Boxee Box Remote - Centered Play\Pause side ???

[dslate69]

Why would anyone design the Play\Pause side of the controller to have it's buttons centered? Moving them more to the top of the controller is a no-brainer. This is why every other controller leaves the bottom half for buttons rarely used as it is not as comfortable to hold and thumb press.

Just wanted to get that off my chest. And Back-Lit would be nice too in a stand alone option.

[saifrc]

I'd be inclined to agree -- I didn't think about it until now, but now that you mention it, it would have been more comfortable if the play/pause, d-pad and menu buttons were closer to the top. It would also make it slightly easier to instantly recognize which way is up on the remote.

On the other hand, playing around with it, I think it's smart that they put the buttons in the center. When you use the remote in keyboard mode, it would be impossible not to hit the buttons on the play/pause side with your left hand while typing. By centering the controls, your fingers have a free (and safe) place to rest, while you type with your thumbs.

Of course, you could also wedge the remote between your hands in such a way that the fingers don't touch the other side, but I don't think that occurs to most people. By centering the controls on the front, they make it less likely that anyone will accidentally hit a button on the front while they type on the back.

Of course, I did one accidentally hit the front-side menu button while trying to type, so I guess the design isn't perfect. It's a good compromise, though.

[dslate69]

I am not talking about moving them to the very edge, just about an inch.
The keyboard side has plenty of space on either side of the keyboard itself. That is all the space you would need to hold the remote without hitting play\pause.
I don't have small hands and if I stop and look underneath where my fingers are, they aren't close to touching any buttons.

I just think it is an odd choice for the side of the remote we will ALL be using MOST of the time. Also the / instead of \ on a easily accessible button is odd to me as well. But what do I know.

[flynn]

I agree with both of you. They should be offset, so I can stop using the remote backwards. But they shouldn't be offset so that typing becomes harder than it already is.

For now I'm using the protruding boxee logo to help me pick up the remote properly.