While the Xbox One primarily a games console, it also has a great deal more to offer. In a new blog post, Bryan Saftler from the Internet Explorer teams shares some information about accessing the web on your TV. With support for HTML5 and CSS3, opting to browse the web from your console does not mean having to miss out — in fact it could be a better experience than on your desktop computer or laptop.
The name of input methods opens up a new world of opportunities. With voice control, Kinect support, the familiar controller method, or even the Xbox Smartglass app, there are plenty of options to choose from. If you already own an Xbox 360 and have a number of pinned or favorited sites, they will be automatically synced to your new Xbox One.
The blog post highlights some of the new features that have been added to the Xbox One version of Internet Explorer. There’s tabbed browsing, inPrivate browsing for when you want to hide your browsing history, SmartScreen, Cookie blocking, and Do Not Track.
But Internet Explorer is also more versatile than ever before. As well as working in dedicated web browser mode, it can also be run alongside other things — including games. A browser window can be snapped to the side of the screen so you can look something up mid-game, or keep an eye on Twitter while you get on with other things.
Browsing the web without a keyboard is much easier thanks to voice support. All you need to do is say “Xbox, Select” and you’ll be presented with a list of voice commands. Gestures can be used to navigate around the screen, but voice recognition is a quick and easy way to access pinned sites.
Only a few more days to go, and you can try out Xbox One browsing for yourself!
