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There’s not really much that can be said about a remote control, especially one that’s so basic, stylish and works so bloody well.

Giotek’s Micro Media Remote for the PS3 is pretty much perfect. If you’re the type who simply wants a cool looking remote control to replace the need for a pad while playing media from the PS3, rather than a universal remote capable of simultaneously tuning your stereo, TV, Sky box and ass-scratching robot, this is an astute purchase.

The Giotek remote doesn’t claim to have more bells and whistles than a remote really needs, nor does it pretend too. Instead, it packs a glossy design that perfectly matches the Playstation 3’s looks – more so the original than the new, uglier (well, in our opinion anyway) slimline version – and is so easy to use that your grandma could have it functioning for you while you take your obligatory pre-movie leak.

The packaging, as with all the Giotek products we’ve come across, is really impressive. It might not seem like much, but the packaging of their products always gives off that healthy first impression of care and consideration, housing the components, which in this case is a remote and a USB receiver, in modest, professional boxing.
The required single battery is included, so a quick read of the instructions, or a dollop of common sense, is all that’s needed to have the remote synced with your Ps3 and ready to use. Simply pop the USB receiver into the front of your Ps3 and it’ll be ready to go. It’ll probably register itself as player 1, ahead of your game pads, so you’ll need to reconfigure this with a quick visit to the controller settings tab of your Ps3 if you intend on keeping it plugged in all of the time. Probably best to send grandma off to make you some popcorn for that part – you know what they’re like with electronics..

After that, you’re ready to use the remote and it’s basic functionality. Giotek’s last PS3 remote effort, the somewhat fancier BD-01 Remote, was released to a lot of negative consumer feedback, despite the light-up display and slide-out numbers. Many thought it was flimsy and too prone to breakage – not so with this Micro Media offering.
This remote only contains 2 circles of four buttons, with a simple “can’t miss me” button in the middle. The four inner quadrants on the remote allow you to navigate menus, while the four outer quadrants control the skipping of scenes (left and right buttons), options (down) and menu (up), with the middle acting as your OK/Enter button. Simples.

It’d be nice to see a bigger version of the remote released, one with numbers and other DVD related functions (zoom, subtitles, scene selection) with their own buttons instead of having to bring up the playstation’s options menu every time, but we get the feeling this was released as a simple, stronger feeling option for those who weren’t convinced by the BD-01 Remote.

For the measly retail price of £9 (Amazon), and the fact it just looks so damn good on your coffee table and/or next to your console, this is about as good as it gets.