- Amazon has a newer version of its Fire TV Stick remote that ships with all of its latest devices, and there’s no question that it’s a big improvement over the previous-generation Alexa voice remote.
- It’s an improvement, yes, but it’s still missing some crucial features that prevent it from being the only remote you use to control your Fire TV device as well as your television.
- That’s where an awesome accessory called the SofaBaton F2 comes in, adding key features to Amazon’s Alexa voice remote without replacing it.
The Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV Cube, and other Fire TV devices offer what could very well be the best streaming media player experience you can get out of the box. Like many other people, I really prefer it to Roku devices. It’s not that Roku players are bad or anything. In fact, far from it — Roku is still the biggest streaming media player brand out there right now. It’s just that I am personally not a fan of the Roku user interface, and that’s why I choose Fire TV devices instead.
If you’re team Fire TV as well, you know how great the user experience is that Amazon has designed. The UI is great, the interface is nice and fast, and you can easily find an app for literally any streaming service you can possibly imagine. As a matter of fact, if you ask me, there’s really only one place where Fire TV devices like the Fire TV Stick are lacking: Amazon’s Alexa voice remote.
Amazon recently added some additional universal remote buttons to its remote that allow you to control the volume on your TV or soundbar and mute the sound. It’s a nice addition but truthfully, it’s not enough. That’s where my favorite new Fire TV accessory comes into play. It’s called the SofaBaton F2 Universal Remote Attachment for Amazon Fire TV Streaming Players, and it’s on sale right now on Amazon at a deep discount.
The SofaBaton F2 is basically a simple universal remote control that’s built to attach to Amazon’s remotes. It doesn’t make the remote any wider, just longer, and that’s key to a comfortable design that fits well in your hand. In addition to power, volume, and mute buttons like you would find on Amazon’s newer Alexa voice remote, you also get channel buttons, three configurable buttons that can do anything, and an input button so you can switch your TV’s input. That last one is crucial.
When I bought my SofaBaton F2 it was $40 on Amazon and it’s definitely worth every penny. Snag one today, however, and you’ll find a $16.60 discount for Prime members plus an extra $2 coupon you can clip to drop the price to just $21.39. Trust me, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without one.
