Customer Reviews

Xbox 360 Intelligent Remote

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I bought this to go with my new Xbox 360 so that I could watch DVDs more easily. The fact that it was a learning remote was neat, but not critical.

Pros:
- Inexpensive
- Backlit
- Learning (see notes)

Cons:
- Low powered IR emissions
- Learning (see notes)
- Went screwy on me and I had to reset by removing batteries

The build quality of the remote is pretty decent for a low-end remote. It's not really heavy or solid feeling, but it's not dirt-cheap feeling like the original Xbox DVD remote (the green/black one). It fits in your hand OK just like any remote of this shape or size would. The buttons are the typical rubber buttons you'd expect, and I have had some issues with the directional (arrow) buttons not popping up immediately as they can get slightly wedged in the plastic case. This is only on the large buttons, primarily the left and right direction buttons.

The backlight is green LED and makes the keys easy to see in the dark (see the Customer Photo I added). You must press a button to activate the lighting which could send a code that you don't want - there is no "turn on light" button. The backlight stays on for a very short time (probably 1 second) which was somewhat annoying to me. This is undoubtedly due to the use of AAA batteries and not wanting to use them up too quickly.

The learning was easy enough to program and IMO, I prefer having to take the time to program buttons rather than get this gigantic sheet of paper with a million tiny codes on it for every make and model of equipment, punch the codes into the remote, find-out that some buttons don't work, then try the next code, and so-on. If you've ever used a pre-programmed universal remote, you'll understand. To program this Nyko, I simply got my original remote out, placed it end-to-end with the Nyko, started the learning sequence, and pressed the desired button on the remote to be learned. Fast and easy, but yes, you do have to do each button individually.

The learning did have one problem though: it replays the codes too quickly. I programmed my TV's volume up/down into the Nyko. When I press the buttons on the Nyko, the TV volume jumps up/down rather than smoothly going up and down like with the factory remote. I'm guessing that the Nyko re-transmits much faster when a button is held down, thus causing the TV to jump from 1 to 5 to 10 on the volume rather than 1,2,3,4... This made the remote unusable for anything that needed careful control.

The IR emitter seems to be either under-powered or mounted so far back in the plastic case that the beam is very directional. When using my Tivo, TV, or stereo remote, I just point them in the general direction of the units and they work. With the Nyko, I often had to carefully aim the remote at the device and press the button several times. I did have brand-new batteries in the unit as well. This was my largest annoyance.

The switching between the "360 mode" and "learned mode" is somewhat annoying as other reviewers have stated. There is no real reason I can find to justify this since the 360 controls are at the top, and the others at the bottom with no/very little overlap.

Last night, I had the remote do something weird. I was trying to watch a DVD in the 360 and the direction (arrow) buttons weren't being received, yet the 'enter' button in the center and the Xbox colored buttons worked fine. I fiddled with it for a minute and could not get the arrows working (which is somewhat critical when navigating a DVD menu) and ended-up pulling the batteries out of the remote to reset it. After that, it worked fine. Obviously there is some bug in the remote - at least in the version I got.

Overall, this is an OK remote and if you only have a limited budget for a 360 remote, it might do the trick. However for me, the issue with having to aim the remote and try several times to get things done is too annoying and I'm returning mine (bought locally, fortunately). I suppose it's the old issue of "you get what you pay for" and perhaps spending another few bucks on the official Xbox 360 remote would fix these issues.

I got this remote to be able to control DVDs if the need ever arose for us to watch them on our 360. I thought it was cool that it was 'learning'. Of course, one drawback to this is that you have to have the other remotes in order for it to 'learn' their functions. There are a total of 29 learning keys on the remote so you can program each of them with different functions from various equipment. For instance, we've programmed ours to control the volume on the surround sound, control the channels on the cable box, and then control the input selection on the TV. This is pretty cool.

I really liked the Logitech Harmony remote but didn't have $100 to shell out at the time. Plus I had read a ton of mixed reviews on them. This is a great remote to serve multiple purposes regarding the operation of the 360. We've already used it a good bit and are very pleased with it.

The main reason I give it 4 stars is because I don't like how you have to switch back and forth between 360/TV operation modes in order to get the thing to work. For instance, you have to use the 360 operation mode to perform 360 controls such as turning the console on or off and using the DVD controls but then you have to press the 360/TV button to switch to TV operation mode to perform the learned controls which you've programmed. I don't fully understand this particular complication since the learned features are on the bottom half of the remote and totally separate from the 360 controls which means they are not even needed for any part of 360 control so I don't see why there is a need to switch operation modes in order for them to work.

First off, If you don't have a remote to your TV do not get this remote, it will not help you with your TV controls.

It gets the basic uses done (turn your Xbox 360 on and off) The controls are easy but they are the same as your Xbox 360 Controller as many reviews have said.

