The day is coming soon when you will be able to control your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S console with a regular remote control - at least that's what Xbox Program Manager Brad Rossetti said recently on Twitter. Yes, if you are one of the lucky owners of Microsoft's next-generation consoles, you can soon forget about the hassle of constantly switching between controllers and TV remotes.
According to Rossetti, Microsoft had Xbox insiders test the new HDMI-CEC feature in order to use the TV remote to control the Xbox dashboard. This should provide a more seamless experience when controlling streaming apps such as Netflix, Disney Plus, and Hulu.
The Xbox Series X and S consoles already have some HDMI-CEC capabilities, but so far, users have only been able to use the controller to adjust the volume and turn on the TV when booting the console.
Some users have already noticed that they can use their old infrared TV remotes to control their Xbox consoles with hidden functions. However, Rossetti also claims that with the new update, users can also use the controller to switch the TV input to the Xbox console, eliminating the need to switch back and forth between remote and controller to start a game.
The option to enable the use of the TV remote control with the Xbox console is available in the HDMI-CEC settings under "TV & AV Power Options." However, at this time, only testers participating in the Alpha Xbox Insider and Alpha Skip-Ahead programs have access to this feature.
There is no word on when this update will be available to all users, but since Microsoft has just begun testing, we are taking the liberty of speculating that it may be a little while before this feature goes live.
Comments