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Switch will not have an Internet browser (at least at launch)

Malakai said:
I'm wondering how will the Switch handle webpage based wifi logins. I lived in a apartment complex where, into register your device, you had to login on a webpage. The apartment complex didn't have the option to add devices MAC address into their wifi service until a year later.
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Maybe it works through the mobile app they're building for online.
 
I can totally accept an "Ah, man..." from those who are disappointed about this news.

Anyone that's pushing into the "fuck Nintendo" territory is borderline insane.

Remember when everyone just wanted their consoles to play video games? How did we get to the point of just because it can, it should? I can probably browse the internet on more things than I'm even aware have the capability - does not make them a good experience. I'd rather something be good than simply acceptable. I'm not saying it doesn't make sense, but it's like bottom tier priority. There's some core stability stuff they really should be focusing on first, especially with everything they're trying to do with this thing. No modern computing platform starts out all wicked, guys...
 
Dremorak said:
When you look at the fact that both wiiu and 3ds have been blown wide open using the web browser, its no wonder why it doesn't have one. Its not "rushed to market", if they wanted it to have one it would.
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And yet, other consoles with web browsers are yet to be "blown wide open". Poor excuse for not including one.
 
No Netflix and no Internet browser at launch is inexcusable. This is primarily a home console and many use their consoles as a home media center as well.
 
jts said:
You can have an account though, and the games are tied to it. But in turn that account is tied to a device... which can be transferred to another device. Unfortunately, not without contacting Nintendo.

Maybe if Nintendo requires creating an account to download games on Switch (they don’t on the previous consoles), we can get that freedom.
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My point is that at the end of the day it's tied to a device and not an account. If the hardware dies, or is stolen, goodbye to said software, understandably that's kinda the point of going digital isn't it? Free from the risks of physical failure? Yet Nintendo has milked their back catalog numerous times on multiple pieces of hardware and digital storefronts.....it's just plain lazy and I'm not giving them another dime till I feel like it'll be the last time I purchase Super Mario World. Case in point....I mean I bought SMW on snes as a kid, again on GBA, Allstars if ya want to count that, Wii, WiiU and 3DS. I mean that is just redonculous that I was stupid enough to buy the same game six times. So who's the bigger idiot here? I guess me....but I'd of bought WAY, WAY more digital VC games if they had a better account system. Nintendo just doesn't do on-line. They've never fully invested or had much interest, so I'm not going to support their weak ass practices moving forward unless they adopt a service that equals or exceeds their competitors.
 
Neonep said:
Damn near the same thing could have been said about the Wii U.
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Not really. Wii U was a flawed concept of a system from the start. Better and consistent post launch software support would have helped a lot but the system was limited from the start by its core design. Its attempts to differentiate itself from the rest of the market only limited its potential userbase, not expand it. The Gamepad wanted to be the Switch, but the tech wasn't there so what we were left with was a terribly compromised system. It was poorly envisioned, poorly designed, poorly marketed and poorly named and expensive in a way that prevented it from ever getting a meaningful price reduction. And it by no means had as strong a first year lineup as the Switch does right now in terms of Nintendo support.

Switch is by no means a slam dunk, but its market position compared to the Wii U at launch is leagues ahead of it. Its core concept is actually compelling and easily understood by the consumer, with an actually elegant and attractive hardware design, a solid name and so far a strong marketing campaign. The price point isn't the best, but it's only a little off what most considered ideal, being $250.
 
The Wii u is my primary Internet browser and media device so the switch ignoring such functions means it isn't getting hooked up to my TV anytime soon.
 
subtlesaysigh said:
Remember when everyone just wanted their consoles to play video games? How did we get to the point of just because it can, it should? I can probably browse the internet on more things than I'm even aware have the capability - does not make them a good experience. I'd rather something be good than simply acceptable. I'm not saying it doesn't make sense, but it's like bottom tier priority. There's some core stability stuff they really should be focusing on first, especially with everything they're trying to do with this thing
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Remember when people just wanted their cars to run?

