8bitdo Moves Beyond Controllers With Xbox Media Remote

Most of us know 8bitdo as a maker of solid wireless controllers, but today, the company surprised with the announcement of a new accessory. 8bitdo revealed today that it's giving us a new take on the Xbox remote, launching its own version that it simply calls the Xbox Media Remote. 8bitdo's Remote even comes in two sizes depending on just how many buttons you want.

In today's announcement, 8bitdo says that the Xbox Media Remote comes with dedicated Xbox buttons so you can navigate your console's interface without having to use a controller. Indeed, near the top of both remotes, we see the Xbox button – which can be used to wake your console, just like the Xbox button on a standard controller – along with dedicated ABXY buttons, a menu button, and a view button.

Those are all present on both remotes, as are directional controls and media controls. The main difference between the short and long remotes is that the long one also has a full keypad. In that way, it's more like a traditional remote, but both will get the job done if you're planning to use it solely for media playback on an Xbox console.

8bitdo says that the Xbox Media Remote is compatible with Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox One, which isn't surprising considering the cross-generation compatibility of Xbox Series X/Xbox One controllers. In addition, it's powered by two AAA batteries that 8bitdo even includes in the package.

The 8bitdo Xbox Media Remote is up for pre-order on Amazon today, and there's a slight price difference between the two sizes. The short remote comes in at $19.99, while the long model is $5 more expensive with a price tag of $24.99. Both models of 8bitdo's Xbox Media Remote will begin shipping out on September 15th, 2021.