If you're one to nerd out over remote controls — and we don't just — this certainly is interesting. Amazon has a new Fire TV Remote available for preorder for $29.99. It is, for all intents and purposes, a perfectly fine remote control, very much in the same vein as the previous two iterations.
But there's definitely something new there, so now's a good time to refresh how to replace your Amazon Fire TV remote.
Most obvious, of course, are the four shortcut buttons. The preview picture with the listing shows buttons for Amazon Prime Video, which makes total sense. But you'll also find buttons for Netflix, Disney+ and Hulu. One of those is the largest subscription streaming service in the world. The other two are owned by Disney. All three compete directly with Hulu, which makes you wonder just how much money changed hands here.
Another subtle change is to the right of the volume buttons. The little TV icon will take you to an on-screen guide — remember that Amazon Fire TV has been integrating linear info from other streaming services — so that's pretty cool.
Also note how the Alexa button at the top has changed from a microphone to the Alexa icon, and it's now blue, making it stand out from everything else. That's a nice touch, too. (It's called the "Alexa voice button," according to the schematics.
Like previous remotes, this one runs off a pair of AAA batteries. It also will require you to have a relatively new Amazon Fire TV device. The list includes Fire TV Stick Lite, the second- and third-generation Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Stick 4K, first- and second-gen Fire TV Cube, and the pendant-style Amazon Fire TV.
Amazon says the new remote should start shipping on April 14. So far the only device we know the new remote will ship with is the third-generation Amazon Fire TV Stick. The stick itself isn't new — it's the 2020 model. But it'll start shipping with the new Alexa Voice remote on April 28.
MORE: The best Amazon Fire TV device
Also: The best Amazon Fire TV remote
