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OtinG · 06-11-2021, 04:36 PM

I received my ATV Siri 2nd gen Remote today.

Over all I have to say it is a major improvement over the 1st gen remote!

I find it is large enough to use even with my arthritic hand. It is about 3/8 inch thick and the surface area is metal but not that slippery. The 1st gen was like a sliver of a wet bar of soap and too thin. I definitely had to get a neoprene cover for the 1st gen remote, and it was still difficult to hold and use. I can use the 2nd gen remote right out of box, but it still needs a bit of help from a case to make it feel really comfortable. I have bad arthritis so need a thicker remote, but I suspect the 2nd gen remote is thick enough for most people.

The 2nd gen remote has new and welcomed buttons. They added a much needed Mute button.

They also added a new set of direction buttons in a circular configuration with Up, Down, Left, and Right arrows. It resembles the old iPods. You can also run your thumb around the perimeter of the circle and scroll through lists fairly quickly. There is still a trackpad but it is much smaller and is located in the center of the new circular direction buttons configuration. You can turn off the tracking feature and just use it as a selection button which you press, or you can adjust the tracking between Slow, Medium, and Fast. The trackpad actually works pretty well. Perhaps because it is smaller and less likely to be accidentally engaged, I don’t find myself accidently scrolling through things like I did on the 1st gen remote. I chose to leave trackpad feature turned On and set to Medium. I must say that the 4 direction buttons plus circular scroller plus trackpad all work extremely well and make navigation much easier and certainly more accurate than on the 1st gen remote.

They moved the Mic button to the right side (edge). I’m left handed, so that makes it less likely to accidentally press it for me. Right handed people will need to watch where they put their thumb though.

They changed the Menu button from the 1st gen remote to a back arrow (Back) button. Functionality is the same as the Menu button had been because it mostly just functioned as a Back button.

Everything else operates the same as it did on the 1st gen remote.

I will say it was worth the $59 to upgrade, especially once you consider that Apple still sells the 1st gen remote for $49. The remote took about 5 seconds to set up, literally! Just place the remote within 3 or 4 inches of your ATV then press and hold the Back button and + button until a message appears saying the remote is set up with your ATV. Really easy and quick to do. And it automatically worked with my TV without having to do anything. Just press and hold the Power button on the 2nd gen remote and the TV, soundbase, and ATV all turn On/Off. Since 90% of what I watch on TV is via my ATV, the new 2nd gen remote now becomes my primary remote.

My Improvised Cover/Case
Unfortunately, there are no covers/cases in stock for the 2nd gen remote. All the ones I found on Amazon had delivery dates of several weeks, which means they probably ship directly from China. I might get one once they are in stock in the US, but I don’t like having to get them all the way from China. So I improvised my own solution. See attached photos.

I had a few 6” x 6” neoprene rubber/foam mats with adhesive backing. These are non-slip, so I cut a strip out of one in the size and shape of the back of the 2nd gen remote and stuck onto it. This added about 1/4 inch of thickness bringing the total thickness of the remote to just over 5/8 inch and added a non-slip surface to the back side as well as a bit of padding. I’m not sure how long the material will stay attached, but it is really well attached at the moment. This makes the 2nd gen remote very comfortable in my hand, and I can easily work all the buttons and mini trackpad. I have bad arthritis so that is why I need a bulkier non-slippery remote. My improvised solution was certainly inexpensive and easy to make and seems to work very well.

06-11-2021, 04:36 PM	#1
OtinG Old Gadget Guy Posts: 1,913 Karma: 6854865 Join Date: Jun 2018 Device: Oasis 3, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPad mini 6, iPad Air 2020, Alexa Devices	Quick review of ATV Siri 2nd gen Remote I received my ATV Siri 2nd gen Remote today. Over all I have to say it is a major improvement over the 1st gen remote! I find it is large enough to use even with my arthritic hand. It is about 3/8 inch thick and the surface area is metal but not that slippery. The 1st gen was like a sliver of a wet bar of soap and too thin. I definitely had to get a neoprene cover for the 1st gen remote, and it was still difficult to hold and use. I can use the 2nd gen remote right out of box, but it still needs a bit of help from a case to make it feel really comfortable. I have bad arthritis so need a thicker remote, but I suspect the 2nd gen remote is thick enough for most people. The 2nd gen remote has new and welcomed buttons. They added a much needed Mute button. They also added a new set of direction buttons in a circular configuration with Up, Down, Left, and Right arrows. It resembles the old iPods. You can also run your thumb around the perimeter of the circle and scroll through lists fairly quickly. There is still a trackpad but it is much smaller and is located in the center of the new circular direction buttons configuration. You can turn off the tracking feature and just use it as a selection button which you press, or you can adjust the tracking between Slow, Medium, and Fast. The trackpad actually works pretty well. Perhaps because it is smaller and less likely to be accidentally engaged, I don’t find myself accidently scrolling through things like I did on the 1st gen remote. I chose to leave trackpad feature turned On and set to Medium. I must say that the 4 direction buttons plus circular scroller plus trackpad all work extremely well and make navigation much easier and certainly more accurate than on the 1st gen remote. They moved the Mic button to the right side (edge). I’m left handed, so that makes it less likely to accidentally press it for me. Right handed people will need to watch where they put their thumb though. They changed the Menu button from the 1st gen remote to a back arrow (Back) button. Functionality is the same as the Menu button had been because it mostly just functioned as a Back button. Everything else operates the same as it did on the 1st gen remote. I will say it was worth the $59 to upgrade, especially once you consider that Apple still sells the 1st gen remote for $49. The remote took about 5 seconds to set up, literally! Just place the remote within 3 or 4 inches of your ATV then press and hold the Back button and + button until a message appears saying the remote is set up with your ATV. Really easy and quick to do. And it automatically worked with my TV without having to do anything. Just press and hold the Power button on the 2nd gen remote and the TV, soundbase, and ATV all turn On/Off. Since 90% of what I watch on TV is via my ATV, the new 2nd gen remote now becomes my primary remote. My Improvised Cover/Case Unfortunately, there are no covers/cases in stock for the 2nd gen remote. All the ones I found on Amazon had delivery dates of several weeks, which means they probably ship directly from China. I might get one once they are in stock in the US, but I don’t like having to get them all the way from China. So I improvised my own solution. See attached photos. I had a few 6” x 6” neoprene rubber/foam mats with adhesive backing. These are non-slip, so I cut a strip out of one in the size and shape of the back of the 2nd gen remote and stuck onto it. This added about 1/4 inch of thickness bringing the total thickness of the remote to just over 5/8 inch and added a non-slip surface to the back side as well as a bit of padding. I’m not sure how long the material will stay attached, but it is really well attached at the moment. This makes the 2nd gen remote very comfortable in my hand, and I can easily work all the buttons and mini trackpad. I have bad arthritis so that is why I need a bulkier non-slippery remote. My improvised solution was certainly inexpensive and easy to make and seems to work very well. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by OtinG; 06-11-2021 at 04:45 PM.