The Xbox Series S, Series X, and even last generation’s models can serve as compelling media hubs. Not only do they have a good selection of apps including most major streaming services, they can play Ultra HD Blu-ray discs (as well as regular Blu-rays and DVDs). The Xbox controller isn’t the most intuitive for navigating media playback, however. The 8Bitdo Media Remote solves this problem by letting you browse and watch content on your Xbox with a conventional remote control. It’s easy to use and inexpensive at just $19.99 for the Short Edition we tested (the Long Edition, which has a number pad, is $24.99). But it’s an infrared remote, which means you need to point it directly at your Xbox when you want to use it, making it a bit cumbersome compared with most modern media streamer remotes that don’t require a line of sight.
Smooth and Simple
The Media Remote is flat with rounded edges, evoking the shape of a pill. The design doesn’t match the stark right angles of the Xbox Series X/S or Xbox One, but it’s much more comfortable to hold than if it had sharp corners. The Short Edition of the remote is white, while the Long Edition is black, matching the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X respectively.
The remote is covered in circular flat buttons that all have a similar feel, but a prominent plus-shaped navigation pad with a convex button in the center and a concave Guide button near the top offer good positioning references for your thumb. Menu and A/B/X/Y buttons sit between the navigation pad and Guide button, while volume and channel rockers and playback controls sit below the navigation pad. The buttons are all backlit, and light up when you lift the remote.
The Long Edition of the remote moves the playback controls to above the A/B/X/Y buttons, and places a number pad below the rockers. We can think of few, if any, reasons to use a number pad when watching media on the Xbox.
The entire back of the remote slides off to reveal the battery compartment, which holds two AAA batteries. 8Bitdo doesn’t provide any battery life estimates, but since it’s a purely IR remote that only sends a command when you press a button and doesn’t maintain a wireless connection with your Xbox, you can reasonably expect weeks of use, if not months.
Requires Direct Aim
Yes, this is an infrared remote. On one hand, this means you don’t need to deal with pairing the remote with your Xbox, and its battery life is likely longer than it would be if it had to maintain a wireless connection. On the other hand, the remote must have line of sight with your Xbox, and be pointed directly at the console in order for it to work. You can’t put the system in a cabinet and press buttons while the remote is pointing anywhere like you can when using the Chromecast With Google TV, Amazon Fire TV devices, most Roku streamers, or even the PlayStation 5’s media remote (which, to be fair, is over twice as expensive as the 8Bitdo model).
The Media Remote works with any Xbox model from the current or previous generation. That includes the Xbox One, One S, One X, Series S, and Series X. Since it works through the console’s infrared receiver, it doesn’t require any setup, though you need to enable HDMI-CEC on the system and your TV to control volume with it.
The remote worked perfectly with my Xbox Series X. I could turn the system on with the Guide button, then navigate the interface and open apps easily. The console reminded me to enable HDMI-CEC when I pressed the volume buttons, and after changing that setting the remote adjusted my TV’s volume (actually my soundbar’s volume, over another HDMI cable through eARC) without issue.
Disney+, HBO Max, and YouTube all worked well with the Media Remote, with one minor caveat. I could browse all three apps easily, and the Play/Pause button worked for any video I loaded. The forward and rewind buttons also functioned with Disney+ and YouTube, though they did nothing with HBO Max (but I could still move around a video’s timeline using the direction buttons). This is likely because of how the HBO Max app is implemented, since the controls work fine on the other two apps, though their individual behaviors with moving forward and backward in a video differ slightly from each other.
The line of sight requirement for the Media Remote is a bit annoying after using my Chromecast for so long. Being used to holding my Chomecast remote in any position, I had to continually remind myself to point the Media Remote directly at my Xbox if I wanted to control anything. It isn’t too big a deal to get used to if your Xbox is easy to see from where you watch TV, it’s just less convenient than what you might accustomed to.
Easy Xbox Media Controls, With a Catch
The 8Bitdo Media Remote for Xbox works very well for what it is, but what it is is an IR remote. You need to have line of sight between wherever you’re sitting and your Xbox, and you need to remember to point the remote directly at the console when you’re using it. The simple IR technology means it’s quite inexpensive at $20, which is a good deal as long as you recognize the compromise you’re making. If you can spend $50 and have an open HDMI port on your TV, you’re probably better off getting an Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K, a Chromecast With Google TV, or a Roku Streaming Stick 4K and using it for all of your streaming media needs. Those devices all offer much wider selections of apps and services, along with more features like screen mirroring and voice search, and their remotes don’t need to be pointed at anything to work. But if your home entertainment needs and layout fit with the 8Bitdo Media Remote, it’s a solid way to save some money and use your Xbox as a media hub.
