PS5 Doesn't Have a Web Browser

Sony is taking notes from Nintendo

ones to dl from the store?

Who cares, did anyone ever use the ps4 one? I doubt it will be that much

More i read bout Sony PS5 the more I see its not ready and inferior to PS3 & PS4 in features. Gimped machine.

@huyi
I know plenty of people that did. But that's besides the point. The PS5 is starting to look like a beta product at this point with so much missing that the PS4 can already do.

It may suprise you to learn I have many technophobe friends who refuse to own a computer or a smartphone so the PS browser was something they needed.

This really sucks.

I'd have liked to watch some streaming services available in-browser only, as I currently do on my ps4pro

While this initially appears another odd decision by Sony I cant think of any time since the Dreamcast that I've ever used a web browser on console unless forced to in order to sign in/create an account for a game. I want my console to play games - I have a tablet and phone to browse the internet

whilst its another example of a feature lost it doesnt seem a big deal to me, generally far easier to grab my phone. I may be wrong though, some may find it important

Never used the one on ps4. A phone is faster.

Meh I didn’t use it anyways on PS4, but hey I did on PS3! You guys remember being able to download music, videos, pictures and hell even movies onto the PS3 via the Web Browser? Good times.

Made quite a bit of use of the PS4 one as it's handy to hop out of a game and onto the web browser to search for clues, and then hop back into the game all without powering anything on and not having to stop what you're playing.

This is why I'm not going to be an early adopter of the PS5 and will leave it until firmware 2.0 is released and stable.

I do use the browser on my PS4. I'm even more concerned about the inability to store games on external HDD like the XSX with that limited 665GB SSD free space. Makes the digital PS5 look extremely inconvenient since now you'd have to rely on physical copies to store games, so much for "digital future". The whole thing feels rushed a bit.

The PS3 and PS4 browsers were slow, janky nightmares for me, so this is no big loss. I'm a little surprised to see that so many people used it, so this sucks for them.

If I had to guess it's related to webkit based exploits on previous consoles.

The PS4 browser is Garbage.

Rather keep the 3 megs of storage than awful preinstalled bloatware.

@get2sammyb I understand they want people to use Game Help but is there any negatives to including one? A cost thing? I'm probably missing something but it seems having a browser is a nicety without a major drawback.

Probably Sony's reputation as being the platform holder with the largest userbase that accessed a certain hub of adult material from the playstation browser was something they wanted to move away from next gen

Or exploits. One or the other 😅

https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2019/12/playstation_players_are_still_gamings_biggest_wnkers

@pepsilover2008 yup, i was just about to make the same observation. vita, ps3 and ps4 were hacked via web browser exploits. i don't think most people would miss the feature anyways.

Oh no whatever shall we do? Out of the things missing at launch this one is a complete non issue

This seems like a cynical move to avoid the potential future use of streaming Xbox games via a PlayStation browser. Microsoft are planning to circumnavigate the apple ban by having it streaming from the web, so I think Sony are stopping that by removing the internet altogether. Seems a heavy handed decision if you ask me. To think my PS3 could surf the web, play CD's and everything...

For those questioning the use of the web app, even on PS4 it was very handy for certain games to have a map of missing collectables open on the web app and switch back and forth to cross off the last few items.

@huyi yes I did quite alot. So does my son.

@huyi You not using it translates to all of us not using it, okay 🤷

Thank goodness. Nothing worse than when a game wants to sign into their site and you've got to the fight the browser UI.

This is a ***** move by Sony. I actually used the web browser alot. Me and my friend used to party up and watch films together on the browser which we perfectly synced together. Helped alot during this Pandemic and the closure of Cinemas. And while being unable to meet up and watch together in one house. Bummer 😕

I actually use it a bit. This is clearly some sort of mistake though given the review units contain clear references to it.

This is kind of a big blow to me. I used it to watch Anime on my TV through the Internet browser.

Oh well, there goes pornhub 😆

Meh not a big deal

@MoGulfraz i suspect Sony plan for people to do the same thing via the media tab with the picture in picture mode. Obviously you are then restricted to using the pay per view apps and YouTube but that would be my guess.

Any references to a browser probably mean when manuals, help links, ect take you to a webpage

@huyi

I actually used mine pretty frequently.

Why would they put a web browser in there?

@nessisonett I hope you're right because I use the browser a lot it would suck not having one on PS5

I know the PS4 browser had issues but I watched sport quite a lot through my PS4 aswell as AEW and Smackdown from time to time which worked like a charm on a big screen.

