Xbox 360 Universal Remote

Perhaps you're thinking, "Hey, that new Xbox 360 looks pretty hot," along with the thought, "Man, how many remote controls do I need to figure out in order to use my home entertainment system?" It might just be, then, that the idea of adding a remote control for the Xbox 360 into your living room will be too much for your precarious state of mind.

Logitech wants you to remain calm and stash all those remote controls in a box up in your attic. The new Harmony Advanced Universal Remote Control for Xbox 360 is designed to provide gamers and home theater owners with a single remote that can completely control their game console and any of the other components in their entertainment system.

The new Harmony remote control is preprogrammed to control the Xbox 360 console, allowing users to navigate the Xbox 360's interface with the Harmony remote's X, Y, A, and B buttons - these buttons coincide with commands in various Xbox 360 screens for selecting and navigating games, settings, music, and other media. Logitech says the Harmony remote can perform any navigation feature of the console that can be done using any other infrared remote control.

Like other Harmony remote controls, the new Xbox-centered model can replace multiple infrared remote controls. The remote can control any device that has an infrared receiver - up to 12 devices total. Harmony remotes are programmed by owners using an online setup wizard that can configure "entertainment activities" such as "Watch TV", "Listen to Music", and "Watch a Movie". Once configured, the remote's LCD screen displays the names for these activities along with "Play Xbox 360". Once the button next to the activity's name is pressed, the remote establishes the required state of all the components needed for that particular activity and turns off the components that are not needed.

Logitech says the Harmony for Xbox 360 remote control will be available in the U.S. in late November to coincide with the scheduled North American release of Microsoft's Xbox 360 on November 22. The suggested retail price is $129.99. Logitech is offering a $30 manufacturer's mail-in rebate for Harmony for Xbox 360 remotes purchased before March 31, 2006.

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