For years people have asked when a browser is coming the Xbox, the answer is soon. During their E3 keynote, Microsoft announced SmartGlass which allows you to operate your Xbox using your Windows 8 tablet or Windows Phone. While game and entertainment developers can write applications that make use of the multiple screens we now use while watching TV, one of the more interesting applications is IE.
Internet Explorer on Xbox will work by typing and navigating using a device in your hand, something you’re already comfortable at typing on, and browsing the web on your HDTV. This makes a lot of sense, certainly a lot more than navigating using a controller or requiring a full-size keyboard in the lounge room.
Microsoft said that no-one is currently using a browser on their TV because the experience is clumsy, taking shots at Google TV along the way. The reality is Microsoft themselves have tried for years to get a computer into the living room and if it wasn’t already clear, it is now, that computer is the Xbox.
While Microsoft loosely said that this just works on the ‘tablet I already own’.. in reality the tablet most people already own is the iPad, so either they were being very loose with their words, or there’ll also be iOS support.