PCEngineFans.com - The PC Engine and TurboGrafx-16 Community Forum

Non-NEC Console Related Discussion => Console Chat => Topic started by: Joe Redifer on March 01, 2008, 08:17:37 PM

Title: Web Browsers on Video Game Consoles
Post by: Joe Redifer on March 01, 2008, 08:17:37 PM
I figure I'd post my comparison of the Saturn Netlink, Dreamcast, Wii and Playstation 3 web browsers.

http://www.the-magicbox.com/forums/showthread.php?p=464447#post464447

Why browse with a computer when you can browse with a console instead?
Title: Re: Web Browsers on Video Game Consoles
Post by: MissaFX on March 01, 2008, 09:09:54 PM
What about the PSP and DS?  Both of these majorly supported handhelds can browse the web.
Title: Re: Web Browsers on Video Game Consoles
Post by: Joe Redifer on March 01, 2008, 09:51:40 PM
They were probably omitted since the article was about consoles. 
Title: Re: Web Browsers on Video Game Consoles
Post by: esteban on March 02, 2008, 12:58:58 AM
I figure I'd post my comparison of the Saturn Netlink, Dreamcast, Wii and Playstation 3 web browsers.

http://www.the-magicbox.com/forums/showthread.php?p=464447#post464447

Why browse with a computer when you can browse with a console instead?
Joe, I enjoyed every pixel of your review. I even appreciated the screenshots you took (self-references and TG-16 references)! Ha!

Pure delight.
Title: Re: Web Browsers on Video Game Consoles
Post by: Kitsunexus on March 02, 2008, 05:25:24 AM
Why browse with a computer when you can browse with a console instead?

Because I like keyboard and mouse, a browser with plugins and upgrades, the ability to watch Youtube videos without them sucking (I am speaking graphics-wise, not content-wise), being able to minimize the browser and doing something else, etc...

Also, never EVER depend on portable game browsers (or even HTML-capable mobile devices). I was sitting in a Burger King out of town two days ago, and due to some financial troubles, I needed to check my bank account online for an itemized list of transactions, no computer in sight. Luckily (or so I thought) I had charged my PSP and brought it with me. When I FINALLY manage to type in my password and username in (you may think it's short on PC, but PSP makes it feel 10x longer) I was greeted by my bank telling me that they do not support my browser, so I was left to getting all my receipts and adding them up on my cellphone calculator. >_<
Title: Re: Web Browsers on Video Game Consoles
Post by: nodtveidt on March 02, 2008, 06:41:57 AM
Kitsu, that's just your bank being a twat. Bank website developers are usually shitheads in college, doing an internship and getting a bank page job (which they won't be paid for). Said college gets grants from Microsoft, and the website in question requires IE because of it...probably built in Frontpage, using all kinds of illegal IE extensions like this one.
Title: Re: Web Browsers on Video Game Consoles
Post by: Kitsunexus on March 02, 2008, 07:34:28 AM
Kitsu, that's just your bank being a twat. Bank website developers are usually shitheads in college, doing an internship and getting a bank page job (which they won't be paid for). Said college gets grants from Microsoft, and the website in question requires IE because of it...probably built in Frontpage, using all kinds of illegal IE extensions like this one.

https://www.wellsfargo.com/ < looks pretty pro to me.
Title: Re: Web Browsers on Video Game Consoles
Post by: guyjin on March 02, 2008, 07:47:47 AM
your free cash for being awesome is in the mail.
Title: Re: Web Browsers on Video Game Consoles
Post by: nat on March 02, 2008, 08:05:51 AM
Wait a minute. The Wii browser costs money? That must be new-- when I got my Wii I didn't have to pay anything, I don't think. Or are they charging my account as I type?
Title: Re: Web Browsers on Video Game Consoles
Post by: Mobius on March 02, 2008, 08:56:21 AM
Wait a minute. The Wii browser costs money? That must be new-- when I got my Wii I didn't have to pay anything, I don't think. Or are they charging my account as I type?

There was a freebie period, which is over now.  If you downloaded it while it was free, it's free forever.  But if anyone downloads it now for the first time, there's a charge.
Title: Re: Web Browsers on Video Game Consoles
Post by: Black Tiger on March 02, 2008, 09:14:54 AM
I'm pretty sure that there was at least one newer browser for the Saturn Netlink, I belive that the major new feature it had was supporting frames. I was able to actually play a few sound files I found online with the Netlink.

