No Web Browser for Xbox 360, Says Greenberg
Microsoft has no plans to allow gamers to surf the Internet with the Xbox 360.
Xbox product director Aaron Greenberg said that web browsing on the Internet via a TV is a "poor experience." Consumers who have a high-dollar HTPC piping content into a 1080p HDTV may disagree, however those with a PlayStation 3 hooked into a normal analog TV-- using S-Video or a composite cable-- may tend to agree. After all, it depends on the equipment.
Despite those factors, it appears that Microsoft's general assumption is that the experience is a bad one, hence its reasons for not enabling Xbox 360 gamers the means to surf the Internet with the console. In fact, Greenberg adds insult to injury by talking smack about the PlayStation 3 and its built-in web browser.
"We really believe that the web browsing experience on TV is a poor one, and the real magic is to take those web experiences and optimize them for the living room," he told EDGE Magazine (via CVG). "That's what we did with Netflix. So, sure, you can go on the PS3 and go to Facebook and try to navigate, but it's an absolute nightmare."
He quickly corrects himself, saying that he meant no disrespect to Sony and its rival console. "There's things I love about the PS3, but that's not one of them," he added while remaining silent on the positive aspects. "We want the online experience to be fun and optimized for the living room, and we'll continue to add more applications to get more richness."
Is Microsoft genuinely concerned about the Internet's overall appearance and usability on the console, or is it more about maintaining a controlled environment?
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If they gave the Xbox 360 IE, people would no longer need/want a Windows machine.
If he were honest he'd simply admit that they don't want people getting video content from the X360 without making sure micro$~1 gets some action from it. Claiming to know what consumers don't want is arrogant to the max. Another reason why the PS3 is a better buy today, imo.
I think what they mean to say is that IE is not good enough to implement on the 360 due to security problems.
@sailfish
Agreed. Maybe M$ unable to plot any financial benefits by adding web browser to 360.
When my PC fried, I used my PS3 on 32" bravia to get my porn :0
If they gave the Xbox 360 IE, people would no longer need/want a Windows machine.
IE + Xbox360 = IERod
Imo be it the PS3 or the Xbox both of them are Fail in 2010. Only machine id like to have is my PC. Both of them really dont offer much asides the handful of exclusives on the PS3 thats about it.
For the living room i woud rather have a HTPC.
He is talking so much smack. My brother put linux on the PS3 and that browser was fast and looks great. My PS3 browser is oddly stiff at time, but if i get tired of gaming, I can check my email or facebook there.
The problem Microsoft has is it is a money grabbing whore. XBL cost money, with a browser they can't charge for features like facebook, netflix. Their 16gb usb hard drive cost 70 smacker. i am excited about natal, but I doubt any game for it will be any good this generation.
I first got online and on the web with a sega saturn. I was to poor to afford a pc. It worked great I could even order things securely and chat in IRC. It had a very nice picture that I could even blow up 4x the size which i cant even do on my new state of the art pc. If I could do all that on a old sega saturn on a old crappy TV why would it be so terrible on a xbox360? I would laugh at Microsoft for saying something so stupid but I wonder why they are lieing.
He is talking so much smack. My brother put linux on the PS3 and that browser was fast and looks great. My PS3 browser is oddly stiff at time, but if i get tired of gaming, I can check my email or facebook there.The problem Microsoft has is it is a money grabbing whore. XBL cost money, with a browser they can't charge for features like facebook, netflix. Their 16gb usb hard drive cost 70 smacker. i am excited about natal, but I doubt any game for it will be any good this generation.
Ask your brother how that linux is working out for him on his ps3... Dont worry, Ill wait for your response....
I mean come on people. The browser on the ps3 is horrid. With all the memory problems always asking to close windows to flash sites not working all the way to the freezing and hard locking the system. Ive always wondered why they always wanna update my ps3 but they have never fixed browser stability.
All it is is another tick mark that sony crosses off their list of things they have but others dont. Just because I can speak a little spanish does that mean I can claim that I speak spanish?
Lets be real, the only reason this is even revelant is it lets the little kiddies look at porn without their parents knowing. We all know parents these days let the tv an ps3 raise them.
Opera browser on Wii actually works very well on an SD TV.
Browsing on the PS3 is fine. Its not the best browser, but it does the trick. Its not a nightmare using facebook at all. its really rather easy.
The real reason they don't put a browser on the 360 is because they'd rather make you pay for "apps" - which are nothing more than a website in a neat little wrapper.
