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The case follows Sony’s traditional tapered wedge shape that conforms especially well to the hand: wider and thinner at the top, narrower and thicker at the bottom. The left and right edges curve smoothly around each side to the back, where you’ll find a deep index finger groove positioned about two-fifths of the way down. The top half of the case is painted in a metallic silver color that matches Sony’s latest generation of A/V components, while the bottom half is moulded out of a medium grey plastic. Both halves of the case are lightly textured with a matte finish, and fit together smoothly without any sharp edges along the seam.
Sony’s previous version of the RM-V402, the RM-V401, has a vastly different shape that is significantly thicker and generally more bulky. In comparison, this new model is thin and sleek with a more upscale flavor.
Although the new case design is essentially simpler than before, the quality level has definitely gone up. The plastic used on the older RM-V401 (or even the more expensive RM-VL700) is quite thin and sounds tinny when tapped, and the battery compartment lid in particular seems quite fragile. In comparison, the RM-V402’s case is stronger and much more durable. The plastic slide-off battery compartment lid in particular is at least twice as thick as on the RM-V401, and doesn’t feel like it will snap in half if pressed slightly too hard. Although a moderate amount of lateral twisting is still possible, overall it’s far less than previous models.
The RM-V402 is of average size and measures 2.13” wide, 7.88” long and 1.25” thick (5.4cm by 20.0cm by 3.1cm), but due to the wedge shape it narrows to as little as 1.83” wide (4.6cm) at the bottom and 0.68” thick (1.7cm) at the top. The remote is light, weighing only 5.01 ounces (142 grams) with two AA batteries (not included), or 3.35 ounces (95 grams) without. The balance point is directly under the [Muting] and [Recall] buttons – slightly lower than I would have expected, but it feels appropriate.
Ergonomics, refined.
Although the selection of keys is identical to the previous model, Sony has opted to rearrange the groupings and change many of the button shapes. Starting at the top of the remote, a large green [Power] button is placed on the right side, with a small [S] (or “Set”) button on the left. Below are a series of 7 white component selection keys for TV, VCR, Cable/Satellite, DVD, Receiver, CD and Auxiliary. The RM-V302 drops the [CD] and [Auxiliary] buttons, while the RM-V202 further removes the [Receiver] button.
Beneath the device buttons is a standard 10-digit numerical keypad, with [PIP] and [Enter] on either side of the [0] key. This is followed by a sizeable pair of [Volume] and [Channel] toggles, with corresponding [Mute] and [Recall] keys below. Centered between the toggles are three small buttons for [TV/Video] (also known as “Input”), [Display] and [Sleep]. Next up is an oval 4-way cursor control, followed immediately by [Menu], [Guide] and [OK] buttons. Finally, the remote has six standard transport controls at the very bottom, including a safety-locked [Record] button.
The RM-V402’s buttons are very well organized and extremely easy to find in the dark. Most keys are quite large – indeed the numerical keypad’s buttons are a perceptible 17% larger than the previous model, while the [Volume] and [Channel] toggles are a full 30% larger. On the other hand, a few keys are unexpectedly small. For instance, the three buttons between the [Volume] and [Channel] toggles are only 1/7th of an inch across (less than 4 millimetres).
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