Samsung has spilled the beans on one of its own products that it will be promoting at the 2014 CES in Las Vegas next week — the new ‘Smart Control’ remote. The remote has two improvements over last year’s model. First, it abandons the traditional rectangular form for an oval shape that Samsung calls a “pebble-like design” and more ergonomic. Second, it features gesture control, allowing the user to move between menus by swinging the remote.
The Smart Control remote also has two major features returning from Samsung smart TV remote that was released last year. A microphone allows you to control the television via voice. It also has a touchpad, allowing you to swipe through menus, not unlike on a smartphone touchscreen. However, the touchpad’s size has been reduced by over 80 percent to no longer dominate the remote like last year’s model.
Altogether, the Smart Control features four ways to interact with a Samsung television: buttons, touchpad, voice and gesture controls.
Previous models of Samsung’s smart TV remote were bundled with the company’s high-end televisions and sold separately for use with other Samsung TVs. The company has not yet released details about the pricing and availability of the Smart Control remote.
