Netflix and Prime are finally acceptable on Linux thanks to Pipelight but that solution's not for everyone.
If you want a single settop box, you might run PI with XBMC/Kodi but you can't get DRM'ed things on there. So you need a Roku or AppleTV for your DRM, a chromecast for things coming from a PC, and you still need a Kodi for your personal needs.
Against Balkanization, Fan.TV and other guide apps combine all your streaming sources and antenna TV into one. And everything can be controlled from your phone.
There's still room for improvement, but we have it pretty good. The biggest problem is figuring out what hardware and software you need with all the options out there. We're just spoiled for choice.
Now they use a accelerator/gyroscope and a dedicated RF channel to provide input. Plus that you can transmit also more data ( Wii remotes send the battery status too, for example ).
What's weird is that Amazon Prime worked fine on Linux in 2010 without any trouble, and now it requires Pipelight.
And Hulu, too, used to work but no longer does.
I often watch it on YouTube under "purchases"
I have really really tried to use Google Play for video because it seems to work on the broadest array of devices, but the service itself is a second rate experience. Too many clicks, laggy unresponsive UI, silly JS driven pages that require reloading in order to start working again...
I too really want to do things the way that supports content producers, but the middlemen are doing such a poor job that it's difficult to get my money to them.