Just upgraded to One - Remote Control Connectivity & Kinect Issues

I was going to until I saw it was just an IR remote and doesn't connect like a controller. Who needs a cheap IR remote with just a few buttons when you can get the full blown Harmony remote to control everything? What I want is a full blown universal
RF remote that works through the Kinect as an IR blaster. I need to be able to control all the features of my receiver and FIOS DVR.

No, it's not a universal remote: (www.xbox.com/.../media-remote)

The remote controls TV/receiver power and volume through Kinect, or an IR extender cable (cable not included).

You need Kinect or IR Extenders.

support.xbox.com/.../use-external-ir-with-xbox-one

I think thats a little misunderstanding. The One can not react on the remote commands from your cable or tv remotes at all.

The One is able to send these remote commands itself and act as a remote control that way. So you are able to use smartglass as universal remote to control your devices via the One or use voice commands to do the same with the kinect. But you cannot use
your remotes to do anything on the One.

Of course you can use your remote controls to send commands to the respective device even if the One is configured to control them. It's more like you can choose to control your TV and cable box with the One (with Kinect, Smartglass or controller ) AND/OR
your usual remotes.

The official news post about the remote *only* says that Kinect is used for IR blasting your TV and your AV receiver. It doesn't say that Kinect is used to receive the remote's signals for controlling the console itself.

Given that, and given that the console does have its own IR receiver, I'd assume that control of the console itself is direct using the remote. Kinect is just needed for TV/AV control, as the remote does not send signals to those directly.

Remote > IR > Console = console control.

Remote > IR > Console---Kinect > IR > TV & AV = TV & AV control

The Kinect and Kinect adapter are discontinued and what's available is going to be expensive.

Xbox One controllers are available at most common retailers, so that shouldn't be an issue.

Ugh, that's really sad about the Kinect adapters. Also I was talking about the Xbox One remotes not controllers. Are those discontinued as well?