© Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Microsoft has started publicly testing its new Edge Chromium-powered browser on Xbox consoles. Xbox testers in the Alpha Skip-Ahead group can now access the new Microsoft Edge on Xbox One or Xbox Series S / X consoles. While full mouse and keyboard support is still missing, the browser works as you’d expect with an Xbox controller, albeit a little buggy in this initial test version.
The Edge browser automatically updates itself, but you can manually check for and install updates. There are two versions of Microsoft Edge: The original one that came with Windows 10 and the new Microsoft Edge based on open-source Chromium code. How you update your Edge browser depends on which one you have. The new Chromium based Microsoft Edge is finally coming to Xbox consoles, including the new Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Microsoft has opened public testing of the browser, just over a year. The new Microsoft Edge (Chromium) is built on the same underlying technology as Google Chrome to offer world class compatibility and performance for your favorite websites and extensions. It is simple to manage, comes with security and privacy controls you’d expect from Microsoft, and has productivity and accessibility tools for the classroom.
What you need to know Microsoft has debuted the latest iteration of its Microsoft Edge web browser on Xbox consoles. The new Chromium variant of Microsoft Edge supersedes the legacy EdgeHTML. Edge on Xbox is currently based on Chromium 91, which is expected to debut on desktop versions of Edge in May. Microsoft hasn’t revealed when it plans to release this Xbox version, though.
Microsoft Edge Chromium Xbox One Bundle
A Chromium browser on Xbox is a boost for those wanting to access websites through their console. Edge will also now provide access to Google’s Stadia streaming service, thanks to the improved compatibility support with Chromium. It should also improve compatibility with browser-based games, and services like Skype or Discord through the web.
the latest Xbox Alpha skip ahead build includes the Chromium version of Microsoft Edge pic.twitter.com/C34d59UYuJ
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) March 6, 2021This early test version appears to include the same sync engine used across Edge, with support for extensions, vertical tabs, Collections, and most Edge desktop features.
Support for the existing legacy version of Microsoft Edge on Windows desktops ends on March 9th, and Microsoft’s testing of this updated browser suggests it will arrive on all Xbox consoles soon.
The latest Alpha update for Xbox One and Series consoles updates the Microsoft Edge browser to the more recent version based on Google’s Chromium, and players have already found a way to run Stadia.
Back in 2019, Microsoft relaunched its Edge browser, basing it on the work done by Google and other contributors to the Chromium open source project. Eventually, this move gave Windows 10 users a more compatible, stable, and frequently updated browser by default, versus the previous Edge, which used Microsoft’s own EdgeHTML browser engine.
As reported by The Verge, the latest Alpha Skip-Ahead build — an invitation-only preview of an update — for Xbox One and Series consoles are receiving the same Chromium-based Edge browser as seen on Windows, with a bit of improvements for browsing from a controller. For now, there’s no support for a full keyboard and mouse, leaving the Xbox controller to serve those purposes.
Beyond the standard benefits of using a Chromium-based browser, like improved compatibility with web apps, game streaming fans have already begun to dream of the possibilities of the new Edge on a gaming console. In fact, one Stadia fan, @billetviolet, managed to get into the Xbox Alpha Skip-Ahead and was able to play Cyberpunk 2077 in the new Chromium-based Edge.
Between the video itself and a larger discussion happening on the Stadia subreddit, we learn that you’ll need a Stadia Controller to play, as the connected Xbox Controller is serving as the keyboard and mouse for Chromium-based Edge rather than as a gamepad. That said, some reports indicate you need to actually disconnect the Xbox Controller for the Stadia Controller to be properly recognized as “player 1.”
Given the current requirement of a Wi-Fi-enabled controller, it seems only Stadia and Luna will be supported by Edge on Xbox in the short term, though Luna may need to lift some of its stricter device limitations first. Services like Xbox Game Pass’s xCloud streaming — which is set to get a web app soon — and GeForce Now that use your device’s controller will need to wait for Microsoft to tweak Edge to allow your Xbox controller to be properly used as a controller.
To sign up for the Alpha Skip-Ahead update, you’ll need to enroll in the Xbox Insiders Update Preview program and hope you’re sent an invitation to join the test. Otherwise, since this isn’t a preview of the “next” update for Xbox consoles, but instead a “future” update, it will be a few weeks, if not months, before the update to Chromium-based Edge arrives. As Verge notes, Microsoft is dropping support for the older version of Edge on Windows as of tomorrow, so hopefully it won’t be long before Xbox is brought up to date.
Xbox One Microsoft Edge Chromium
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