WHAT!?!? No FLASH on the XBOX 360?
Of course, most windows users run as admin and NEVER change the default security settings of ie.THEN they moan when they get infected?????Dumb.P.s. The moment a vrowser hits the 360, some clever fool will create a damn virus for it and all the pron lovers will fall straight in
I need to hire three teams of engineers, one to create the browser, the second to create the virus, and a third to create the anti-virus.
Do some blackhat style SEO poisoning, see what I can do about stealing FREE GAMES ON X-BOX 360, X-BOX PORN, etc., and have those pages host the virus.
I'd be laughing all the way to the bank, and then jail.
So you still need a hacked savegame to get firefox on x360?
I agree browsing on the PS3 is not worth it but MS is saying, "You will use or pay service Crapbox Live and nothing else and like it!"
Browsing on the PS3 sucks. I don't what you guys are talking about when you say "another reason the PS3 is better." Have you ever actually used the browser and enjoyed your experience? I sure haven't. I used it once to see what it was all about and that's the last time I used it. It is god awful.
I don't care at all if there is no Xbox 360 browser. Considering there is no keyboard and mouse support I would never use it even if it were available. Any streaming I might want to do can either be done via Netflix or done by making my 360 a media center extender. I really can't figure out why I would want a browser in the first place.
I really can't figure out why I would want a browser in the first place.
Having a cool home page as a splash screen? Or one of a million other cool hacks?
A web browser on the 360 is not a feature I'd miss.
I've tried my mates PS3 as a web browser and to save his feelings all I said was "Hmm Interesting!"
I have 9 other devices in the house that connect to the web in a far more substantial manner than any console so its pretty pointless.
In this day and oge though its about being given more crappy compromised choices than fewer actual real good ones.
Even the Wii has a web browser, give me a browser for XBox 360, and let me (consumer) decide if it is viable or not. The "feature" double-talk coming out of MS, and Apple is exhausting. Stop telling me what I do or don't want!
If he were honest he'd simply admit that they don't want people getting video content from the X360 without making sure micro$~1 gets some action from it. Claiming to know what consumers don't want is arrogant to the max. Another reason why the PS3 is a better buy today, imo.
How about being able to stream to your Xbox from netflix or any video share in the house? Let's head back down to our basement and know what we are talking about before putting our foot in our mouth, k?
Microsoft has no plans to allow gamers to surf the Internet with the Xbox 360.
Give it 2 months tops and we will no doubt see one. They seem to have a habit of saying they wont do something and then doing it anyway.
That also could be a security reason too, if the browser gets hacked and they take over their xbox, plus that's another thing that you need to throw time and resources at when many people prefer their system as is. I also agree that the PS3's web browser sucks, then again I prefer my pc monitor over my tv anyways.
I agree entirely.
I have a HTPC connected to my 42" TV. Browsing sucks on it. I have the Wii w/ Opera connected to said TV as well. Browsing sucks on it. The overall experience of browsing on a device connected to a TV is worse than on even a mobile phone, imho.
Now, both of these devices have a mouse or mouse-type device. I can't imagine how bad browsing would be on an Xbox360 or PS3.
But, I still say give the consume a choice. I would also like to be able to play AVCHD. There are a number of features that could be added to improve the overall value of the 360.
I don't get why PS3 doesn't just give us firefox
IMO: Web browser is only meant for PC!
It really is a nightmare to use IE from my PS3. I see no need for IE from my 360 either since its useless. And his point of view in optimizing anything related if it is to be intergrated into a console should be properly done and not just thrown into a console. Who of us would use IE from his console and not PC? I have everything hooked via HDMI in 1080p on my Samsung HDTV but nothing is any close to browsing from my PC even on the Samsung lovely big TV..
WTF do you need I.E. on your console? We all do have PCs.We cant be that lazy. Who is on here from his PS3? Its plain stupid.
I could care less. I have a laptop and desktop computer from which I can browse the Internet and more comfortably. When I'm on my XBox 360, I want to game or watch movies or related activities. Using the Internet on my XBox 360 would be more of a hassle and more annoying and less useful than if I got up, walked 10 feet, and sat down at my desk in front of my computer. I have browsed the Internet on my Wii and about the only thing that's useful for, in my opinion, is displaying Youtube videos on your television. It's a last resort system, and that's not enough reason to warrant putting a browser on the 360.
And... this is yet another time I keep seeing this. The XBox 360 has keyboard support! Get it right, people!