You Can Now Switch TV Inputs With Your Xbox Controller

Technology is great, but having too much of it can be a real downside. For instance, if you have to switch your TV's input to your gaming console, you have to find your TV remote to do it (or, heaven forbid, press a button on your TV). Starting today, Xbox Series X|S owners can bypass that problem by simply using their impossible-to-lose-between-couch-cushions gamepad.

Announced by Xbox's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb, the feature is part of Consumer Electronics Control, or CEC. Essentially, consoles that use this feature can send commands to other devices, usually TVs, through their controllers. CEC has been on Xbox consoles for some time, but starting today users can switch their TV's input with their controller. The same feature has been present on PlayStation 5 consoles for some time.

As long as the TV connected to an Xbox Series console supports CEC, players can use their Xbox controller to switch inputs. All they have to do is find the TV & A/V Power options menu in their console's settings. From there, users can turn on HDMI-CEC and choose which commands their console can give their TV.

Along with being able to switch TV inputs using their controller, users can have their console change a device's volume or turn other devices on or off.

Xbox consoles have gotten a number of improvements recently, including some quality of life changes for Quick Resume. Thanks to last month's Xbox update, Xbox Series X|S users can now pin games to Quick Resume, letting them have a handful of titles that are always available in a near-instant.