Logitech Harmony Adapter for PlayStation 3

by Logitech

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 3.2 x 2.4 inches ; 15.8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00267S7XW
• Item model number: 943-000029
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (442 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #4 in Electronics > Accessories & Supplies > Audio & Video Accessories > Remote Controls > Remote-Control Extenders
  • #33 in Electronics > Accessories & Supplies > Audio & Video Accessories > Connectors & Adapters
  • #55 in Electronics > Televisions & Video > Television Accessories
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 14, 2004

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Works with any Harmony Remote for one-touch control of DVD's, Blu-Ray Disc movies and more on PS3. Supports all 51 PS3 commands to allow you to control XrossMediaBar (XMB), DVD and Blu-Ray Disc movies and all other console functions, including power on and off. Bluetooth wireless link keeps valuable PS3 ports available for other controllers. Simple guided online set-up walks you through the process of configuring the remote for your PS3. Always-On AC power. The adapter is always ready for input. When you press a button on your remote, your PS3 responds right away.

Product Description

Works with any Harmony Remote for one-touch control of DVD's, Blu-Ray Disc movies and more on PS3. Supports all 51 PS3 commands to allow you to control XrossMediaBar (XMB), DVD and Blu-Ray Disc movies and all other console functions, including power on and off. Bluetooth wireless link keeps valuable PS3 ports available for other controllers. Simple guided online set-up walks you through the process of configuring the remote for your PS3. Always-On AC power. The adapter is always ready for input. When you press a button on your remote, your PS3 responds right away.

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

109 of 113 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally! One remote to rule them all., May 12, 2009

By 

M. Larsen "diamond" (Vernon Hills, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Logitech Harmony Adapter for PlayStation 3 (Video Game)

I have a Logitech Harmony 1000 remote, and I run a Pioneer Elite receiver, a Toshiba HDDVD (ok - not smart), an XBox360, a wireless headset controller, a Pioneer Elite upscaling DVD player, two computers with Zalman IR controls, and a Playstation 3. I could control everything with my Harmony 1000 except the Playstation 3. I tried the Nyko Blu-Wave product, and while I've been extremely happy with most Nyko products, I had tons of problems with it. From not being able to power up/power down, commands executing twice, etc., there were just too many issues to make it worthwhile. Considering that Sony's bluetooth remote was so nice, it made sense to go to 2 remotes.

Well now I'm finally down to one without a sacrifice. This unit has it's own AC power, so it works whether the PS3 is off or on, which is a huge advantage.

The other huge advantage over every other solution is that it contains every single command that the bluetooth remote has (I believe it is 51 in all).

Pros:
-Self-powered via AC adapter
-Works regardless of PS3 being on or off
-Contains all 51 commands, including the PS button
-Doesn't take up a valuable USB port on the PS3
-Commands work in PS2 emulator of original 60gb PS3
-Range via Harmony 1000 is excellent
-No problems with double-commands like Nyko product
-Design matches Playstation 3
-Logitech had all the commands and screens for all of the supported remotes on their website on launch day (nicely done Logitech!!)

Cons:
-Price is a little high (it's 3 times the cost of the Sony bluetooth remote)
-For that money, I would like to have had the option of a rechargeable battery so that an AC adapter wouldn't be needed.
-Unit is small, but it seems like it could be smaller.
-It is still infrared from remote to receiver, so you have to aim it versus bluetooth which is omnidirectional.

Summary: If you want to get down to one remote, this is THE way to do it. If you want to save money, go with the omnidirectional Sony bluetooth remote (don't go third part on that).

59 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Does what it says, may have frustrating setup, May 18, 2009

By 

coopdude - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Logitech Harmony Adapter for PlayStation 3 (Video Game)

EDIT: According to some of the comments below, Logitech has apparently FIXED the issue described below. In light of that, I give it 5 stars (unfortunately, Amazon does not allow you to change your original rating). However, for reference purposes, and in case someone encounters the same issue in the future (for whatever reason), I'm leaving my original review below.

Once you get this product, you'll be able to control your PS3 like any other device on your Harmony. It works well, doesn't lag, etc.

I started (naturally), unboxing. I thought the device would be bigger; it's slightly smaller than a deck of playing cards (not as thick). Plug in the AC Adapter (Yes, it's required. Otherwise, the PS3 couldn't be turned on by the Harmony, since USB on the PS3 doesn't provide power when the system is off.)

For those of you who have a higher with RF function, fear not; it has a plug for RF extension. I have a Harmony 520, so I cannot speak for the RF. IR range is very good, manual says 10M. I'm pretty sure the furthest I can get from the unit in the room it is setup in is about 13M, and it works fine at that range.

After unboxing, you turn on your PS3 the old fashioned way (Sony BT remote or controller), go to the settings part of the cross media bar interface -> Accessories settings -> Register BT Remote. Tap the orange button under the Logitech Unit, it registers.

