Xbox's New Internet Browser Is Out Now, And It's A Huge Improvement

Microsoft has now officially rolled out the new version of Microsoft Edge for Xbox as part of the September 2021 Xbox update, and it's a massive improvement on the old version with a bunch of extra features to take advantage of.

This is the Chromium version of Edge, and that means any issues you might have run into in the past with videos failing to play or certain websites not loading correctly on Xbox should be rectified with the new browser.

Better yet, the new Microsoft Edge finally introduces mouse (and unofficial keyboard) support for the first time on Xbox, so it's now entirely possible to hook up the necessary peripherals and navigate the browser as you would on any PC.

All of this is just the tip of the iceberg, as it's already been discovered, for example, that Google Stadia games can be streamed using the browser. We've tried using Xbox Cloud Gaming via browser and while the games do load with no issues whatsoever, controller support for these games doesn't seem to have been implemented as of yet.

As The Verge highlights, you can also use it to access the web version of Discord if you want to.

Here's what Microsoft has to say about the new version of Microsoft Edge for Xbox:

"Browse the web right from your Xbox console. Just launch the Microsoft Edge app and you can keep up with your favorite sites on the internet, watch videos, and even play games – all without leaving your console."

What Edge on Xbox supports:

  • Watching videos
  • Playing games on certain websites with an Xbox controller
  • Using a mouse
  • Private browsing
  • Cross-platform syncing with your Edge experience on your phone, tablet, or PC while signed in
  • Using a passkey.

Things to keep in mind:

  • Some features that exist on other versions of Edge (like downloads or browser extensions) are not supported on the console version of the browser.
  • Edge can be used to watch videos, but it may run into issues with video playback on various websites, depending on whether those websites use outdated web standards.
  • To get out of gamepad mode when playing a game through Edge, press and hold the Menu button .
  • To change the in-app language in Edge, go to More options (…) in the upper-right corner and then select Settings > Languages.

We don't know about you, but we've been crying out for an improved version of Microsoft Edge on Xbox for years now, and this new version offers massive potential. It'll be interesting to see what Xbox fans can get out of it...

Have you tried the new version of Microsoft Edge on Xbox yet? Let us know in the comments below.

[source support.xbox.com, via theverge.com]