Richie C. posted:Loose-Caboose posted:Richie C. posted:Loose-Caboose posted:What makes this a "Universal Remote"? It only seems to control Locomotives. And only Three to boot.
So I go out and spend $1900 for this Niagara Locomotive and I also am buying "Bluetooth" communication that I will never use. Does not Lionel need to purchase a Bluetooth License for each Locomotive? Why is Lionel adding a function that is useless to us that have heavily invested in their Legacy Control System? $300 for the command base and remote and on average $100 per Legacy Box? Man, I don't understand this marketing logic.
The term "universal" may be a marketing stretch, but it's designed to operate up to three LC/LC+ engines at the same time. LC/LC+ engines each come with their own separate remote on a different frequency so if you wanted to run all three at the same time, you'd have to juggle three remotes. With the orange "universal" remote you can operate all three from the same remote. Very convenient.
I have Legacy on my layout, but also believe Bluetooth is an added bonus to Legacy engines, not a detriment, and the Lionel BT app is free download to your device. If you had a young child or grandchild, think how neat it would be to have them be able to operate that Niagra on a cell phone app they'd pick up in about 5 seconds and have a boatload of fun with.
So activating the sounds, moving switches, etc. are a detriment? They aren't part of the fun? And also I used the term "license" in a prior post. It may be a minimal cost but the on going engineering to maintain the function must be a cost to product and I think you need to maintain certification which is a cost. All this could be applied to the Legacy engineering to further that product. If Lionel had gone down the Bluetooth route to begin with I would have a different take on this issue. But to support two different command functions is splitting engineering costs. BTW , to dispel me from being a curmudgeon old geezer, I am a smartphone fanatic and love technology (lol).
Just to be clear, I never, ever said that Legacy sounds, moving switches, etc. were a detriment - I don't know how you came up with that from my comments.
I was simply trying to explain my thoughts on the "universal" remote and responding to your original post in which you implied that BT was a detriment to you in new Legacy engines in the sense that you were having to pay more ($1900) for a locomotive that had a feature (BT) that you would "never use" and that was "useless" to you. In fact, someone else pointed out in response to your post that BT in Legacy engines was a "feature, not a bug."
I love my Legacy system and all that it can do, but I also respect the fact that others may want to go in a different direction and I see nothing wrong with Lionel developing, adding and promoting BT as a way to bring more people, especially a younger demographic, into the hobby and, if it costs me an extra $5 on a $1,900 engine, I'm happy to support it.
In addition, Legacy isn't just about it's operational features - it's also about a higher quality of build and better looking locomotives that were not previously available to BT users of LC/LC+ engines. With BT now added to Legacy engines, BT users can now get the same quality of build, which I'm sure they appreciate.
As far as supporting "two different command functions", my outlook is that Lionel has always been about attempting to make sure that every new technology that comes out does not render previous technologies obsolete and adding BT to Legacy is an outgrowth of that philosophy and, no, I don't think you're a curmudgeon old geezer.
On the other hand, I'm no spring chicken, either.
Settle down, I am not your enemy. To the contrary, I am a very easy going kind of guy with questions and concerns Sorry if you took my reply to be antogonistic.