The Netlink was my first access to the internet, which I used for years until I got a Dreamcast which I surfed with for about a year until I finally got my first computer.
Title: Re: Web Browsers on Video Game Consoles
Post by: Joe Redifer on March 02, 2008, 11:57:18 AM
Ha ha, now I remember that new "frames" feature.  Oh man!  I also remember playing very limited sound files (usually AIFF, I think) on the Netlink and DC browsers.  Netlink pissed me off since I was an AOL member and could not use that as my ISP, so I had to go with crappy Concentric.
Title: Re: Web Browsers on Video Game Consoles
Post by: ceti alpha on March 02, 2008, 01:02:43 PM
Ha! I just finished talking about the issues with browsing youtube on the Xbox in another thread.

Sucks that Nintendo is charging for the youtube service now.  [-(
Title: Re: Web Browsers on Video Game Consoles
Post by: SignOfZeta on March 02, 2008, 03:06:32 PM
I'm pretty sure that there was at least one newer browser for the Saturn Netlink, I belive that the major new feature it had was supporting frames. I was able to actually play a few sound files I found online with the Netlink.

The Netlink was my first access to the internet, which I used for years until I got a Dreamcast which I surfed with for about a year until I finally got my first computer.

Yeah, you could either get the newer version by booting the original and then upgrading from Planet Web's site every time you used it (makes an already slow system even slower) or by getting it on a CD from Planet Web. It was definitely better than the original, but probably wouldn't work with %90 of today's websites.

Does anyone know what browser was used in Japan, if any? The Netlink was marketed there as XBand, and I have the hardware, as well as some of the software, but I'm not sure I ever saw an actual Japanese web browser for Saturn before.

BTW, the only web browser on a console I can see using these days is Opera on Wii simply because of all the time I've pissed away watching Youtube on the Wii. Something about the Wiimote and Youtube...they just go perfectly together.
Title: Re: Web Browsers on Video Game Consoles
Post by: _joshuaTurbo on March 02, 2008, 03:38:26 PM
Awesome review!!!!  I'm Actually pictured in two of his pics!

Can you guess which ones?

I wish I could have tried the Saturn Net Link back in the day...
Title: Re: Web Browsers on Video Game Consoles
Post by: Turbo D on March 02, 2008, 04:50:15 PM
ps3 internet rulez! You can easily download pronos to ur hdd for later viewing. None of the other systems offer that, lol  :P
Title: Re: Web Browsers on Video Game Consoles
Post by: nat on March 02, 2008, 04:56:31 PM
My computer does.
Title: Re: Web Browsers on Video Game Consoles
Post by: Joe Redifer on March 02, 2008, 05:27:56 PM
No, you only think it does.  Console web browsing > PC web browsing.  Al Gore had consoles in mind when he invented the internet.
Title: Re: Web Browsers on Video Game Consoles
Post by: td741 on March 03, 2008, 12:37:54 AM
Joe:  Just to let you know, with an updated system software, you can use a USB keyboard with the Wii and the browser (and mail system).  You can't use the keyboard to control the browser (you need the Wiimote for that) but you can use a keyboard anytime that dreaded wii-pointer keyboard shows up. :P
Title: Re: Web Browsers on Video Game Consoles
Post by: guyjin on March 03, 2008, 03:15:49 AM
Joe:  Just to let you know, with an updated system software, you can use a USB keyboard with the Wii and the browser (and mail system).  You can't use the keyboard to control the browser (you need the Wiimote for that) but you can use a keyboard anytime that dreaded wii-pointer keyboard shows up. :P

SWEET! I must try it!
Title: Re: Web Browsers on Video Game Consoles
Post by: ceti alpha on March 03, 2008, 05:13:38 AM
Quote
SWEET! I must try it!

Agree. I think i would like this set up.
Title: Re: Web Browsers on Video Game Consoles
Post by: td741 on March 03, 2008, 05:18:00 AM
There are some things that I would hope that they'd fix int he near future:
1- being able to navigate the webpage with the cursor keys and "tab".
2- when you want to exist "typing" you still need to grab the wii-mote and hit the "ok" button.  It would be nice if we could type in enter, ctrl-enter or something else as a keyboard short-cut.
Title: Re: Web Browsers on Video Game Consoles
Post by: Joe Redifer on March 03, 2008, 11:16:57 AM
I think it is very limited keyboard support.  My Wii downloaded an update when I powered up my Wii to write the review.  I had not powered on my Wii for many months beforehand.  After the update and the reboot, I plugged in the same USB keyboard I use with my PS3.  Nothing.  It wouldn't even let me type in text fields.  I think it probably only works with a few specific brands.  Not sure why they couldn't write a simple universal driver like SOny did.  Lame effort, but then again it is Nintendo... so all of their efforts are lame.