Logitech Harmony Adapter for Playstation 3 -- official, real, and in our hands
By Steven Kim 
posted May 12th 2009 4:00AM
posted May 12th 2009 4:00AM
Setup
First off, if you want to control your PS3 with anything but a Harmony remote, then you'll need to explore other options (at least for now); the Harmony adapter only works with, you guessed it, Harmony remotes. If you're still onboard, then you'll need to breeze through a setup that includes pairing the adapter with the PS3 and then adding a PlayStation 3 device to your setup using the Logitech Harmony Remote app. We hit one small hassle -- if you already have a PS3 in your device list, you must remove and then re-add it to get the IR codes that the adapter will be listening for. If you've ever set up a Harmony remote before, the whole procedure should be a walk in the park; we had a "Watch Blu-ray" activity set up in about 10 minutes.
In use
We've only performed a basic setup of the Harmony adapter so far, and if our past experience is any indication, we'll need to do a little fine tuning to get everything really dialed in "just so." But we can say this -- the Harmony adapter delivers on its promise of getting our IR Harmony remote and our Bluetooth PS3 on speaking terms, and that's a good thing. We ran through a quick test that included:
- Powering up the PS3 (also the display and receiver) from standby using the "Watch Blu-ray" activity
- Navigating the XMB interface
- Starting a Blu-ray movie
- Navigating the Blu-ray menus
- Playhead control of the PS3 (pause, stop, fast forward, reverse, previous, next, etc.)
- Ejecting the Blu-ray disc
- Putting our system back into standby mode by turning off the "Watch Blu-ray" activity
Summary
It's too early for us to give our final impressions of the Harmony adapter, but we'll have more to report after we wring it out for a few days. Until then, feel free to peruse the official fact sheet and our photos below. If you've still got questions, leave them in the comments or follow the read link to a Q&A section on the Logitech blog.
Announcement Date: May 12, 2009
Shipping: May 2009
Price: $59.99
Available at: www.logitech.com
Product Overview
Many people use the PS3 to play DVDs and Blu-Ray Disc™ movies, and are looking for a universal remote that can control their PS3. The Logitech Harmony Adapter for PLAYSTATION3 takes an infrared (IR) signal from your Harmony remote, and transmits a Bluetooth™ wireless signal to command the PS3 – so you can use a single remote to control your entire setup.
Key Features
- Works with all Logitech Harmony remotes to control the PS3 just as it would any other AV component (cable box, TV, DVR, etc.). It is not designed for use with other remote controls.
- Supports all 51 PLAYSTATION3 commands so you can control the XrossMediaBar (XMB), DVD and Blu-Ray Disc movies, and all other console functions, including power on and off. Also includes a power-off macro that allows you to turn off the PS3, along with your entire entertainment system, with the press of a single button.
- Wireless link does not use PLAYSTATION3 USB ports, so they remain available for other controllers.
- Guided online setup walks you through the process of configuring the Harmony remote for your PLAYSTATION3.
- Always-on AC power means the adapter is always ready for input.
System Requirements
- Logitech Harmony remote
- PLAYSTATION3
- Windows® and Mac® compatible
Product Specifications
- Dimensions (L x W x H): 99.4 x 65.6 x 18.5 millimeters
- Weight: 49.5 grams
Warranty
- 1-year limited warranty
meh.
I'll say. That's about half of what my harmony cost to begin with and since then I've already picked up the official Sony remote for $20. Anything more than $20 for this is too much. PASS.
IR adapters that can do on/off with the PS3 seems to run $70+ in the current market. If you want to consolidate your remotes, this is probably going to be the cheapest solution.
It's about goddamn time! That's one of the many things I HATED about the PS3 before I sold it.
I love my Harmony, when you have a very complex system it makes it possible for anyone to use it. I absolutely hate the PS3 remote. It's not backlit so it's near impossible to use in a dark home theater. This will be great. I just wish it wasn't $60. That is $60 for something the Xbox 360 has built in. Kind of ridiculous.
The controllers already a good enough remote...
Maybe, just maybe if it were $20 I'd buy it used someday. $60 is a joke. The PS3 controller is fine.
It can't come fast enough. The Sony bluetooth remote is OK, but placing the Stop key in between the Play and Pause buttons is crazy. Especially if you press stop in the middle of a movie, and you are forced to navigate through all the warnings, pre-show trailers and menus just to get playing again.
Just go to scene selection to avoid all those warnings.
