TiVo, Wii and Xbox 360 Controllers: 8 Clever Tricks

You're probably familiar with the ability to skip ads on your TiVo -- we'll fill you in on five more shortcuts. Also, your Wii Remote can control more than just the Wii itself. And why use a mouse to play games on your PC when you could be using your Xbox 360 controller instead? We'll show you how.

Your TiVo hardware is full of shortcuts -- the 30-second commercial skip that everyone knows is just the beginning. (But be sure to enable that time-saver on your box.) Remember that changes you make through the re­­mote should not affect your warranty, but they may vanish after a restart or after your DVR gets a software upgrade.

You probably know to push the TiVo button to vault to the home screen. The next button you press, however, will lead to other destinations.

Push the TiVo button again to jump to Now Playing. Press the 2 to see the recording To Do List. Push the 8 to see TiVo's Suggestions.

You can flip through TiVo menu lists one page at a time with the Channel Up/Down button. Toggle between the be­­ginning and the end of most lists with the Advance button (the one with an arrow pointing to a vertical line).

When surfing live TV, press Enter to go to the previously viewed channel. And to delete a recording from Now Playing instantly, use Clear.

Nintendo's Wii Remote contains some fairly sophisticated hardware, sporting accelerometers that sense motion on several axes. It would be a shame to waste that just on games. Even better, each Wii Remote packs an infrared camera for even more uses away from the TV; these sensors see IR light and can interface with a PC in complicated ways. Following are one simple function and one more advanced use for the device.