A very strange omission imo but I guess that's a reason to keep the PS4 around for a bit.

@Optimusprime706 Is that your reaction to everything? "Hey Sony just removed support for all TV's on PS5...meh big deal" Lol

@TheArt that is something they need to fix very quickly and its weird how they said they are exploring solutions, as if they never even thought about it until now

@sanderson72
You are upset that you won't have a web browser to search for game hints?

Hmmm... I know it's a truly niche issue, but I use it on the PS4 to login to hotel internet when I'm on work trips.

Maybe this means it'll just be an installable application instead of built-in.

No more watching naughty vids 🤣

Hardly worth it to put a web browser on a console, when you can browse the web on other devices.

With other devices, you can put adblock on, you can't on a console.

It's a game console, so it really doesn't need these apps in the first place.

i believe they try to avoid their product to fall into general computing device regulations..clever move.

A lot of news coming about PS5 won't have this, PS5 won't support that.
What a nice way to sell a product.

I’d guess it’s been removed for security reasons. Browsers are common attack vectors.

At this point I just wish Sony would’ve went with Microsoft’s approach and just launch with the same OS with some additional features. Clearly this year has proven difficult for Sony to launch PS5. They didn’t learn their lesson with PS4 ... luckily it plays PS4 games at launch.

@Juanalf seeing that Sony makes tv that’s just a dumb thing to say and when the issue doesn’t concern me yea that’s my reaction no need of crying about something that’s not that big of a deal if you wanna watch porn watch it on your phone like all the other Americans

@huyi My PS4 browser is in the folder lovingly named "crap" with all the bloatware. I'm with you on this one, it's 2020 and everyone old enough to own a PS4 has a smartphone which is about 250 times more user friendly.

Ok this is just stupid. Like, very flipping stupid. No web browser? What exactly DOES this thing do? I know the games are what matters most but yo this thing is a freakin skeleton right now. Its doing the complete opposite of what Microsoft is doing right now. This explains why they took so long to show off the system. THERE WAS NOTHING TO SHOW OFF

Bummer, I use the PS4 browser all the time, posting this with it. I have crap eyesight so having a web browser on a 55 inch screen is perfect for me. Saves having to put my glasses on to squint at a tiny phone screen.

@KnightRider1982 - Disable javascript in the PS4 browser to block adverts. You'd be surprised how many websites function perfectly fine without js enabled.

People only ever moaned about the browsers on PS3 and PS4 anyway, so no great loss.

@huyi I watched my very legal anime on the ps4,through the browser...

I've never ever used it but still dumb for it to be completely gone

Pornhub will not be pleased

I know some people make use of the browser but if I am being honest I would prefer my gaming console didn't come with a browser.

I am way more concerned with the inability to transfer games saves and ps5 games to external devices. It sounds like they are investigating add those things on in future updates though.

There are some other things I am disappointed in but are hardly deal breakers for me like the loss of themes and the somewhat disappointing implementation of backwards compatibility. Honestly, if Microsoft hadn't done such an amazing job with backwards compatability, I probably would have been happy with what Sony has done.

Compared to those things, the loss of the browser seems pretty inconsequential. Especially since I see it as a benefit, personally.

Don’t care. I’m sure very very few people Have ever used it and the browser is almost always the source of hacking/jailbreak. No wonder they want to remove it. After they sell the console at a loss, the last thing they want is the piracy.

@Shigurui there are a lot more user friendly ways if you have poor eyesight. There are accessibility options in every OS these days. You can even mirror your phone on TV. I mean it is a lot worse when you input search using the PS4 on screen keyboard (sitting at least 2-3 feet away).

People have already commented about how this is a security issue and there may be third party browsers available.

This is a smart move from Sony, let browser manufacturers like Mozilla, Google and Brave release browsers and keep them up to date along with all the other platforms they support. The already have to keep abreast of the latest CVEs and each has their own approach which users are already familiar with from Windows, OSX, Android etc

Realistically, that's good. The PlayStation browsers have always been pretty crappy and security nightmares.

DON'T YALL HAVE PHONES?

@get2sammyb the browser sucks on PS4, but I used it from time to time. Again, I wouldn't jump the gun on a feature that's lost, this will likely come in a firmware update if it's not available at launch. Especially since its in the menu already of pre-launch units.

I literally never used the PS4's web browser. Just use your phone!

Not gonna be a deal breaker to me cause I've never cared to use the web browser on a console. Especially when they are slow as hell.