@Monkey with glasses: Sometimes you can't just go to the menu. Disney movies are notorious for disabling the menu button. Best case scenario with most Disney movies is that you can hit next chapter to skip each one individually.
Everytime I stop a DVD the PS3 will automatically resume where I left off. Ive never had to skip all the way back to where I was. Those Disney movies probably have the popup menu that you can access during playback to skip chapters btw.
I can see where the AC adapter is plugged in (the green jack), but what is the other one for? A remote IR receiver for install use?
I was wondering the same thing. I am hoping this is what it is so I can integrate it with my IR distribution.
This just makes me that much more happier that I bought a bt2ir. I paid $55 and have had all this functionality for over a year.
Damn Sony for actually making me HAPPY that I had to spend that much money in order to use my remote with their product though.
err...ir2bt I mean. I knew something looked wrong with that post.
Wow, spamz.
How pleasent of you.
:-/
Amazon says it'll have it in my hands come thursday, so it looks like stores already have them now. I'm excited!
Jeez. considering this is a minor convenience requiring a big (enough) piece of harware, it'd be kinda cool at $20. For the price of a game, I'd rather buy another game. Or 3 more blu-rays.
I'd probably pay $200 for this thing if I had to. The only other reasonable alternative is to buy a separate blu-ray player, because not working with my remote makes my PS3's main function (playing movies) hugely annoying to use.
Grrr I live in france and I can't order the adapter from amazon in the states ... not cool ... :(
As usual, I'll have to wait ...
$59 is way to steep for a device that only works with the harmony...
This should have been usb powered, I really don't want to have to find somewhere to plugin another ac adaptor just to use a remote control! They could have built a hub in if they were worried about taking up a USB port.
The reason why it isn't USB powered is because you wouldn't be able to turn the system on. While the PS3 is powered off, it's not sending any power to its USB ports, so the thing wouldn't work.
@chefgon_ign
That's true, but it should still have a USB power option. I have the IR2BT and you can power it with either batteries or USB. I have a cable box DVR that has a USB port on the back and since it is always on I use it to power the IR2BT. I'd imagine that a log of people have devices with USB ports in their entertainment centers. Or, if not, you could still buy one of the many cheap AC-to-USB power plugs around these days.
Absolutely ridiculous that one of the world's most popular movie playing devices isn't compatible with freaking UNIVERSAL REMOTES. How hard would it have been to just put an IR window on the front of the thing? Would have been a lot more useful than those stupid memory stick ports that I've never used. This lack of IR has been my number one biggest annoyance with the system since day one.
Chicken or Egg. Personally, I'd love to see all devices go bluetooth for their remotes. It would solve so many line of site, macro delay, and many other downfalls there are to iR ports for controllers. Now, should they have included both iR and BT? Maybe, but how does that help phase out the antiquated iR technology? Logitech should have went the other route and put BT in the next harmony and encouraged more manufacturers to follow.
@Andir3.0
"Now, should they have included both iR and BT? Maybe, but how does that help phase out the antiquated iR technology?"
If Logitech had released a harmony with built in bluetooth, we might see some attempts to move from iR (or RF) to bluetooth but they didn't do that; they released this product.
The ps3 was never intended to "phase out iR". It can't do it on its own. Where are the BT TVs, receivers, other CE equipment? I've seen RF support. Not bluetooth.
Yeah why has bluetooth not caught on for remotes. It is such a great fit. Most Sony Ericsson mobiles have a bluetooth profile built-in that lets you control the PS3 too. I feel your pain on IR though - it should have been in the PS3.
I hope this IR unit from Logitech works on PC too :) USB devices that work on PS3 AND PC ftw.
Will it work with the Wii too?
Or you could just buy the official sony remote :|
Kinda missed the point, didn't you?
This is for people who want a one-remote solution.
Any thoughts if this is coming out now to support some sort of IR motion control scheme from PS3? When I saw Blutooth to IR....mixed with rumors of Wii like controller on the way at E3 for PS3....my brain tingled a bit.
Damn you Logitech...freakin' $60 for a $20 component.
I bitch about the price, but you knew I'd buy it anyways.
...urgle.
Never ceases to amaze me.. and yet, I too will fall for the trap
ugh, $60, I'll get it anyways though. I don't mind having the sony remote, but it not being backlight really chaps my ass. Who thought a black remote and black buttons and no backlight was a good idea, especially since 99% of the time its in a dark room. Brilliant.
