Amazon Alexa Game Buttons

Product Description

Echo Buttons deliver an interactive way to play games with friends using Alexa. Enjoy hours of entertainment with more than 100 compatible Alexa Skills like Bandit Buttons, Trivial Pursuit Tap from Hasbro, and Alien Decoder. Echo Buttons are the first Alexa Gadget, a new collection of accessories that enable fun and playful Alexa experiences.

Features

• Echo Buttons are an interactive way to play games and control smart home routines through your compatible Echo device.
• Choose from a catalog of 100+ compatible Alexa skills.
• Activate an Alexa smart home routine with the press of a button.
• Customize your own trivia game skill with Alexa Skill Blueprints.
• Easy setup with an Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, Echo Plus, or Echo Spot. Just ask, "Alexa, setup my Echo Buttons".
• Connect up to 4 buttons with compatible Echo devices using bluetooth
• Each Echo Button requires 2 AAA batteries. Includes 4 AAA batteries.

Top Reviews

Not quite ready for prime time...
by BennieV (1 out of 5 stars)
July 6, 2018

These are a great idea. And have a quality that is higher than typical "cheap" electronics would indicate. However, while better than throw-away quality, they are still cheap. This has created a poor reaction for my family. Here's the good:
- multi-colored, fast connection (little lag), interactive, can stand up to use, and come with batteries!

Here's some of the bad:
- pairing is NOT as intuitive as it should be (requires the app, etc), still cheap plastic and might not last rowdy kids - your mileage may vary.

For example, I initially paired and they were fun, but they "lost" the pairing to the dot I used (don't know how/why). When I attempted to re-pair them, only one would pair, leaving me with a single button... Well, that's not any fun.

They are a neat idea and I love the interactive nature of them and using them to involve sight, not just sound. These are really cool. However, they still feel "beta" to me. I wish they worked, as I would have loved to have them as a quick little diversion to play with my teenagers, but alas...
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1-4 Player Games that are Engaging
by Christina (5 out of 5 stars)
December 30, 2017

This was super easy to pair with my echo dot that had been previously set up. I only had to press one button and bam, they were activated. I have had no issues with the buttons needing to be re-paired or disconnecting during games.

The buttons were a little smaller than my echo dot which is great for easy storage.

One thing I love about these is that there are quite a few games only requiring 1 player or 2 players. I find it hard to get a large group together frequently for gaming so these buttons are an excellent alternative for a small group or individual games. I can see how this would also be a lot of fun for people who live alone.

Here is a list of games you can play with Alexa and the buttons:

Buzzer Beater Basketball Trivia

Sounds Fun

Trivial Pursuit Tap- 2-4 players

Button Monte- 2 buttons required, 2 player

Button Button

GG Button
4th Down Football Trivia

Party Foul- 2-4 players

Don't Cut that Wire

Hanagram- 2-4 players

Trivial Pursuit Tap- 2-4 players

Anything above without the number of players can be a 1-player game.

Here is a list of games Alexa will play without requiring buttons:

World Detective (no buttons needed)

Classic Rock Music History Quiz (no buttons needed)

Teen Jeopardy (no buttons needed)

Jeopardy (no buttons needed)

Spelling Game for Kids (no buttons needed)

I will add that during trivia, unless you give the exact wording then your answer will be counted incorrect (ex. I said "lifting patients out of bed" and Alexa was looking for "lifting") and there was no override for the scoring system that I could find. Even with that flaw, I highly recommend this.
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UPDATED FROM A 2 STAR REVIEW: Went from "So far these have been a let down." to these are great!
by Dickers (5 out of 5 stars)
December 22, 2017

I purchased these guys when they came out. I have the original Amazon Echo and so far these are about as function as a bump on a log. Every time I attempt to launch one of the games it won't register one of the buttons and or it cause my Echo to disconnect from the internet. I gave this product a two star rating instead of a one because I fully expect these to get better in time, at least I hope so. If that is in fact the case, I will update my review accordingly. As of now, I would not recommend this product with its current level of functionality. At least they weren't that expensive.

UPDATE: I got an unsolicited call from Amazon technical assistance to help solve the problem. We went through some trouble shooting on both the Echo Buttons and Echo and had this going correctly in no time. Turns out I just needed to reset everything and it's been working perfectly since.

So far we've played Trivial Pursuit Tap and the buttons worked exactly as they were designed. These are going to be a blast with just me and my wife as well as small gatherings.

