Sneak peek at Microsoft's Windows Vista MCE remote

[piranha]

Joining the celebratory Windows Vista soft drink as accessories that have hit the streets long before a finalized copy of the operating system itself, the Vista MCE remote was out and on display at this year's Digital Life expo.

A curious fellow over at Neowin got a brief glimpse of the remote in action, and even got some hands-on time with the yet-to-be-released media liaison. The remote appears oddly rectangular -- an unusual deviation from the curvaceous trends we've seen in remotes -- yet was said to "fit in your hand beautifully despite the squared edges." While the obvious Vista logo dominates the face, the remote is otherwise subtle when it comes to labeling, striking a surprisingly clean look compared to the sticker-ridden devices we've become accustomed to. Moreover, the kiosk was supposed to demonstrate how Vista (and presumably the remote) interacted with the Xbox 360, but a "number of technical difficulties" prevented that anticipated show from commencing. As of now, there's been no word concerning price, expected delays, or eventual availability, but we're sure this is just the first of many media remotes we'll see coming down the pipe for Microsoft's forthcoming OS.

Taken from Engadget

[Smirnuff]

I've been waiting for a nice new remote to appear from Microsoft for ages and am really disappointed by the one pictured above .

[James]

I use a learning remove to replace my MCE remote. Never liked the look of the MCE remote.

[mr.white]

Yeah me too and the new ms remote is like going back in time 30years in design.

[Elconejo]

It looks like the Rec and Power keys arn't sunken (deeper) like the current remote.
I really love te european mce remote now, i don't like the look of the new one !
Like said before, its a step back in time...

[NLS]

I'll still wait for this:

http://www.gyration.com/en-US/OEMProduct.html

[swifty]

OMG that remote has got to be some sort of joke! It looks like a brick with some lego glued to it for buttons! lol
Definatley prefer my Harmony 525!

[wishywashy]

Originally Posted by NLS

I'll still wait for this:

http://www.gyration.com/en-US/OEMProduct.html

That is a pretty cool remote.

[Marcusb]

I like the gyro remote that NLS linked to, but I am a bit hesitant about it using 2.4GHz. Like that band isn't already littered enough with traffic, plus, I'm running out of usb ports on the HTPC and the dongle is just one extra piece to find space for.

As for the new Vista, I think it could grow on me. At least it's something different...

[Smirnuff]

Did some backtracking on Engadget today and found more pictures of what the Vista MCE remote may look like:



This version looks much nicer than the lego inspired brick above. No coloured buttons though, hrmmm...