xbox 360 Microsoft to bring full Internet Explorer browsing to Xbox 360 with Kinect

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Microsoft to bring full Internet Explorer browsing to Xbox 360 with Kinect controls

Microsoft is currently testing a modified version of Internet Explorer 9 on its Xbox 360 console, according to our sources. The Xbox 360 currently includes Bing voice search, but it's limited to media results. Microsoft's new Internet Explorer browser for Xbox will expand on this functionality to open up a full browser for the console. We are told that the browser will let Xbox users surf all parts of the web straight from their living rooms.

Microsoft has also integrated Kinect gestures and voice control heavily into the experience, allowing Xbox owners to quickly search using the existing Bing functionality and pull up relevant web pages. Kinect support is not mandatory according to our sources, but the browser is said to be tuned for Kinect usage. There's no word on a launch date for Internet Explorer on Xbox, but with E3 on the horizon we'd expect to hear the official details from Microsoft in a matter of weeks.

Source: The Verge

[HawkMan]

I guess Mozilla and google will complain that MS isn't letting them put their browsers on the Xbox to now then ;)

[Coolicer]

Still waiting for Microsoft to enable Kinect Voice commands outside of US.

[The Teej]

Only took them 7 years

[~Johnny]

Still waiting for Microsoft to enable Kinect Voice commands outside of US.

They seem to work pretty fine in England and France at least :p

[Coolicer]

They seem to work pretty fine in England and France at least :p

France you say?

Mine (Netherlands, region set to UK due to Splinter Cell:C reading the region to determine the lagnuage of ingame text) refuses to do anything with voice on the dashboard...

[TheDisneyMagic]

Great to hear, I wonder if will look anything like IE10 Metro from Windows 8 CP.

[BajiRav]

Interesting, I might use this if they enable inline HTML5 playback instead of launching apps. Might be useful for browsing sites as long as it is not blocked to sell (like Google TV or PS3).

I guess Mozilla and google will complain that MS isn't letting them put their browsers on the Xbox to now then ;)

+1 :p

[marketZZ]

I guess Mozilla and google will complain that MS isn't letting them put their browsers on the Xbox to now then ;)

Microsoft isnt stopping anyone from making browser for xbox. so why would anyone complain?

[George P Global Moderator]

Microsoft isnt stopping anyone from making browser for xbox. so why would anyone complain?

They could be, otherwise why hasn't anyone done one yet? We have all these other apps like FB, Twitter and the youtube app now so what's going on? I think it takes access to some pretty lower level code to make a browser like IE9 run on it, and even then it's not the real IE9 we have out now, they say modified so who knows what that means.

It's probably harder to do and MS isn't going to give just anyone access to what's needed I bet.

[Hell-In-A-Handbasket]

It's about time.

But I'm shure I will. Use it as much as I use the PS3 Web Browser ( 3 times since I bought it years ago )

[Boz]

having a browser on an Xbox 360 is pointless. They better allow 3rd parties to develop apps and feature them in App Marketplace on Xbox Live rather than putting in a browser that is just not great to use on a console (as we have witnessed with PS3 and Google TV). Just allow people to put apps on Xbox Live and it's a winner. Right now they only allow apps from those who partner with Microsoft and are big players which is stupid.

[George P Global Moderator]

having a browser on an Xbox 360 is pointless. They better allow 3rd parties to develop apps and feature them in App Marketplace on Xbox Live rather than putting in a browser that is just not great to use on a console (as we have witnessed with PS3 and Google TV). Just allow people to put apps on Xbox Live and it's a winner. Right now they only allow apps from those who partner with Microsoft and are big players which is stupid.

Last thing we need is just any old crappy 3rd party apps on the Xbox, we get enough of that on our phones IMO. Besides what MS does want is media specific apps not just anything. That limits it to apps from content creators or providers etc.

[Boz]

Last thing we need is just any old crappy 3rd party apps on the Xbox, we get enough of that on our phones IMO. Besides what MS does want is media specific apps not just anything. That limits it to apps from content creators or providers etc.

So you think that having apps liek HBO Go, ESPN, Hulu, EPIX etc are crappy? What's crappy is having laggy, stupid websites you have to navigate with your sticks and without any voice controls via Kinect on a console that we know have always been weak experience.

Yeah, web is totally better than custom made apps that take advantage of full Xbox experience.

That makes total sense :rolleyes:

You want to play arcade games through a browser too on Xbox? Because that's the exact same thing.

[n_K]

Sounds good but I bet it'll be bloody gold members only.

[George P Global Moderator]

So you think that having apps liek HBO Go, ESPN, Hulu, EPIX etc are crappy? What's crappy is having laggy, stupid websites you have to navigate with your sticks and without any voice controls via Kinect on a console that we know have always been weak experience.

Yeah, web is totally better than custom made apps that take advantage of full Xbox experience.

That makes total sense :rolleyes:

You want to play arcade games through a browser too on Xbox? Because that's the exact same thing.

