Skip to main content

Give your smartphone a breather and play with Ray’s Super Remote instead

give phone breather play rays super remote instead
Image used with permission by copyright holder
There are all sorts of futuristic universal remotes on the market these days, but many are tied into your phone, spread across multiple components, or part of some ambitious crowdfunding effort. The new Ray Super Remote is none of those things, offering multifaceted control of your home theater in a sleek design that looks and feels like a smartphone, but doesn’t tie up its precious resources.

The interface for the Super Remote is setup a lot like your handy-dandy smartphone, offering a low-friction touchscreen so you can easily see what’s available, tactile keys on the side for volume and mute, and even a sleep/wake button. The remote links to your Wi-Fi network to enable easy setup, and utilizes Bluetooth 4.0 and IR (infrared) to work with devices both old and new.

Related: Looking for god-like control of your home? Meet Neeo

To make live TV easier to navigate, the Ray remote can pull up your local programming information for whatever service you use, allowing for search by channel or by specific content via the pop-up keypad. And proving it has more smarts than your average clicker, the device is designed to learn what you like over time, allowing you to ask it questions, like when your favorite show is coming on. If you love comedy or drama, tell the system and it will adjust your program guide accordingly,  monitor your watching habits, and allow for up or down voting on content.

Ray-Super-Remote-002
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ray Enterprises claims its Super Remote works with over 1,200 brands and 200,000 devices, but more importantly the remote is setup to learn IR remote codes so you can program it to control all your old school gear in addition to more modern equipment like Apple TVs, Rokus, and even Xbox. One of the biggest frustrations we’ve had with these devices is their inability to control our less common components — after all, what’s the point of a universal remote if it isn’t, you know, universal? As such, we’re hoping the device can live up to its “Super” moniker here.

While Ray frustratingly does not offer an estimated battery life, the device does come with a 2,550mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery. As a comparison, the iPhone 6 has an 1,810mAh battery, so the Ray should have plenty of juice for day-long use. Other specs include a dual-core ARM processor with 8GB of Flash storage and 1GB of RAM, seven transmitting LEDs, and a 1120 x 480 pixel resolution screen, all encased in an aluminum frame. The device also comes with USB charging cables and a charging stand.

The price for all that universal control isn’t cheap — the Ray Super Remote runs $200 right now. Still, if you’re looking for a serious upgrade for wireless autonomy over your entire home theater setup, this little silver beauty might just be for you. You can pre-order Ray’s Super Remote now, with delivery slated for “late Spring.”

This post originally appeared on our brother site, Digital Trends.

Ryan Waniata
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Waniata is an audio engineer, musician, composer, and all-around lover of all things tech, audio, and cinema. Hailing…
Is ‘Family Guy’ on Disney Plus in 2023?
Get the scoop on streaming 'Family Guy'
The Disney Plus sign-up menu is displayed

Whether you can watch Family Guy online via Disney Plus depends on what part of the world you call home. Simply put, Family Guy is available on Disney Plus in some areas, but not all. Why? Well, not all streaming services possess the rights to the popular animated comedy, but that's all changing as we speak.

In short, Family Guy is only available on Disney Plus if you live in one of the countries where Star is included in your Disney Plus subscription. That means countries like the U.K., Australia, and Canada have Family Guy on Disney Plus, but the U.S. misses out.

Read more
The 10 best Timothee Chalamet movies ever, ranked
He's definitely been in some incredible films
Timothee Chalamet in Call Me By Your Name.

 

During a time when Hollywood has tried to grasp onto older stars like Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise, other young men from a new generation have attempted to carve out their path to stardom and take the movie world by storm. In this regard, not many male actors working today have experienced the success of Timothée Chalamet. With a boyish grin and a sculpted jawline, Chalamet's raw charisma allows him to play characters in a variety of genres, from wounded teenagers in LGBTQ+ dramas to heroic protagonists in sci-fi flicks. Still under 30 years old, Chalamet's career is just getting started, but he already has a grand portfolio of award-winning performances. These are the 10 best Timothée Chalamet movies ever, ranked.

Read more
Your weekend watch list for September 23-24: The Supermodels, The Continental & more
Looking for new movies to stream and new shows to watch? We've got you covered
The cast of The Continental: From the World of John Wick.

With every new weekend comes new opportunities to catch up on the latest streaming options across movies, TV, and sports. There's always plenty on at home, and in the midst of the end-of-summer heat, home might be the best place to be. Here are our picks for the best new shows, movies, and sports to check out over the coming weekend:

Best new shows to watch
What to watch on Netflix

Read more