I would definitely recommend these products and am very grateful to the good people at Amazon who go out of their way to make sure that new devices like this do in fact launch successfully. You can rest assured that when buying this and other amazon devices that if you do stumble the way I did, they will be there to help. Way to go Amazon on another successful gadget!
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"Alexa, set up my echo buttons"
by J. Gregory (5 out of 5 stars)
December 27, 2017

"Alexa, set up my echo buttons". Maybe they should just put this on the outside of the box for how to set up, because I had to search YouTube to find a video on how to do it. Maybe it's in the manual? Anyway, they are cool once you get them going.
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SOLUTIONS to pairing problems, SETUP ADVICE to save time if problems occur, tips to improve TROUBLE
by Jeff (5 out of 5 stars)
December 25, 2017

Update 3/4/18:

Great fun, better than expected, but some quirks I didn't expect!

PROS:
- Great for game nights, sleep overs, etc
- no setup, no cleanup (after initial setup)
- Fun for two, couples or teams (supports 4 buttons)
- Alexa acts as facilitator - keeps score, manages tempo and when possible enforces rules (can lock buttons out, etc)
- Expect lots of new games as developers get access to Gadget skill development tools

CONS:
- Initial setup: problems with Bluetooth pairing (see SETUP ADVICE below)
- It's not perfect - she will misinterpret and/or use someone talking in the background for an answer
- Buttons don't register the 'quick push' consistently. This leads answering a question meant for another team and skews the score (pay attention to the answer prompts - both voice and visual)
- No easy way to clean up a scoring error. Trivial pursuit can close a category, offer bonus question, all tied to someone yelling an answer out of turn etc.

Things we stress:
- Before answering, make sure your team's button 'Active' and the one to receive credit with a correct answer.
- Press the button firmly. Sometimes a quick tap doesn't register and you may end up answering for another team
- Allow one player to speak when Alexa prompts for the answer. It can be hard, but try and be quiet - (Alexa will pick up anyone's voice who yells)
- Keep it light hearted, no wagering :) It's not perfect and Alexa will occasionally misinterpret an answer (just like when I ask her to "turn the heat up').

The one thing we found frustrating was when one of the above items occurred, and they will, there is no easy way to correct the scoring (hint - Amazon, allow developers to build real time game interface to Alexa app, and allow scoring adjustments to games currently in play).

These are a lot of fun, but manage expectations. Great platform to work with for the App/skill developers - I can't wait to see what they come up with
========================

TROUBLE SHOOTING, SETUP ADVICE (save time and frustration):
- Each button has a unique ID viewable in the Alexa App (after pairing): Settings>your Echo device name>(either Bluetooth or Echo Buttons)
- LABEL BUTTONS as each one pairs with last 2 characters of Bluetooth connect name. ***This is critical for troubleshooting (a must do if you have 4 buttons)
>>>TROUBLESHOOTING:

Like all Bluetooth devices, these will have disconnects. Problem is they don't always recover and reconnect. The GOOD NEWS is with the BUTTONS LABELED you won't have to unpair, forget and re-pair all buttons. Without the labels it's impossible to know which button to remove from Bluetooth/Echo Button and re-pair.
- SYMPTOM: Button disconnects from Bluetooth and will not re-pair (will not light 'orange' indicating 'ready to pair'). Most likely the Button is still partially connected to last device.
- PROBLEM: Under settings a paired BUTTON's unique name appears in TWO places. When a Button is disconnected (manual or dropped Bluetooth), it often fails to disconnect from both places ('Bluetooth' or 'Echo Buttons'). To verify see: Settings>your Echo device name>(either Bluetooth and/}or Echo Buttons)
- FIX: To complete the removal, and allow re-pairing, do the following: Under 'Echo Buttons' select 'UNPAIR' and under 'Bluetooth' select 'FORGET DEVICE
- SYMPTOM: followed steps above but still won't pair/re-pair
- FIX: When you have a button that's still giving you problems, it can usually be resolved using the steps below. They all aren't needed everytime, but you'll save a lot of time in the long run. Using the Alexa App do the following:

FORGET DEVICE under 'Bluetooth' and UNPAIR under 'Echo Button'
>Shut down Alexa App on all mobile devices (a second device trying to pair could issue)
>Reboot Echo device by unplugging for 10 seconds
>Remove batteries from problem button for 10 seconds, then reinstall
>NOW ATTEMPT TO RE-PAIR
***With multiple problem buttons, consider repeating steps after each successful pairing.

