three-bar icon that the game controllers utilize; it lets you know when you're starting to run low on juice. Furthermore, the remote works fine for navigating all of the other PS3's menus--the combination of the directional pad and the signature cross, circle, square, and triangle buttons let you enter any of the menus to access all of the other media (music, movie trailers, and so forth) that the PS3 offers. Just don't expect to use it to play any games.

As with the game controller, you also can turn the system on and off using the key adorned with the PlayStation logo. Additionally, if your PS3 is off, you can hit any key on the remote and it will power on. That's nice, but it also increases the odds that you--or someone else in your household--might accidentally hit a key and turn on the PS3. (It was unclear whether leaving the system on for long periods would affect battery life on the remote or not.)

With a street price of $25, the Sony PlayStation 3 Blu-ray DVD Remote is reasonably priced. We're just annoyed that its only reason for existence is Sony's ridiculous omission of an IR port on the PS3 to begin with. If you're asking yourself whether it's worth buying one over say an extra, wireless game controller ($50), that answer will depend on how much you plan on using the PS3 as a movie-watching machine. As it is, once you get used to using the wireless game controller as a remote for Blu-ray and DVD playback, it's actually pretty decent. The remote simply makes accessing certain features and menus easier and faster. And it also makes you think you're really operating a home-theater component rather than a game machine. If that little bit of extra convenience appeals to you, by all means, pick this up.

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User reviews

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Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 6 reviews
My rating: 0 stars

Showing opinion 1 to 6 out of 6

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3 stars

Infrared Options Exist

by cool1528 on September 4, 2007

Pros: Bluetooth makes it difficult for infrared remotes to work

Cons: Bluetooth makes it difficult for infrared remotes to work

Summary: Nyko makes a "BluWave" Infrared remote that has a USB attachment offering infrared remotes like the Harmony to program some of the basic controls like play, stop, rewind, fast forward, ...

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Summary: Nyko makes a "BluWave" Infrared remote that has a USB attachment offering infrared remotes like the Harmony to program some of the basic controls like play, stop, rewind, fast forward, etc. The only thing that it doesn't do is turn on the unit, but you do have options for making your PS3 work in an infrared format.

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2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

A must buy, PS3 xaxis remote keeps jumping due to built in gyroscope

by airmail on February 5, 2007

Pros: Very elegant black, nice heavy feeling to it, and has all the important controls to it.

Cons: Its bluetooh, an will work only with Sony, unless someone comes up with a PS3->keyboard mapping tool for the PC

Summary: This is a must buy if you use the remote on the couch like I do. The PS3 xaxis remote keeps jumping scenes, I think it has to do with ...

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Summary: This is a must buy if you use the remote on the couch like I do. The PS3 xaxis remote keeps jumping scenes, I think it has to do with the built in gyroscope that acts as a next chapter button or something. I keep having to go rewind back to where I was! The PS3 BD remote eliminates the problem, I'd make sure I turn off the PS3 xaxis remote first, otherwise the jumping still occurs.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

Just what you would expect from a remote control

by Mergatroid Mania on June 20, 2008

Pros: Bluetooth is great

Cons: no little joystick or pointer

Summary: Works like every other remote control you've ever used except you don't have to point it at the ps3 since it's not using IR.
I love this
...

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Summary: Works like every other remote control you've ever used except you don't have to point it at the ps3 since it's not using IR.
I love this feature. I've gotten so used to it I do all my browsing with it. It would be easier to browse with if they had one or two pointing devices built into the remote, or some way to move the pointer on the screen. You can move it from link to link, but not anywhere on the screen. This can make some screens hard to read if they're zoomed up.
For the money, it's great. I prefer it over a controller for playing movies.

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9 stars

civilised movie watching

by jahpeople on February 4, 2008

Pros: you don't have to use a controller to watch movies

Cons: weird button layout, bluetooth only = not universal

Summary: the sony ps3 blu ray dvd remote is a nice clean solution to movie watching. it has all of the important functions clearly mapped and labled on its surface. visually ...

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Summary: the sony ps3 blu ray dvd remote is a nice clean solution to movie watching. it has all of the important functions clearly mapped and labled on its surface. visually it matches the design of the ps3, which means it has a glossy black surface that is prone to marks from finger prints. an odd choice for a remote.

the thing about any kind of remote for a game system is that you're paying for a superfluous piece of hardware. i don't really need this, but for some reason i want it. for me, using a ps3 controller to watch movies is a completely unintuitive process. i either have to memorise which commands are mapped to which button, or use an onscreen menu to issue commands. i find this to be a clunky, inelegant solution. if you share this sentiment then buy this remote right now, you'll thank yourself later.

there are a few problems with this remote, but they are minor. for one the number layout is in an odd position. the choice to keep all of those rectangular buttons grouped together in a single matrix may look nice, but it sure is inconvenient. you will hardly, if ever, use those number buttons. outside of typing scenarios they are pretty much useless.

the bigger grief here is the limited functionality of this remote. this is a single purpose device, usually a no no in my home, but you can't really fault the remote (as the cnet review points out). since ps3 is bluetooth only and doesn't use the much more common IR, you won't be using this with any other a/v equipment. this means you'd better be committed to adding yet another remote control to your growing collection.

in a nutshell this remote is a pretty handy device. i couldn't imagine watching movies on my ps3 without it, and frankly i don't want to. it's a bummer that it's not a universal remote, but it's overall usefulness surpasses any perceived shortcomings.

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9 stars

A good remote worth the low price tag

by asage429 on February 12, 2007

Pros: Easy to use for everyone in the family

Cons: Not much better than a PS3 controller if you know how to handle one

Summary: I watch a lot of Blu-ray movies with my family so for me, the PS3 remote was a must. The Sixaxis controller is fairly easy to use once you get ...

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Summary: I watch a lot of Blu-ray movies with my family so for me, the PS3 remote was a must. The Sixaxis controller is fairly easy to use once you get used to what all the buttons do so the remote doesn't end up being much better if you're the only person who will be watching movies. In my case however, neither my wife nor my mother have any intrest in trying to figure out what the triangle or X buttons do so getting the remote made Blu-ray family accessable.

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9 stars

Easy to use remote

by norvabear on February 2, 2007

Pros: comfortable in the hand

Cons: not backlit

Summary: This remote is very easy to use. The feel of the remote is very comfortable to hold and feels very good in the hand. The buttons are well laid out ...

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Summary: This remote is very easy to use. The feel of the remote is very comfortable to hold and feels very good in the hand. The buttons are well laid out and easy to find. The response is quick with very little delay once a button is pushed to make something happen. After accidentally putting my discs into fast forward or skipping to the next chapter without meaning to by using the game controller, this remote is a godsend. I'm not rating this remote a 10 because it is not backlit. Otherwise it's a terrific remote that very easy to use.

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Specifications

Manufacturer: Sony
Part number: 98046
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 used without having to point directly at the Playstation 3 system.

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Packaged quantity 1

Input Device
Compatible Game Consoles Sony PlayStation 3

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Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray DVD Remote

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