The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S still have IR receivers, will work with Xbox One Media Remotes

The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are undoubtedly impressive next-gen gaming machines, but Microsoft's newfound focus on power and pure gaming led to some concessions in other areas, notably the omission of an IR receiver, and HDMI In and Optical ports. This makes the Xbox Series X and S amazing for gaming, but less capable as all-around entertainment centers. Larry Hyrb, also known as Major Nelson, took to Twitter today to reveal a very sneaky piece of Xbox Series X and S design information that shows not all of those axed features... are actually gone.

As it turns out, both the Xbox Series X and S still have IR receivers, meaning they're still fully backwards compatible with the best Xbox One Media Remotes for easy and powerful media controls. The Xbox design team very cleverly hid the IR receiver behind the Bind button present on all Xbox consoles for pairing with wireless accessories, leading to many people believing at first that the feature was flat out missing. Instead, we still get to enjoy the benefits of an IR receiver, as well as a cleaner and more attractive look for the Xbox Series X and S. However, the IR Blaster has been well and truly removed, meaning that you'll have to rely on HDMI-CEC to send signals from your Xbox to your TV. Most modern TVs support HDMI-CEC, but some older sets may not.

If you still intend on using your Xbox Series X or S as the hub for all your entertainment needs, an Xbox One Media Remote is a fantastic investment, with the best of them being none other than the PDP Talon Media Remote, by far the most superior option around, and at a surprisingly fantastic price.