Remember when people just wanted telephones that could make calls?

Remember when people just wanted dial-up internet?

The world changes, Nintendo does not get a pass. Also, I don't buy that they're doing anything amazing. It's a Tablet with TV/video out and native controller support. Yet it has way less functionality than any tablets from the last few years, or the consoles it's competing with, or even then portable device they already sell.

subtlesaysigh said:
No modern computing platform starts out all wicked, guys...
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It's launching without built-in voice chat, Netflix, or an Internet Browser. It's barely a modern computing platform since even a ghetto smart phone can do all of those things.
 
I'm in no defense of Nintendo's showing thus far, but this- eh whatever. I wouldn't use it for browsing the internet anyways.

Hopefully they're taking Sony's approach of 'games first'.
 
neurosisxeno said:
It's launching without built-in voice chat, Netflix, or an Internet Browser. It's barely a modern computing platform since even a ghetto smart phone can do all of those things.
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Android is an established computing platform, though. Whoever created that ghetto smart phone didn't port any of those apps.
 
badcrumble said:
nearly every person on earth has a smartphone, no? it's fine that the PS4 doesn't have a browser (I used the PS3 browser maybe once) and it's fine that the switch won't have one
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Seriously....You've never seen the "www" tab? I actually do use my ps4 browser quite a bit. It's not bad at all. I also bought a wireless keyboard for it too; to use in my community chats and the browser.

I'll assume you've never used the PS4 communities either?
 
MetalliCabombination said:
The defensiveness in this thread is blowing my mind.
Remember when the same people used to praise wii u for being the best netflix machine?
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Uh... I still use wiiu for netflix more than anything else. :D The touch screen is easy for the kids to use and I like that you can type into the search box with the touch screen
 
In order of importance of extras to have on the console, this would be way down there on the list for me. But yeah, between them not really showing much in the way of specifics on the console plus not having things like video apps, etc ready to go, it just adds to the overall disappointment for people. I don't know how much faith I have in Nintendo in patching things in within a timely manner either.
 
jdmonmou said:
We all know piracy isn't the reason for the lack of a browser. Nintendo is just rushing this out the door before fiscal year end.
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I'd say it's a combination of both. If Nintendo rushes a browser out, that's potentially millions of devices shipping out with a security hole.
 
neurosisxeno said:
PS3 launched with all those features (just remember, Netflix wasn't huge, but they got support asap). Over 10 years ago.
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No, it didn't. Netflix launched in 2007, but was not made available to the Playstation 3 and Wii till 2009. And it was exclusive to the Xbox 360 for over a year.

EDIT: From November 10, 2009: Available Now: Netflix Members can Instantly Watch Movies and TV Episodes Streamed to TVs Via the PlayStation(R)3 Computer Entertainment System

LOS GATOS, Calif., Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Netflix, Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX), the world's largest online movie rental service, today announced that Netflix members can now instantly watch thousands of movies and TV episodes streamed to TVs from Netflix via the PlayStation®3 (PS3(TM)) computer entertainment system. Instantly watching movies streamed from Netflix via the PS3 system is at no additional cost to Netflix members who have a PS3 system.

The partnership between Netflix and PS3 was announced late last month and makes a broad range of entertainment options available to 11.1 Netflix members and close to 9 million PS3 system owners in the United States.
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Netflix members and PS3 system owners can now receive a free instant streaming disc for PS3 systems by going to www.netflix.com/ps3. The instant streaming disc will be delivered for free by first-class mail, generally one business day after members request it.
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Who uses a console browser in the age of smartphones, tablets, and laptops though?? Not a big deal but kinda weird since it's a standard feature on the other two consoles.
 