I paired, unpaired, and forgot Devices (Bluetooth) many, many times trying to recreate and debug the issues identified by myself and others. I then tested various solutions in an attempt to resolve as many issues as possible. The fix's above resolved every issue I encountered, and the labeling really helped save time by making it easy to identify the failing button in the Alexa app. Of course this won't fix a dead button, but you might find your button isn't actually dead.

Hopefully this helps you get your Echo Buttons up and RUNNING! HAPPY HOLIDAY'S
**This is an in process review. I really like the buttons and I'll share more later :)

Update 2/5/18

Product seems to be stabilizing. I have not had a dropped connection since December that required intervention.
***ADDITIONAL/TIP: Verify and ensure Alexa/echo device is on latest software. (See comments at bottom of review for latest echo device software as of 2/6/18)
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Beyond Pairing, Here Are Some Less Mentioned Issues [UPDATE]
by JOEKC (2 out of 5 stars)
December 26, 2017

Update 1/3/18: After this review was posted, an Amazon rep called me and seemed genuinely concerned about my issues. I explained in detail the problems I was having and he promised to forward my information to the appropriate technicians. Today I noticed the Echo Buttons have been changed to "Usually ships in 4-6 weeks" which tells me they've probably pulled them from sale because of returns and hostile reviews. Since 4-6 weeks is well outside the return window, I sent them back today. There is a lot of potential here, but I had two sets of buttons so four people could play and I wasn't willing to lose that much money on a really iffy product. Amazon needs to do better than this. (I am also suspicious of some of the short five star reviews, like "awesome product" and "works great." They are neither awesome nor do they work great.)
(Previous review)

So many reviews here are harsh, so I won't repeat all the pairing problem complaints, etc., all of which I encountered. One game, Button Monte, might be fun if you were playing with a small child, kind of like "guess which hand the coin is in." The rubber feet on the bottom (a plus in other games) make it hard to slide the buttons around on a table. Trivial Pursuit is kind of fun, but Alexa can't pronounce all of the words in the questions well enough for them to be easily understood. Also, when playing, the game completely froze on a correct answer and the only way to unfreeze it was to give a wrong answer. Alexa then replied with the correct answer she had frozen on and resumed the game. Buggy!

We bought four buttons thinking this might make a good party game. NOT! Have you ever played a party game where someone wasn't always talking or there wasn't general chatter? If anyone makes a peep during the answer to TP, Alexa immediately calls out a wrong answer. Even a slight stutter before you begin your answer will get you counted wrong. For instance I was giving the answer "Joaquin Phoenix" and said "wa Joaquin Phoenix" and Alexa said, "Sorry, the correct answer is Joaquin Phoenix."

I'm not intending to hate on the buttons. I was one of the first owners of the Echo in November 2014, back when you had to be "invited" to purchase one. I immediately posted a very positive YouTube review which got 50,000+ views. Our home has five Echo devices and I'm a big fan. These buttons just seem rushed to market. I find them more annoying than fun. I'll probably wait a week or two before deciding to return them, but you might want to wait. Right now it feels like a beta level product.
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Easy to set, fun games, but some are not for younger players
by Lauren R. (5 out of 5 stars)
December 31, 2017

My family and I really enjoyed these buttons and had fun with the games. Set up was also very easy, however I disliked needing a screw driver to put the batteries in. Most games were a lot of fun, however Trivia Pursuit will give you an incorrect answer if you pronounce a word different. The Sounds Game, with Epps, I believe is very hard and doesn't make alot of sense and not suitable for young players. One answer to the sound was "what is a virgin trying kama sutra for the first time", sound was weird and nobody is ever going to guess that, nor explain it to a young child. You also have to say the phrase exactly for Alexa to recognize that you want to play a game, which can be tedious if you say, the echo buttons instead of my echo buttons. Until it can be started by pressing one of the buttons, it might be best to write the launch phrases down. Other than that though my family and I had a lot fun playing the games.
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Doesn't work with custom skills!
by nadine (1 out of 5 stars)
November 27, 2018

My plan was to have an "exit button": create a routine to turn off my lights and thermostat and turn on my blink cameras and my vacuum... if everything works with individual voice commands, I thought that I could create a routine to do it.. BUT NO! I can create routines with some actions, like turning off lights, playing music or making Alexa to repeat a phrase, but it's just not possible to run a custom skill command.. and most of the devices are controlled by skills... this is a serious limitation that makes me wonder if I am in the wrong side of the home automation systems.
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These are so much FUN!
by Texas Lady (5 out of 5 stars)
December 22, 2017