@mrbone - I use OS accessibility options like bold/large text but the PS4 browser as is suits my needs perfectly. I don't sit anywhere near that close to my TV btw. I could mirror my phone to it but I'd still have to use that tiny keypad. The PS4 virtual keyboard is a lot easier for me to use.

I know I'm in the minority here but the PS4 browser is a must have app for me and not having one on PS5 is a massive downside.

The PS3 browser was a crime too use the same goes for the PS4 browser. If i want hints too look up i just grab my phone its faster and more convenient. If i watch movies i rather stream it through my phone.

Yo, I like my porn on the big screen. Wtf Sony?

By the way, the linked FAQ also lists Housemarque as a first party developer.

I tried them all took me all of 10 seconds to figure out I never want to use them. My PC and PlayStation is connected to my 4k TV. A quick click to change the video source and I am on my PC with a mouse and keyboard for the Web.

Probably for the best. PS4's browser made Windows '98 seem pretty up there

@huyi they actually had a very handy tool, when looking at trophies you could have an option to search for he trophy on the web browser. Was sometimes faster then searching on computer or laptop.

I barely used the browsers on ps3 and ps4 so really dont care.

We all have phones nearby anyway

I used it once when I first got my PS4 and it's still loading the webpage.

I used mine whenever I accidentally launched it. I'm very upset that I will not be able to make that mistake on the PS5 lol

@sanderson72
You have seen that in game hints are a part of the PS5's feature set, right?

@JoshuaTChandler

I used the PS3 browser after Sony implemented video support, but before streaming apps were commonplace (Netflix initially required a disk for streaming due to a marketing tie up by Microsoft). I quit using it once streaming apps become the norm.

I've never intentionally used the PS4 browser, although some games have tried to open it for me.

@ApostateMage
Some say that to this day it is still loading

Can't say I'd miss it. Most mobile phones are much better.

I used the web browser quite a bit in the early days but I found it would make the system unstable after using it, and stopped using the browser after attempting to use it while playing bloodborne, that game did not want to play nice with the web browser.

I barely ever used it, so I'm fine with it. Plus as mentioned, many of us have smartphones and iPhones these days, which perform better. I usually have my laptop near my entertainment center, so it's no biggie.

@Snick27 yeah, ok. Missing a feature barely anybody uses. 🙄🙄🙄

@graysoncharles That's a stretch, but we'll see.

I am a member of Playstation Web Browser User Anonymous. I joined in 2010. We remain anonymous because of those that ridicule those using a console browser.

Why use a PS3 or PS4 browser? The answers are many. One big reason is that those browsers have at times been almost as good or better than using a phone, tablet, or pc.

What the PS5 has or does not have are Sony's decisions. If i purchase a PS5 is my decision.

@Snick27 same here. Hopefully Sony adds one soon.

Cynic paranoid conspiracy theorist in me wants to say this is due to Microsoft anouncing xCloud would be playable over browsers. 😅

Oh great! Now I get to go back to watching bbw porn on my cellphone with a busted screen. Thanks Sony.

Never really used the PS3 or PS4 web browser but saying that the only reason I never used it a lot was because is wasn't very good anyway. Oh well. I am more annoyed about not being able to save PS5 game saves to USB?!?! :-/ But hopefully it will come.

Ehh dont think i used it twice,weird its not there but there's smarterphone and smarter tv

It was literally faster to use the Web browser on my potatoe so no loss

@GADG3Tx87 They're technophobes but they're buying the latest consoles?

@graysoncharles Do you remember the PS4 at launch? It needed a patch to play Blu-Ray movies, and suspend didn't come until a year later. This type of waiting for patches/features is nothing new and not expecting more to get added doesn't make sense, especially when there's evidence of plans for them.

@sadjanken
They've got a phobia concerning the nature of Google and Microsoft spying on people. It's a conspiracy theory that many believe has some truth to it.

I don't think I've ever used it.

@huyi The PS3 and PS4 browsers were garbage, slow, and controlling them with a controller was painful. I don't know anyone that actually used it (although I am sure there are some).

@KnightRider1982 You can easily block all ads and telemetry to all devices connected to your home network (including your home consoles) by setting up Pi-Hole. There are a few things it doesn't block because the ads and content are served from the same domain (like YouTube ads) but for 99.9% of cases, its amazing.

I never used it. I just watched porn on my phone.

Don't worry, it still has a WebKit — for all who use a browser on a console...

Ow the edge
Ow the edge
edge
Microsoft Edge
Oh @get2sammyb, I see what you did there.

Who cares? Like we don't all have 10 other things with browsers within a foot of us at all times.

Revolution not evolution.