Its sucks for a lot, but now that Switch has a dedicated share feature it doesn't really bother me because thats all I used the browser for on Wii U. Hopefully the share feature supports .png
 
I mean, i'm sorry for those that had web browser as a major bullet point of wanting a Switch, its sucks. I have never opened the browser on my PS4 or 3DS, used to on my Vita but now everything like that is done through my phone. I'm sure their are going to be the exceptions that pop up that say they have no other consoles, no tablets and no phones in their house and this was going to be their Netflix and browser machine. With everything having apps nowadays including washing machines and refridgerators there reaches a point where I wouldn't even have noticed this was a thing if someone didn't make a thread about it. So while I can understand some people may have really wanted these things, the flip side is households are full of devices that do these things that the majority of people will not care about this. Its not a defense, its just reality.
 
I honestly did not know people use the internet browsers on their consoles really. Every time I have opened the one on the PS4 has been by accident.
 
Suburban Thug said:
Who uses a console browser in the age of smartphones, tablets, and laptops though?? Not a big deal but kinda weird since it's a standard feature on the other two consoles.
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I use my Vita TV browser to watch videos on websites on my TV. This argument about everyone already having a smart device is weak. Consoles have evolved. Video apps and an Internet browser are basic features people expect from a home console since people use them as media centers as well. But I guess it's fine not to have those basic features.. just go and by a chromecast to complement your $300 Switch.
 
deoee said:
Nice software Nintendo :)

I love the downplays across all the news threads...

No voice - "Oh well, I'll just download the app for 2€, I have my phone with me all the time!"
No Video apps - "I have a shit ton of devices for that already! I'll use the Switch only for gaming!"
No 3rd party yet - "I just want to play Nintendo games, Game x/y isn't important!"
No Browser - "eh, who cares?!"
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I know you're making fun of us, but this basically sums up how I feel.
I have a 6" phone on me at all times. That's what I use for Internet/Video.
I'm not much of an online person when it comes to handhelds, so the app thing doesn't bother me.
To me, as long as it has Indie support, that's all the 3rd party support I need. The majority of stuff I play are indie titles.

I don't know. This sounds like a solid argument in my case lol
 
crimsonheadGCN said:
No, it didn't. Netflix launched in 2007, but was not made available to the Playstation 3 and Wii till 2009. And it was exclusive to the Xbox 360 for over a year.
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Yea that's why I corrected my post. After the 360-Exclusivity ended it didn't take long for it to pop up on PS3 and Wii. So the PS3 has had all those features for 7 years. The important thing to remember is;

rekameohs said:
You don't remember the disc you had to buy for PS3 Netflix for years?
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I do. But that was the early solution. They only lasted for a few years, but that was also the early years of Netflix. By now they have figured out how to get Netflix to stream to just about anything connected to the Internet. Pretty sure you can watch Netflix on those new Smart Fridges. I don't buy that somehow it's going to take a long time for them to get Netflix running on Switch for technical reasons, I think it's Nintendo just not caring about that functionality, or trying to stick to a timeline.

Suburban Thug said:
Does anybody know if I can use the PS4 browser with a my keyboard and mouse? It's specifically for the console.
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If you're talking about a KB/M designed for use with the PS4 then yes you can as far as I know. A few people have mentioned such in this thread.
 
I never really understood the point of a browser on consoles other than for a company to just say "we have it". It seems completly needless, especially nowadays whern you have your mobile phone, tablets, PC, all of which provides better functionality for a browser than a console would.

No Netflix is inexcusable however.
 
Lol, even the dreamcast had a Web browser.

The prevailing thought I have about this is 1) Switch is ready for full launch, and call it what you want. It is a soft launch. 2) I wonder if like the Nvidia Shield tablet the battery is optimized for gaming and I wonder if browsing the web, and Media apps like Netflix drain the battery faster than normal.

I do think they both these things come to Switch later.
 
Once again, I'll ask...who's posting in this thread from their console browsers???

Does your current console Internet browser get any use?

We're all posting right now on GAF so I'm presuming we all have other devices available to us to browse the Internet.

So...no big deal.
 
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