Does 360 Have a Web Browser?

[The 1 2 P]

I can't seem to find an answer to this question. I know that the Wii and PS3 have web browsers but does the Xbox 360 have one?

[icbrkr]

Nope, no web browser.

[JunkTheMagicDragon]

in four words: no

[The 1 2 P]

K, thanks guys.

[c0ldb33r]

I have no idea why they've excluded a web browser. They never released on for the original xbox either. It never made sense to me.

[Kid Ice]

Makes sense to me....all they would get from doing it is incompatibility headaches. And something else for people to do with their machine instead of playing demos and buying games.

[aclbandit]

There's also two words to describe the horror that can happen when Microsoft does a web browser:

Internet Explorer.

Enough said, really...

[heybtbm]

2 years ago, I remember reading an interview with Peter Moore (or some other MS bigshot at the time) that addressed this exact issue. He said they had no plans for integrating the 360 with the internet because of virus issues. They have a "closed" system with XBL and they didn't want to "open" it with internet access.

This interview is probably somewhere in the Kotaku archives. I'm too lazy to find it now.

[jcalder8]

I have no idea why they've excluded a web browser. They never released on for the original xbox either. It never made sense to me.
I've never used a system to browse and I've never understood why someone would want/need to, so it makes sense to me.

[Leo_A]

Why not include one? I enjoy using the Wii's browser or the PS3's browser to lay back and watch videos off YouTube or Hulu. Not hard to understand why someone might enjoy it, just have to use a little imagination. Something as simple as say wanting to check your email after playing a game for a hour, you can do it right on your consoler rather than getting up, starting your PC, and waiting for it to load.

[Steve W]

But then the Xbox and Xbox 360 are both based around variants of the Windows operating system (are they still using Windows CE?), and you know how secure those are against viruses and malware. The 360 has enough problems with it's hardware failure issues, they don't need pop-up spam ads for penis enlargement in the middle of games to make things worse.

[Kid Ice]

Why not include one? I enjoy using the Wii's browser or the PS3's browser to lay back and watch videos off YouTube or Hulu.

Yeah, why doesn't Microsoft want people to just lay back and watch free videos on their console instead of paying for games and content?

[ProgrammingAce]

But then the Xbox and Xbox 360 are both based around variants of the Windows operating system (are they still using Windows CE?),

Xbox1 was a branch of the Win2K kernel, heavily modified. The 360 was essentially built from scratch.

Ignore viruses, unless someone figures out a way to run unsigned code on the 360, a virus is impossible.

There are a few reasons MS left a web browser out, not the least of which were legal issues. Microsoft was sued by the attorney's general of several states (and currently the european union) for bundling their browser with Windows. Integrating a browser with the 360 and not allowing 3rd parties to do the same would likely be a violation of the agreements they entered into after that case.

Asside from that, allowing an internet allows hackers another avenue to attempt to break into the system. The first hacks for the PSP were created by using a flaw in the PSP's web browser for rendering TIFF images. Using that initial attack, hackers were able to learn enough about the system over the years to completely decimate any hope of security on that system.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

If they made a web browser for the 360 and your console RROD'ed you'd probably have to use their license migration tool to use your bookmarks, cookies, and stored website passwords on your new 360.

[BHvrd]

If they made a web browser for the 360 and your console RROD'ed you'd probably have to use their license migration tool to use your bookmarks, cookies, and stored website passwords on your new 360.


http://www.smashsworld.com/uploads/errorxpmsg.jpg

[Sothy]

Im more interested in a DS web browser.

[zektor]

I've never used a system to browse and I've never understood why someone would want/need to, so it makes sense to me.

I guess it is not a matter of if you use it or not, but really just giving you the option to. It is well in the capacity of the machine to do so. And personally, I like to browse the net on a non-PC every now and then. I was telling myself that a browser was sure to be released on the 360 two years ago....and now still with nothing I have to think it will just never happen.

[Steve W]

And, for example, what if your computer crashes? Maybe it's the only one you own. It would always be nice to have another machine that can access the internet and research the problem. A web browser for a game console isn't really necessary, but it can come in useful.

I used to surf the web on my Dreamcast. I had a computer to do that with, but it was still interesting to do it on a game console, and also download upcoming game videos from Sega's web site. I had an account with a free dial-up ISP for it, which wasn't fast enough for online gameplay, but fine for websurfing. You configured it properly and you didn't have to use their banner ad software, which worked pretty nice for a little under a year until they went out of business.

[Sudo]

Im more interested in a DS web browser.

The DS does have a web browser you can buy, and the DSi has one built in.

[roushimsx]

And, for example, what if your computer crashes? Maybe it's the only one you own. It would always be nice to have another machine that can access the internet and research the problem.

What, you don't keep self bootable linux distros handy or a BartPE build of Windows XP just in case? Or do you mean like when you have a hardware failure that you want to troubleshoot but you don't know how?

[shopkins]

They should have included a little more Web functionality when they bundled Netflix streaming into NXE. The way it is now you have to get up, go to your computer and search for movies there, then add them to your instant queue before they will show up on your Xbox. If you don't have access to a PC you simply can't add any movies. It's annoying. I guess a full browser wouldn't be necessary for this, but you'd need some browser-like elements.

[Solertia]

Short answer: No.
Long answer: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

[jcalder8]

Short answer: No.
Long answer: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
Thank you "Yahtzee"

[c0ldb33r]

Im more interested in a DS web browser.
Opera released one. It sucked. It was terribly slow at rendering pages.

[The 1 2 P]

Wow, I didn't know this was still going on. Anyway, I wanted to know because I have to take my laptop in for a repair. While I was hoping it would take a few days it may actually take a week or two. And I'm about to get a 360 anyway so I thought I'd kill two fanboys with one bar of soap. But looks like that bar of soap wasn't strong enough. But I'll manage.

[rbudrick]

Hah! Newbs.

Teh reel hardcor3 playaz no u hav 2 hav enuff Achievemtn pts to unlock the browser.

-Rob