Home brew scene back on to surface mount modifications???? Xbox one series X and S has a couple of debugging points , can't wait to see Linux being booted on these.

@Pandalulz so you was going to take your ps5 on a work trip ?

@sadjanken yeah a lot of these comments make no sense whatsoever, from technophobes to guys taking there ps5s away to hotels for a dirty weekend.

First the cloud as the only save backup option, now no browser? Switch just called, and she's asking if PS5 is not qualified as "a true modern console" now.😛

But my own take on it is the same as with Switch - indeed, "don't you guys have phones"?© I've even used PS4 browser once or twice myself, but quickly reaffirmed that looking up info (not just tips, it can be the voice cast for the characters etc) is way better off on a separate screen than having to toggle the contents of the same one.

@lacerz @JoshuaTChandler Yes, I've seen that but third party games such as ESO with their obscure treasure maps and resource locations won't be covered I suspect?

That's why I quite like the (admittedly rather pants) web browser on the PS4 as I can press the PS button to go back to desktop, go into the ESO online pages on the browser, check where I'm headed and then press the PS button to get back into the game.
Without a browser, it's more of a pain to get my phone or the laptop to do what I can do on the console with ease.
Says it in Sammy's review above "and find quick game information while playing". That's exactly it.

Seems a bit tight of Sony not to include one - even if they approached a third party browser (e.g. Mozilla's Firefox) and get a fully supported browser that you can download onto the console if you want to.

@vapidwolf I travel for work where I'm away from home for weeks at a time. I have to do something in my hotel room at night, so I pack my PS4 in my bag and play games on the hotel room TV. In order to connect to the hotel internet to play mutliplayer or watch Netflix, you have to open a web browser to click a Connect button before it will actually let you on the internet (admittedly the only time I ever use the browser). So yeah, in the theoretical situation that I had bothered to pre-order a PS5, I'd probably be taking it on my trip to Florida next week, or the trip to Alabama the week after that, or the trip to Virginia the week after that. But since I didn't, the PS4 will be coming along anyway, just as always.

Not a dealbreaker for me personally (I already pre-ordered the console anyway), but I can see how this is a problem for people that don't have that much money and would want to use the PS5 as an all-in-one sort of machine for doing everything, including some PC things (like checking Facebook or watching YouTube on a bigger screen, etc.).

I was kinda looking forward to toying with the console though, because I like doing random stuff in the web browser like seeing if it can run Google Docs or Skype for Web (the Wii U actually could do that! LOL)

@graysoncharles the storage part is getting future proof so people can't complain if they put an m.2 ssd and it bricks there console who they gonna blame Sony so that's a good thing out of the box the browser part was laggy and not really a place to use it on an gaming system u can do that on the phone or pc or laptop

@get2sammyb it's laggy and why would u use it best places to do it is phone or computer

@Jrose1985
Luckily what the PS5 does have is great games day one and a truly next gen experience in terms of actual gaming.

I used the PS4 browser, so I'm bummed, but I'd rather have a console with real innovation and great launch/year one games than a console that feels like a simple pc upgrade with no new, meaningful games or innovative changes (Series X).

The PS5 has received better reviews than the SX for a reason....it is an innovative gaming system with new games. I'll take that over a browser and day one expandable storage. These things will come over time

@huyi

Honestly, I used it on a semi-daily basis.

Anytime I was in the living room and wanted to stream.....well......well.....well.....well it's not important what I was streaming, but it was used.

I used it because I didn't want to get viruses on my phone. Bye bye heavy-r. com

I have a Samsung tablet now so I don't use the browser as often. That being said I still use it once and a great while. So many games use the browser on PS4. Will these games crash on PS5?

Don't worry love there's a rumour that apparently you'll be able to multitask and use your phone as well as your PS5 so you'll not miss out on those all important football results. 👍🏻

@Cherrywood Can’t you mirror your phone on the TV? Usually I stream my “educational videos” via AppleTV... but I get your pain :/

I actually used the browser to watch premier league games . As the browser on my tv is super slow and I want to watch on a big screen not a phone.

@thiagoauler In the living room, technically don't have a TV, it's a projector. Upside is it means I can play games on a 10 foot movie screen, downside is it's completely dependent on the video signal coming from whatever is plugged into the receiver, which is just the PS4 right now. If they don't update with a web browser on PS5 then when I move the PS4 into my bedroom I'll move the PS3 into the livingroom and use that like it's 2010. Human nature documentaries on a 10 foot screen....there's nothing like it.

Ps4 browser was so slow. Never used it anyway as it's easier and faster to check something in Internet on my phone or laptop.