I picked up a fancy, schmancy Sony PS3 Blu-ray remote yesterday and put it through its paces.

Opening up the nearly-impossible-to-open blister pack, I was treated to the remote itself, an instruction manual and 2 Sony branded AA batteries (I hope they don't explode on me!). The remote itself is a bit on the light side of things as far as weightiness goes. In the appearance department, the remote is a nice match with the PS3 itself. Pictures of the remote don't do it enough justice. What looks like a bland 90s ****Sony remote in publicity shots has a much more elegant and sleek profile in reality. Like the PS3 itself, the remote has a very glossy top surface that I wasn't expecting.

All of the buttons you would expect are accounted for (except a dedicated power button -- though you'll use the PS button in the middle of the remote to power up and power down). The remote has a nice ergonomic design to it that is lacking in most Sony remotes. There's a little groove built into the back where your pointer finger will rest, allowing your thumb to easily drive the bulk of the remote functions.

As a bluetooth device, you first have to register the remote with your PS3 unit. It's a simple process that takes just a couple of button clicks and worked flawlessly for me. There is no IR receiver or transmitter built into the remote (or the PS3). I expereinced no lag, misfires or communications glitches between the remote and the console. It worked exactly as it should... except in the dark (which is where I like to be if I'm watching a Blu-ray movie via HDMI on a large 1080i or 1080p screen). And therein lies the remote's greatest shortcoming. The remote has no backlight. None. If you are in a darkened room and want to bring up the movie menu, pause or skip around, I hope you've memorized the button layout exactly.

The bottom-line is that at $24.99 this is a required accessory if you plan on using the Blu-ray capabilities of the console on a regular basis. The fact that you are forced to use a separate Sony Blu-ray remote (versus a 3rd party universal remote) is a bit of a problem. The fact that the Blu-ray remote is a one trick pony and won't do or control anything else besides the PS3 is an annoyance. And the fact that the remote is nearly unusable in a darkened home theater is criminal.

I'll use this remote because I basically have to (please come to the rescue third party manufacturers!), but shame on you Sony. Shame on you.