You're really having trouble understanding what I'm saying it seems. You say "Right now they only allow apps from those who partner with Microsoft and are big players which is stupid." In which case I replied that MS doesn't want just any 3rd party dev putting any app up there, we have that situation on our phones and it turns into a mess of crappy apps. Then you go on to say how I'm calling HBO Go, Hulu, and so on crappy when those are, as by your own words "big players" and it's "stupid".

Nice going there Boz, not that I expected much.

[Boz]

You're really having trouble understanding what I'm saying it seems. You say "Right now they only allow apps from those who partner with Microsoft and are big players which is stupid." In which case I replied that MS doesn't want just any 3rd party dev putting any app up there, we have that situation on our phones and it turns into a mess of crappy apps. Then you go on to say how I'm calling HBO Go, Hulu, and so on crappy when those are, as by your own words "big players" and it's "stupid".

Nice going there Boz, not that I expected much.

And that doesn't make sense because the same argument can be made about developers submitting a bunch of crappy games to XBL Arcade. There is no difference. Apps, just like games can be crappy or not its up to you to download apps you like. That's why app marketplace exists on XBL. And I fail to see what kind of mess is with apps on phones? If anything its a technological revolution that everyone loves. We use apps for anything you can imagine and one of the reasons is the experience and simply put apps are far better, faster and user friendly experience over web sites. On top of everything MS can very well curate apps going on xbl just like apple does.

Instead they are pushing a browser that makes zero sense on a console. I'm sure many ps3 owners never turned their browser on it or if they did they did it like a few times and most likely forgot about it. I know I did.

[George P Global Moderator]

And that doesn't make sense because the same argument can be made about developers submitting a bunch of crappy games to XBL Arcade. There is no difference. Apps, just like games can be crappy or not its up to you to download apps you like. That's why app marketplace exists on XBL. And I fail to see what kind of mess is with apps on phones? If anything its a technological revolution that everyone loves. You apps for anything you can imagine. On top of everything MS can very well curate apps going on xbl just like apple does.

Instead they are pushing a browser that makes zero sense on a console. I'm sure many ps3 owners never turned their browser on it or if they did they did it like a few times and forgot about it.

You're arguing for them to open it up more to 3rd parties instead of the controlled inclusion of apps that they're doing now which I think is not needed for a console which is to play games and consume media. Even XBLA titles are controlled, not just anything can be a XBLA game. Having a custom version of IE on Xbox doesn't impact things at all, but let a number of sub-par apps in like is the case with phones and it turns into a mess. I'd much rather MS control what apps make it into the system than have a loose certification process that's more show than anything else just to boast about app numbers in a marketplace.

You say a browser isn't needed on the system yet at the same time you call for them to let 3rd parties release what they want? At least with a version of IE on there you can, in theory, access the web version of content services that don't have an app on the system, which many are out there and which many will never make an app for the Xbox anyways. It's place, while limited in use for many does, in my mind, make sense. There's quite a few local radio stations that I can listen to via a browser that will NEVER make a app for the Xbox for example that I can, if it works, now listen to via the browser if I wanted to.

[marketZZ]

They could be, otherwise why hasn't anyone done one yet? We have all these other apps like FB, Twitter and the youtube app now so what's going on? I think it takes access to some pretty lower level code to make a browser like IE9 run on it, and even then it's not the real IE9 we have out now, they say modified so who knows what that means.

It's probably harder to do and MS isn't going to give just anyone access to what's needed I bet.

no one have done it yet because not a lot of people would browse on xbox. its a gaming console and even if they make its not worth it.

"takes access to some pretty lower level code to make a browser like IE9 run on it" Thats just your assumption. if it can run complex games it can run a browser. its not like browsers need special permission to run. it can run standalone. still dont understand what those lower level codes you are talking about. like what? its a browser

[HawkMan]

no one have done it yet because not a lot of people would browse on xbox. its a gaming console and even if they make its not worth it.

"takes access to some pretty lower level code to make a browser like IE9 run on it" Thats just your assumption. if it can run complex games it can run a browser. its not like browsers need special permission to run. it can run standalone. still dont understand what those lower level codes you are talking about. like what? its a browser

Actually it's not just an assumption, games use the xbox api's to access internet functions and such. these are specific for gaming, browser would not only need the correct api calls that may not be possible, it would also have to be accepted by MS

[MightyJordan]

I guess Mozilla and google Opera will complain that MS isn't letting them put their browsers on the Xbox to now then ;)

FTFY. ;)

[(Spork)]

http://www.gucomics.com/comic/?cdate=20120511

[Alwaysonacoffebreak]

FTFY. ;)

Since when did Opera complain about not getting to build their brower to a certain device? You mad?

[MightyJordan]

Since when did Opera complain about not getting to build their brower to a certain device? You mad?

Balls, I read it wrong. :p I was thinking of back when Opera kept complaining that Microsoft were "forcing" people to use IE on Windows and ended up implementing the "browser ballot" here in the EU.

[Alwaysonacoffebreak]

Balls, I read it wrong. :p I was thinking of back when Opera kept complaining that Microsoft were "forcing" people to use IE on Windows and ended up implementing the "browser ballot" here in the EU.

Well yeah that was a childish move but lately I haven't seen any complaints from Opera. It's just Mozilla and Google doing the moaning at MS what MS should and should not do with their software/hardware.