A remote control device for remotely controlling an appliance, comprising - a contact sensing facility for determining a degree of physical contact between the remote control device and a user and for generating a mode control signal (S mc) indicative for this degree, - a control mode selection facility for selecting one of a plurality of selectable operational modes (M1, M2, M3) of the remote control device dependent on the degree indicated by the mode control signal, wherein said plurality of selectable operational modes comprise at least a second and a third operational mode (M2, M3), said selectable operational modes enabling respective subsets of user control modes from a plurality of user control modes, wherein the second operational mode only enables a second user control mode, and wherein the third operational mode only enables a third user control mode, wherein in the third user control mode the user is enabled to control the appliance by providing touch input to the remote control device, - an input facility for receiving user input and generating a user input signal (S inp) indicative for said user input, - a processor facility for deriving appliance control information (S aci) for the appliance from the user input signal according to a function enabled by the selected operational mode, - a transmission facility for transmitting said appliance control information to the appliance characterized in that in the second user control mode the user is enabled to control the appliance by controlling a spatial state of the remote control device, and wherein the contact sensing facility is arranged for determining mutually different degrees of presence of physical contact and for in the presence of physical contact setting the second or the third operational mode depending on said determined degree of presence of physical contact. - a contact sensing facility for determining a degree of physical contact between the remote control device and a user and for generating a mode control signal (S mc) indicative for this degree, - a control mode selection facility for selecting one of a plurality of selectable operational modes (M1, M2, M3) of the remote control device dependent on the degree indicated by the mode control signal, wherein said plurality of selectable operational modes comprise at least a second and a third operational mode (M2, M3), said selectable operational modes enabling respective subsets of user control modes from a plurality of user control modes, wherein the second operational mode only enables a second user control mode, and wherein the third operational mode only enables a third user control mode, wherein in the third user control mode the user is enabled to control the appliance by providing touch input to the remote control device, - an input facility for receiving user input and generating a user input signal (S inp) indicative for said user input, - a processor facility for deriving appliance control information (S aci) for the appliance from the user input signal according to a function enabled by the selected operational mode, - a transmission facility for transmitting said appliance control information to the appliance characterized in that in the second user control mode the user is enabled to control the appliance by controlling a spatial state of the remote control device, and wherein the contact sensing facility is arranged for determining mutually different degrees of presence of physical contact and for in the presence of physical contact setting the second or the third operational mode depending on said determined degree of presence of physical contact.