Programming your remote to your TV is really easy (after you do 2 or 3 buttons) yes you have to program each button 1 by 1 using 3 AAA batteries, you program the remote by Syncing your Old TV remote and/or Cable remote to the Nyko remote (They probably added that feature because of the Zune). Even though this makes the setup very easy, if your remote doesn't do some of the things you would like it to do, you are pretty much out of luck with this remote. (I don't have Input for my TV on my cable remote so i can't get the right Video line without getting up and walking to the Tv, which is the same with this remote).

I haven't had any problems with the Remote (yet) but there are some delays, its not smooth clicking or movements. Like the volume doesn't go up or down as easily, nor does the channels. (oh after Programming the remote to a key sometimes you have to switch it to xbox 360 and back to tv for it to take affect).

But there are some great things about it,

1. Like the back up light is great for dark times (only stays of for a second so its not annoying)
2. The programming saves up time and helps you make the keys to your liking
3. The second you put batteries into the controller for the first time, it automatically syncs to your xbox 360
4. Makes DVD watching easy
5. Can turn your TV on and off (if you set it)
6. Feels good in your hand unlike the original Xbox controller (black and green)

But again there are problems with it,

1. The xbox 360 can use all the keys where on TV mode it only has half of the controls
2. If you press volume on Xbox mode nothing happens
3. You have to point the remote straight at the TV or Xbox
4. The 360 button makes nose if you move the remote
5. If you don't have a TV remote or Cable remote you are screwed
6. The Green light goes into other buttons giving you the impression that you have more set keys
7. DVDR or Tivo users the record, Play, rewind, etc can't be synced with the Xbox 360 buttons (which would be a nice feature)
8. Can't tell what mode you are in until your press a button
9. Other things can interfere with the remote

So i guess what i am saying is There are a lot of buttons that could really make cable and Tv use very easy but you can set. You could just use your controller to do 98% of the Remote features. So my opinion if you have like $15 laying around or have Game credit (like i did at Gamestop) then Get the remote. At least the price went down from $30 to $14.95

I actually didn't have too many problem with this controller for the first year of use. Occasionally something would malfunction and would need resetting but not too bad. The learn mode is also fairly easy to use. My only problem with the controller during use was having to constantly switch between tv mode for volume control and the XBOX control mode. That got pretty annoying when trying to navigate and watch DVDs and Netflix while adjusting the volume. Aside from that the controller wasn't bad for the price.

But all good things come to an end, and with this controller that time was about 2 months ago when the controller would constantly short itself out in XBOX mode. I'd have to start tapping it against the table, or shake it really hard to make it work again. Eventually it got so bad that I ended up breaking it in half because it was essentially unusable. I was also shocked as to how flimsy the plastic was to break so easily. Regardless though, I think I paid $10 for this remote at Gamestop "Game Days" and was fairly happy with it while it lasted.

This remote is perfect if you have an off brand tv that you can never find universal remote codes for, programming is easy and takes only a minute or two. Some times it responds slows when a button is hit but other than that it fantastic.

I have owned the Nyko XBox 360 Intelligent Remote for quite a while now and it still is very useful, however, its 4 stars are mainly because it was a great bargain for under $15. If you need an everyday multi-media remote, then I would recommend you invest in those higher-end remotes.

However, the programming features are great, although you'll probably still need to keep your original television remote handy to fill in the inevitable gaps. The volume control slides a bit too quickly, as well as the channel selector buttons. This unit has, however, made my life a bit easier when it comes to controlling my DVD movies, music, and XBox Live dashboard activities. The back-lighting feature is nice, but the result is frequent battery changes. It would be nice to somehow utilize the XBox controller's rechargeable battery packs to power these DC guzzlers. Word of shopping advice: Shop around, you can find it for less than $15 quite easily. I would recommend this product at that price range, with $20 being the absolute ceiling.

It was a Piece of junk. It froze after every command, it wouldnt accept new commands, and it wouldn't even turn on he xbox. It had a one in three chance of actually doing anything. Do not buy his remote. You will regret it

It doesnt work very well. Easy to program? yes. You cant move too fast for it. You have to wait for the lights to go out before you try another button. It's just really annoying. TOTALLY not worth the money. I only use it to turn the game unit off after watching a movie so i dont have to turn the controller back on to turn it off. Dont get it.

Solid 360 remote, won't learn volume down button on my remote so useless as universal remote for me. Have to give 4 stars for being worth what I spent on it. Learning is a hit or miss and only the lower half is learnable, good bonus if all the buttons you need work with it.

Most universal remotes have codes you can enter that will automatically configure your remote to work with your device. This remote suggests that you program each button individually. While very time-consuming, the product works great. If you don't have the extra few minutes to spend, go with one of the better brands.