Played Party Foul with a friend last night and it was so much fun! Going to start an Alexa game night! I highly recommed the Buttons for hours of fun and games. I just ordered another set. Really easy to set up, just put the batteries in, tell Alexa to pair them, she will tell you to hold each button down for 10 seconds and then she will tell you they are paired!
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Push the button Max!
by The Engineer (5 out of 5 stars)
December 7, 2018

When the Echo Buttons first came out, I never thought I'd end up using them... until it became apparent to me, that my wife simply did not like talking to Alexa. Oh sure, she'd ask her for simple stuff... like playing music or finding out things from Wikipedia. But somehow, verbally asking Alexa to turn things on & off, just didn't resonate with her. So, I purchased the buttons, so that I could setup routines for exiting & entering our residence.

The 2 AAA batteries for each button come pre-installed. You only need to pull out the paper tab, before using them for the first time. Pressing a button causes the it to briefly flash blue; as button press acknowledgement. Holding down the button for about 10 seconds, after the initial blue flash, causes the button to turn orange; as it enters Bluetooth pairing mode.

Like an Echo remote, each Echo Button can only be paired to 1 Echo device at a time. The easiest way to pair a button is to say "Alexa, setup my Echo Button" to the Echo device you want to pair the button with. To ensure pairing success, do not put the button into pairing mode, until Alexa gets to the part of the directions telling you to. And if you wait until the directions finish, a pairing failure is likely to occur. You can also manually pair the buttons, using the Alexa app.

Once a button is paired; you might notice something "strange" in the Bluetooth section of your Echo device's settings. Specifically, if you used the Alexa voice command to pair a button; it will show up in the list of paired devices ONLY if it is attached to an Alexa Routine, or if you manually paired it using the Alexa app. Otherwise it will not be listed, but will show up in the total number of paired devices count.

In my particular use for the buttons, I used Velcro to attach the buttons to the wall; near our front door, and used a P-touch label maker to label them as "Away" and "Home" (see pictures). I then created Alexa Routines to perform the necessary ingress & egress actions required.

When each button is pressed, they briefly flash blue to acknowledge the local button press. And once the Alexa Routine starts, they then flash a "long green" to acknowledge the routine is starting. Overall, the ability to use the buttons to initiate the start of a routine is probably going to be the killer application for the Echo Buttons.
↭ 🍁 ↭
SOLUTIONS to pairing problems, SETUP ADVICE to save time if problems occur, tips to improve TROUBLE
by Jeff,Top Contributor: Smart Home (5 out of 5 stars)
December 25, 2017

Update 3/4/18:

Great fun, better than expected, but some quirks I didn't expect!

PROS:
- Great for game nights, sleep overs, etc
- no setup, no cleanup (after initial setup)
- Fun for two, couples or teams (supports 4 buttons)
- Alexa acts as facilitator - keeps score, manages tempo and when possible enforces rules (can lock buttons out, etc)
- Expect lots of new games as developers get access to Gadget skill development tools

CONS:
- Initial setup: problems with Bluetooth pairing (see SETUP ADVICE below)
- It's not perfect - she will misinterpret and/or use someone talking in the background for an answer
- Buttons don't register the 'quick push' consistently. This leads answering a question meant for another team and skews the score (pay attention to the answer prompts - both voice and visual)
- No easy way to clean up a scoring error. Trivial pursuit can close a category, offer bonus question, all tied to someone yelling an answer out of turn etc.

Things we stress:
- Before answering, make sure your team's button 'Active' and the one to receive credit with a correct answer.
- Press the button firmly. Sometimes a quick tap doesn't register and you may end up answering for another team
- Allow one player to speak when Alexa prompts for the answer. It can be hard, but try and be quiet - (Alexa will pick up anyone's voice who yells)
- Keep it light hearted, no wagering :) It's not perfect and Alexa will occasionally misinterpret an answer (just like when I ask her to "turn the heat up').

The one thing we found frustrating was when one of the above items occurred, and they will, there is no easy way to correct the scoring (hint - Amazon, allow developers to build real time game interface to Alexa app, and allow scoring adjustments to games currently in play).

