Posted this in Discord but not the right vehicle for threads/discussions on certain topics. Curious to hear initial impressions from folks who have the R2 and just now received the R3.
It was super easy for me to add a few new docks, restore the R3 from backup, and then simply remap a few buttons. Up and running in no time. So I’ve been playing around with the R3 for a few days now and here a few early thoughts:
I like the form factor of the R3, its noticeably thinner and lighter than the R2. May just be a newness thing but i kind of like it better.
The different button layout definitely will take some getting used to compared to the R2. For example, the bottom left button on the R3 is Reverse vs. Mute on the R2. Leads to a lot of miss hits.
The screen on the R3 seems a bit more responsive to swipes and presses
Not that big of deal losing the red/green/blue/yellow color buttons around the trackpad selector in the middle of the R2. Was easy to remap those to buttons on the R3 I wouldn’t use otherwise
The R3 screen looks great but, at night in a darker room, you can definitely tell the difference from the OLED in the R2. There is no comparison.
Definitely missing the Keep WiFi connected option of the R2. Typically takes my R3 a few seconds to reconnect every time I pick it up after it’s been idle for a short period of time. Not a deal breaker but definitely annoying. Will prob go back to the R2 as the daily driver in the main room until a software update bringing that option to the R3.
I hate to say it, but I actually think I like R2 better. The R3 is a little bit shorter and a little bit narrowed, but the screen is smaller on the R3, by the depth of the first row of buttons.
The “D pad” is considerably bigger on the R3, which is nice, and although it’s missing the colour buttons I don’t think that’s a major loss. There are actually the same number of buttons on both remotes. But…the buttons on the R2 feel better and I think they look better with the curves and contours which are missing on the R3 buttons (although other than the D pad they do have indentations).
I dunno. Might just be a case of liking what I’ve gotten used to, and the R3 will improve with actual use.
That said, given the number of if issues being reported currently, and the fact my R2 is working exactly the way I need it to, I might just hold off actually setting the R3 up until there’s been a couple of firmware updates.
Still, it’s nice to have the product in hand. Might be a bit later than originally envisaged, but I’m actually impressed that UC have managed to produce a new iteration which should have more features and better IR range for those who need that, at a considerably reduced price compared to R2. And I’m certain that firmware upgrades should sort out the issues cropping up.
I can confirm the mentioned points. The form factor of the R3 is slightly better than the R2 which often tends to slide out of the hand. The additional menu, stop and record buttons are very useful and an improvement. But that are the only advantages for me. I don’t like the LCD screen of the R3, which is nearly grey if you compare directly with the OLED screen of the R2. It seems to be ok as long as you hold it diretly in front of you, but if you look at it from the side it’s only grey. I prefer also the 8-way R2 D-Pad with the coloured buttons of the R2. I can also confirm the mentioned WiFi problems of the R3 too. Initial setup was nearly possible due to not found wifi adapter, but now it’s working stable. Beside the haptic points that go to R3 I think that R2 is the better remote. Furthermore R2 dock learns IR codes without problems where R3 dock refuses to learn the command.
Learning IR codes mostly worked for me but not always. The WiFi problems can also connected to the used WiFi infrasctructure. With R2 I never had WiFi Problems.
What OS version does the R3 ship with btw? I really hoped we would finally get a (non-beta) release again for the R2 after >1 year of silence once the R3 ships, but looks like I was wrong…
Don’t have the R2 (missed the kickstarter) but i did own a lot of universal remotes
Started in 1998 with a Harman Kardon TC1000 (made by Microsoft). A huge bulky device with lcd touchscreen and very limited ir range.
The remote that came with my Harman Kardon AVR65 receiver never properly learned other ir codes. Same with the remote from my current NAD t778 receiver.
Had a Philips Prestigo for a while, followed by a Seven hugs which was bricked after the company was sold. (Philips hue control was awesome on that thing) Then a Sofa batton and now the R3.
I can definitely say the R3 feels the best and setup was quite easy. The default ir code sets for my NAD receiver and JVC projector are the most extensive i’ve seen in any of my previous remotes.
So the webconfigurator needs a reboot to get it to connect or the apple tv integration needs a second to reconnect when you pick up the remote; all minor niggles that surely will be improved upon via software updates.
The dock doesn’t charge which is a real problem but i read in another topic that a software patch is in the works, luckily it does charge wirelessly
Would have kept the colour buttons though, if you use a settopbox those buttons are quite handy. Don’t have one myself but my panasonic bluray player does use those buttons for menu shortcuts.
I’m very impressed that such a small team has produced this remote.
I have never had the R2. In the past (at least since 15 years) I used several Logitech remotes and currently the Harmony one with hub.
I really like the web configurator. Learning individual IR codes is much quicker and works properly for me. I admit, I’m not very far in the set up process, so not sure about the problems ahead, but so far the unstable wifi connection is the only real problem for me.
What I really do not like, are the buttons around the cuser/navigation buttons, so vol. and prog. up and down. They are not really easy to feel in darker rooms. I never had the R2 in my hands, but there it looks better. I think this and the LCD display are cost driven.
I hope, my first positive impression will be confirmed in the future.
My R2 has color buttons but I do not use them because the place proved to be problematic if you control the remote without looking. I often hit the dpad instead of the colors and vice versa. Easy solution put them in the last row on the display:
