Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 stars3 solid stars - good utility, stable, has more potential though
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2018
I got this unit to work with several devices: PS3, FireTV Stick, Raspberry Pi, Win 10 PC. So far, I've tested it with PS3 and Fire TV. On PS3, the device is OK. I did not have the experience I was expecting because the mapping of keys from the PS3 controller to the Rii was not immediately clear. More importantly, technically, I had dificulty paring the device to the PS3 and when it did pair on EVERY use, the PS3 became unresponsive after about 3 or 4 minutes and had to be power cycled. For me, this is not an acceptable application for this item.
As for the Fire TV, the Rii pairs quickly and worked as expected once I figured out how to navigate. Some apps or the Fire OS give hints on the screen as to which key to press for certain actions. For example Esc is used for the Back function. I haven't yet determined which key corresponds to the Menu key on the Fire TV remote. In my opinion,this device is indispensable for using Firefox, or Silk browsers, although, driving the circular cursor takes some getting used to, and it got lost and became unresponsive a couple of time while using Firefox.I have not figured that out. It's not that big of a problem, though obviously the experience would be better without this particular feature.
I will update my review wafter I try it on the Pi and PC.
About the unit. Overall, I like the device, but just middling.
What I like:
1) Multi platform application. I can use it on several devices.
2) Works as expected in most cases.
3) Has a good feel to it in terms of materials although, I'm not sure how durable it is. I purchased a protection plan just in case-not sure if it will cover what might go wrong.
4) So far, except for PS3, it has been stable, no connection issues.
5) I like the power saving feature; it's similar to that of the PS3 controller and cuts down on inconvenient charging cycles. Since I'm used to reconnecting the PS3 controller, the short delay to wake up the Rii is not a problem.
Those extra stars could be gained by improving the item in several areas:
1) Higher quality manufacturing process, including inspection and testing. My unit's backlighting is fair at best, being uneven, getting dimmer from left to right. The backlight on the arrow key cluster does not shine through the "slits" on the right side of the rubberized material covering the Up Arrow and Right Arrow keys. There is enough light leakage to illuminate the keys. It seems a relatively simple test could assure unifrom backlighting. I would classify this as an annoyance that separates a good experience from a great one. I will continue to use the item, but may return it for this reason.
2) The device could use some extra mass to give it it a heftier feel. I would prefer that it be slightly larger.
3) The packaging could include a more documentation that explains how to use the device in various applications and that also explains the key labels, especially, the Fn key combinations.
4) The BT dongle is poorly manufactured. I could not get it t fit in any USB port without feeling like I was forcing it. This is not a deal breaker for me because all the devices on which I would use the device BT (Bluetooth, sorry) equipped.
5) Touchpad could be larger.
3 solid stars with potential for 4, maybe 5 with some improvements.