These are a lot of fun, but manage expectations. Great platform to work with for the App/skill developers - I can't wait to see what they come up with
========================

TROUBLE SHOOTING, SETUP ADVICE (save time and frustration):
- Each button has a unique ID viewable in the Alexa App (after pairing): Settings>your Echo device name>(either Bluetooth or Echo Buttons)
- LABEL BUTTONS as each one pairs with last 2 characters of Bluetooth connect name. ***This is critical for troubleshooting (a must do if you have 4 buttons)
>>>TROUBLESHOOTING:

Like all Bluetooth devices, these will have disconnects. Problem is they don't always recover and reconnect. The GOOD NEWS is with the BUTTONS LABELED you won't have to unpair, forget and re-pair all buttons. Without the labels it's impossible to know which button to remove from Bluetooth/Echo Button and re-pair.
- SYMPTOM: Button disconnects from Bluetooth and will not re-pair (will not light 'orange' indicating 'ready to pair'). Most likely the Button is still partially connected to last device.
- PROBLEM: Under settings a paired BUTTON's unique name appears in TWO places. When a Button is disconnected (manual or dropped Bluetooth), it often fails to disconnect from both places ('Bluetooth' or 'Echo Buttons'). To verify see: Settings>your Echo device name>(either Bluetooth and/}or Echo Buttons)
- FIX: To complete the removal, and allow re-pairing, do the following: Under 'Echo Buttons' select 'UNPAIR' and under 'Bluetooth' select 'FORGET DEVICE
- SYMPTOM: followed steps above but still won't pair/re-pair
- FIX: When you have a button that's still giving you problems, it can usually be resolved using the steps below. They all aren't needed everytime, but you'll save a lot of time in the long run. Using the Alexa App do the following:

FORGET DEVICE under 'Bluetooth' and UNPAIR under 'Echo Button'
>Shut down Alexa App on all mobile devices (a second device trying to pair could issue)
>Reboot Echo device by unplugging for 10 seconds
>Remove batteries from problem button for 10 seconds, then reinstall
>NOW ATTEMPT TO RE-PAIR
***With multiple problem buttons, consider repeating steps after each successful pairing.

I paired, unpaired, and forgot Devices (Bluetooth) many, many times trying to recreate and debug the issues identified by myself and others. I then tested various solutions in an attempt to resolve as many issues as possible. The fix's above resolved every issue I encountered, and the labeling really helped save time by making it easy to identify the failing button in the Alexa app. Of course this won't fix a dead button, but you might find your button isn't actually dead.

Hopefully this helps you get your Echo Buttons up and RUNNING! HAPPY HOLIDAY'S
**This is an in process review. I really like the buttons and I'll share more later :)

Update 2/5/18

Product seems to be stabilizing. I have not had a dropped connection since December that required intervention.
***ADDITIONAL/TIP: Verify and ensure Alexa/echo device is on latest software. (See comments at bottom of review for latest echo device software as of 2/6/18)
↭ 🍁 ↭
1-4 Player Games that are Engaging
by Christina,Top Contributor: Baby (5 out of 5 stars)
December 30, 2017

This was super easy to pair with my echo dot that had been previously set up. I only had to press one button and bam, they were activated. I have had no issues with the buttons needing to be re-paired or disconnecting during games.

The buttons were a little smaller than my echo dot which is great for easy storage.

One thing I love about these is that there are quite a few games only requiring 1 player or 2 players. I find it hard to get a large group together frequently for gaming so these buttons are an excellent alternative for a small group or individual games. I can see how this would also be a lot of fun for people who live alone.

Here is a list of games you can play with Alexa and the buttons:

Buzzer Beater Basketball Trivia

Sounds Fun

Trivial Pursuit Tap- 2-4 players

Button Monte- 2 buttons required, 2 player

Button Button

GG Button
4th Down Football Trivia

Party Foul- 2-4 players

Don't Cut that Wire

Hanagram- 2-4 players

Trivial Pursuit Tap- 2-4 players

Anything above without the number of players can be a 1-player game.

Here is a list of games Alexa will play without requiring buttons:

World Detective (no buttons needed)

Classic Rock Music History Quiz (no buttons needed)

Teen Jeopardy (no buttons needed)

Jeopardy (no buttons needed)

Spelling Game for Kids (no buttons needed)

I will add that during trivia, unless you give the exact wording then your answer will be counted incorrect (ex. I said "lifting patients out of bed" and Alexa was looking for "lifting") and there was no override for the scoring system that I could find. Even with that flaw, I highly recommend this.

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