[jstrike]

I'm very much torn between getting a ps3 remote or a normal ir remote.

I'm leaning towards a ps3 remote because it's bluetooth. However 2 things are unknown for me:
will it work properly under win 8.1 (with hibernate functionality). Will it stay working or do i need to keep fiddling with it every now and again.
In other words, is it maintenance free after initial setup.

Alternatively i might go with a MCE remote, but then i would need to get some ir receiver that can receive from multiple directions (any suggestions?)

Lastly I could consider rf, but it needs to be able to work with wifi interference and be cheap (i.e. under 25 $)

i've been reading alot and there is a lot of usefull info, but not very recent though. Any help is much appreciated.

[RaggSokk3n]

I'm not aware of any fully working remote so all my xbmc setups are using keyboards (k400/dinovo mini/dinovo edge). But if you insist on using a remote then go with the ps3 remote(config is a pita but will work well), the best ir remote is harmony (one/one+/touch/ultimate/700/900/1100 etc).and it's barely working, it's laggy requites a lot of config and costs you a bunch + in most cases where you didn't empty your wallet you'll be stuck with a ugly ir receiver.

[pe4nut1989]

flirc and xbox one remote

[calev]

Mce remotes work best for me. Ps3 remote requires more config. Easiest way is to use a mce receiver,a cheap harmony remote and assighn mce keyboard keys to the harmony buttons. The dell receivers work great.

[teeedubb]

the best ir remote is harmony (one/one+/touch/ultimate/700/900/1100 etc).and it's barely working, it's laggy requites a lot of config and costs you a bunch + in most cases where you didn't empty your wallet you'll be stuck with a ugly ir receiver.

Huh? I have a harmony 700 and have never noticed any lag in windows or Linux and its works wonderfully...Yeah they can be a bit long winded to setup but that's the price you pay for such customizarion abilities. You can get decent lookimg ir receivers for under $20, and they generally include a MCE remote for that price.

OP: a MCE remote/ receiver is pretty much plug and play - on windows I used xbmccustomregis to get it working with xbmc. I can point my harmony in any direction and it will be picked up with a Phillips receiver.