Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote asin: B00119T6NQ

Got a shit-ton of remotes on your coffee table? Are you the only one that is able to control your sick gaming setup? It's time for a Harmony.

Last weekend I got fed up with my old Xbox360 Harmony remote. It had served me well for about two years but it was on the fritz. It may have something to do with the vodka I spilled on it and my $200 diNovo Edge Keyboard. Yeah, that one hurt.

Anyway, I went to BestBuy and picked up the recently-announced-at-CES Harmony One. A sleek, black, ergonomic remote that has a beautiful color touch screen. It ran about $250, which may seem like a lot for a remote, but in reality a small price to pay to effortlessly command even the most difficult and convoluted setup.

For those of you not familiar with Harmony, here's how it works in a nutshell.
1. Install Harmony software on your PC
2. Hook up remote via USB
3. Tell the software all about your TV, receiver, consoles and cable boxes.
4. Download the config to the remote
5. Presto. Everything is controlled with one button press.

As with all Harmony remotes, there are caveats to consider. If you have obscure equipment or your equipment has some wonky IR commands (like my DLP does) there may be some (read: hours) of fine-tuning you'll have to do. My biggest gripe is that it cannot control Bluetooth™ devices like the PS3 (which is always Folding@home anyway) and the Wii. So I still have to get my lazy ass off of the couch to turn a few of my devices on manually. Someday there will be a Bluetooth™ Harmony... there's got to be... Someday... Also, as with anything black and shiny (like the PS3) touching it while eating Cheetos® is never a good idea, and I'll have to be extra careful with the vodka from now on.

That said, I love my new Harmony One. It turns itself on everytime I pick it up (the motion sensor is awesome) and it's RECHARGEABLE! Yes. No more batteries as it comes with its own shiny charging dock. Highly recommended, you can snag this baby at Amazon by clicking the link above.