Maybe it'll be cheaper on a few sites.
I'll wait 'till it goes down in price, which in inevitably will. I'm really glad this is at least an option
I was going along with it until the price. 60 bucks for this? How could it cost that much? I love my Harmony and ended up buying a PS3 remote for $10 when I saw it on sale somewhere. I'd gladly pay around $20 to get my PS3 to work with my Harmony, but $60 is just a damn cash-grab on Logitech's part. The official remote only costs $20 and does a lot more than this little adapter.
call me back when it's less than $40. Even though this would complete my system.
Agreed $60 is BS. I guess they figured if you throw away $250 on a harmony then $60 is nothing but I bought mine on clearance with a rebate for $80. makes it a lot harder to throw away $60 just for this piece.
Finally, the other thing I hate about the Sony Official remote is that it's not backlit, so I have to fumble around to figure out what button to press. I'm headed to Amazon right now.
I'll stick with my Nyko that I paid $10 for.... My Harmony is already programmed with it and it does everything I need. I have to put a movie in the PS3 anyway, so turning it on by hand isn't an issue. If this thing hits $20 then call me, otherwise, it's a waste of money.....
I have the $20 USB IR thingy and it works for the most part (google PS3IRX1). But it meant leaving the PS3 on all the time. For me, that is not a big issue since after twenty minutes, the PS3 will switch to 'Life with PlayStation' and contribute to the Stanford University's Folding@home distributed computing network.
Despite this, I plan to get this because there is no button on the harmony to get me OUT of 'Life with PlayStation'
I don't know what all the complaints from people are about the price. The other options that have the same control, like the ir2bt are at least $90. There are less expensive options like Nyko Blue Wave or the Sony Remote, but some people want to only have 1 remote and for those people $60 is the most reasonably priced alternative.
I don't understand either. I quick Google Shopping search shows two adapters that convert IR-to-BT. One @ $80; the other at $150. It's great that some people got in on the $55 irbt, but that device isn't made anymore now that the outfit that made the device switched to a manufacturer with more CE experience and not making them out of some guys house. And jury-rigging a $20 IR remote is just stupid. I'll take this $60 solution from Harmony anyday. In fact, I already did... it will be delivered from Amazon on Thursday.
For $15 you can get the Blue Wave, which comes w/ a small IR remote and USB dongle. Simply program your Harmony to send the IR codes to the USB dongle and you're done. It can't control power, so its not a perfect solution, but at $15 it does almost everything cleanly (the power thing bothers me a bit, but I'm getting up to put a new disk in anyway most times at startup...)
...and there's always the option of powering DOWN from the XMB.
I've got a Harmony. I like it. Really, I do. It sets up my home theater for whatever I want to do. That's the point of it.
When it comes to using my consoles, I keep their controllers on charge stands near where I am sitting. Why? Because the current generation of consoles feature power on capabilities through the controllers that come with them.
I also prefer the feel of the buttons on the PS3 Blu-Ray remote, which I spent $20 on a couple of years ago. They're actually buttons. The Harmony's nubs don't provide enough feedback quickly enough for me when I'm watching a DVD. Also, have you noticed that when you switch over to a Harmony remote you lose a fair amount of abilities that the remote your device came bundled with had? If I want to change any cable box settings or picture settings on my TV, I'm still pulling out the other 6 remotes and spending 20 minutes fiddling.
The Harmony remotes are a nice convenience for setting up your system. After the initial setup, they fail, in my opinion. I'd like to see a bluetooth / IR Harmony in the future with some expanded control depth so that I can have a truly universal remote.
Harmony remotes can duplicate EVERY button on your other remotes. I have no idea what you're reading for other remotes for. The only problem using Harmony remotes for "esoteric" buttons is that the order of the buttons is random and frustrating. Luckily, you can easily solve that by rearranging the soft button orders in the Harmony software.
I haven't had to pull out any remotes other than my Harmony in over a year, and I have quite a few components hooked up. Even fine tweaking on my receiver and TV can be done with the Harmony.
Do you have a harmony one? Because mine has every feature imaginable and all the hard buttons i have ever asked for. I have owned the pronto's and the home theater master's as well and they do not compare.
Or course I have the XBOX, so no 60 bucks for me!
$60? Absurd. I was expecting $15 tops.
I'll just be buying a separate player for $200 at this point. The built-in DTS-HD on the PS3 is crap anyways.