Next up is the setup. And this is where I encountered problems. If the PS3 is your only unit, you shouldn't have any problems; however, if you have another gaming unit that takes IR, the setup can get REALLY confusing and frustrating. And, yes, I had the latest version of the software (7.5, but the software checks for any updates at startup).

So, I had the PS3 already added (tune in everything else) on my Harmony 520. Per the Logitech Support database recommendation, I removed the PS3 device and the "Use PS3" activity from my Harmony.

I readded it as recommended after this (Game Console w/ DVD, Sony, PlayStation 3, click through the advisory, OK.) Create an activity, update my Harmony, looking forward to use it instead of the Sony remote.

I run up the stairs like a young child at Christmas. Joyously, I hit the "Play PS3" activity. The TV turns on, the HDMI switcher goes to the right input, the PS3 turns on, the startup sound & video play...

I'm on the user selection screen (you see it if you have more than one profile on the console). I try to use the down arrow. It doesn't work. None of the soft buttons are there either.

Frustrated, I remove and readd the device + activity about 10 times. This takes about a half hour. Naturally, it's extremely frustrating.

Finally, I think "Why don't I remove the PS3 & Xbox 360 device and activities, then, I'll add the PS3 device, PS3 Activity, Xbox 360 device, and Xbox 360 activity, in that order."

Voilà! Everything works. Range is good, all the buttons work, including the soft buttons, etc.

IN SHORT: The product does what it says. For the extremely non-intuitive setup in a potentially common situation, I have to dock the unit 2 stars, especially in light of it's premium pricing.

IF YOU HAVE AN XBOX 360 OR ANY OTHER GAME SYSTEM:
-Remove ANY video game devices
-Remove ANY video game activities
-Add the PS3 as a device (Game Console w/ DVD, Sony, PlayStation 3)
-Add the PS3 activity (when you hit "add activity", it should be an automatic "Play Game" activity. You can rename it after you add it).
-Add any other video game devices and activities.

LOGITECH: If you read this, PLEASE fix the Harmony software for this type of situation.

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best solution for PS3/Harmony owners, May 13, 2009

By 

A. Zaman (State College, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Logitech Harmony Adapter for PlayStation 3 (Video Game)

This device is the one PS3 and Harmony remote users have been waiting for. It is very responsive and has all the functionality of the Sony brand PS3 remote (on my Harmony One at least...this may vary depending on which version of the Harmony you have and the number of buttons it has). A few caveats buyers may have about this unit are the price, and the chances are that by now, they already have some kind of solution to controlling the PS3.

$60 seems a bit high at first. The PlayStation 3 Blu Wave Remote and the Sony PlayStation 3 Blu-ray Disc Remote are both considerably less than this device. However, they both have some drawbacks as well. I have both of the above mentioned remotes. The Nyko is a decent solution for universal remote owners as it allows the PS3 to be controlled through any IR remote (it's especially easy with Harmony remotes, as Logitech has the Nyko device available for programming through the Harmony software). The issues with the Blu-Wave are that you can't turn on the PS3 through the remote, it uses up one of your PS3's USB ports, and it also can be a bit glitchy. Often it will stop responding altogether and I'll have to unplug and replug the USB receiver for it before it will work again. The Sony remote works well and the nice part about it is that you don't need a direct line of site between the remote and the PS3 because it connects through bluetooth. However for all of us who have universal remotes, you'll need to keep both your universal and the Sony remote on hand.

If you are like me and absolutely love your Harmony and are borderline OCD and must be able to turn your PS3 on and off through one unit because you can't stand to have multiple remotes out, then this is $60 well spent. The other options that I've seen that allow power control of the PS3 through Harmony remotes are the IR2BTci and the PS3IR-Pro. These devices are a better comparison to the Logitech Harmony Adapter because they add similar functionality. I have not tried either of these devices personally, so I can't comment on how well they work...however, I can say that they are considerably more expensive than $60, if you can even find them for purchase from a reputable vendor (at the time of this writing, the IR2BTci is $150 and the PS3IR-Pro is $100). Also, aesthetically, they don't hold a candle to Logitech's adapter. The Logitech unit has a small form-factor, and also matches the finish of the PS3 perfectly, while these other units seem to be a tad unsightly and slightly bulkier as well. And as for performance, while I can't say how the others perform, I also can't imagine them being able to perform much better than this Logitech Adapter (which seems to be virtually flawless in terms of performance).

If you're tired of the spotty performance of the Nyko Blu-Wave or having multiple remotes out (or are simply looking to get your first remote for the PS3 and already own or are planning on getting a Harmony remote), I really can't imagine that you'll have buyer's remorse from spending $60 on this, as it is a really great device.