PDP Official Universal Media Remote for PlayStation 4 Review

A Closer Look

The remote is pretty much what you would expect in terms of general layout; it is a remote and it looks like one, simple as that. The ergonomics don’t look too bad, it’s quite slim and quite long, so should sit in your hand comfortably enough.

There’s a huge amount of buttons on the remote, most of which you’ll likely not use for day-to-day use, and even less to operate the features of the PlayStation 4 its self. However, if you’re wanting to control you TV, cable box and surround sound, these extra functions will come in handy. There are four tab buttons at the top which allow you to switch between each device, which certainly makes things easier.

The central controls are nicely laid out, and the D-pad is split with a directional pad and a centre enter button for ease of use. Around the edge, you’ve got page navigation too, for faster browsing and should you run into any more console-focused prompts, you’ll also find stock PlayStation symbol controls too, which makes navigating certain apps a whole lot easier.

Further down, a PlayStation home button, multimedia playback controls, as well as master volume and channel controls. Overall, everything is nicely laid out, clearly labeled and easily understood.

The build quality of the PDP remote is quite nice overall, it’s durable enough to survive being chucked around the room, but light enough to be comfortable to use. There’s a slight ergonomic curve to it too, which helps with the overall grip.

A little bit of texture and some PS4 branding towards the base.

On the back, you’ll find a small battery cover.

Uh-oh! It seems that we don’t get batteries included in the box. This is a bit of a shame, as I’d like to think of this as a ready to use out of the box, but unfortunately not, so remember to pick some AAA batteries up at the store at the same time you purchase the remote.

As I said before, the remote is quite long, but the slight curve in the ergonomics makes it feel comfortable to hold and you can easily navigate all the controls with your thumb. Nothing groundbreaking there, it’s a remote, but it certainly feels like a well made one and it’s pleasant enough to use overall.

Performance

Setting up this remote is relatively easy, you can pair it with the PlayStation 4 just like any other Bluetooth controller and it only takes a moment to get through that process. One paired, the controller works just like any other remote and the added benefit of the PlayStation 4 features running via Bluetooth, is that you don’t have to point the control directly at the console in order for it to operate.

The ergonomics are really nice and comfortable, the remote fits nicely in the palm of your hand and it has a nice weight to it too. It does seem a little long at first, but given that you’ll spend 99% of the time just using the direction keys and the enter button, I never found it unwieldy at all. The buttons are soft touch rubber membrane switches, so they’re perfectly silent; no fear of bugging people with tapping sounds while watching movies.

Setting up the IR function of the remote is a little trickier, as it requires programming, but you can grab the remote codes for most devices easily enough with a quick Google. Once set up, you can use this remote to control your TV, surround sound, cable box and so much more. The remote is region specific, though, so be sure to buy the right model and not an import, or you may lose some of this functionality.

Switching between multiple devices is easily done, and it saves a lot of effort fishing around for multiple remotes to control your home entertainment setup. At the same time, this saves you from having several next to you on the couch at all times, one remote is obviously easier to manage.

Other than that, there’s not really a lot to say about the remote. It has all the features you’ll need and no doubt more buttons than most people will ever press. It ran through all our devices with ease and support for the controller on the various multimedia apps on the PlayStation 4 is very high, as we encountered no issues whatsoever.