What else can the magic wand do?
One minor problem is apparent when stepping away from the PC, as text and icons become too small to identify clearly. If that's the case, Windows Vista's built-in magnifier can be used to follow the mouse pointer along and help see things a little clearer - a handy little trick.
To our surprise, the remote is incredibly adept when in Windows, and makes light work of the majority of tasks. It's no mouse, granted, but it's the next best thing. So, it passes the general Windows browsing test, but how is it in Media Centre?
Well, it handles Windows Media Centre almost as well as any other Media Center remote. Only, with one significant problem. When needing to type alphabetically in Windows Media Centre (e.g. when searching for music), we were unable to get the remote to produce alphabetic lettering. Our numpad would only enter numbers and symbols, despite our best efforts.
We contacted Gyration support, and they confirmed that they were experiencing the same problem, and have yet to find a solution. Aside from that one particularly large failing, the remote handles all other Media Center navigation as expected.
We mentioned Nintendo's Wii Remote earlier in the article, and you're no doubt wondering how Gyration's Media Center remote fares in PC games. We put it to the test in the popular first-person-shooter, Half Life 2, and it's a mixed experience. The remote can handle the point-and-shoot aspect very well, but without an associated Wii-like Nunchuck, you can only do so much. You'll have to resort to the keyboard to move around, and the combination of keyboard and remote isn't ideal.
It's a lot of fun to have a quick blast with the remote, if only to get a quick Wii-like thrill. But, when gaming, it's as expected - no match for the all-ruling precision device that is the mouse.
