Early benchmark tests have shown that the Wii U's web browser is surprisingly good at handling HTML5 - better than Microsoft's Internet Explorer 10 on PC, in fact.
The data posted on HTML5test.com shows the following info:
- Wii U browser – 323 + 8
- Internet Explorer 10 – 320 + 6
- Chrome 22 – 434 + 13
- Xbox 360 Internet Explorer 9 – 120 + 5
- Nintendo 3DS NetFront – 109 + 0
- iOS 6 Safari – 486 + 9
The main figure is the base test score, and the plus points relate to how well each browser handles peripheral web elements - such as audio and video.
What does this mean? Well, seeing as the Wii U browser isn't finished yet (it's still listed as being in beta), it's hard to be sure that these figures guarantee a top-notch web experience - but it's certainly a positive sign.
[source venturebeat.com]
Comments 48
Im really glad to hear its coming out great seeing that i will be using the browser a lot.
A good console browser?
Woah.
I'm surprised the iOS Safari is so high.
I don't use browsers on home consoles, but the Wii U might change that.
Sounds good.
I usually wouldn't use consoles or handhelds or anything to browse the Internet, but considering I'll basically always have the GamePad sitting with me while watching TV or anything in my lounge it could provide a decent alternative to my somewhat dodgy laptop.
Excellent news. I could really see the Gamepad being a great way to surf the interwebz now.
Weird 3DS browser, that high? Honestly if they can 3DS browser may need a update and doesn't PS3 have a browser?
Actually 3DS browser is too bad.
If this can play videos and everything else that the 3ds lacks I'll know what my new browser is.
That's nice, but I'll probably only use it to check guides or hints if I get stuck in a game anyway. It definitely has potential though, having a easy to use keyboard right on the controller is a huge benefit by itself.
@R-L-A-George Yes it does and from what I remember it work fairly well!
People will vinally stop complaning about my broken keys on my laptop. Thank you vor waiting out the pain.
thats great and all but the thing i hate about the browsers like the 3ds and xbox one is you can even see videos -.- not even something like youtube thats popular come on... i do like my 3ds browser so just the controls for it is smooth could be better though cuz at times i get that message saying "failed to load page" =/
Sadly, when the 720 comes out, it'll probably cream the wii u's browser and all the microsoft fanboys will be rubbing it in our face. But at least we'll be enjoying other much better games besides shooters!
Nice, can't wait for a console browser that loads faster than one page a minute(or less)
Good for who likes online and good for the TVii feature.
Very nice. Probably won't use it much, but it's still a great feature.
I didn't even know the 3DS had HTML5!
Nice to hear for something that's a supposed gimmick for games consoles, especially seeing as you can browse using the GamePad while multitasking. It'll also make the Deluxe digital promotion process a lot easier.
But still, I can't say I'm all that surprised it serves better than IE10; I mean, this is Internet Explorer we're talking about. Even programmed dog poop should be able to run HTML5 better than IE.
@R-L-A-George They did not include the ps3 browser in this test.
For those of you who think you won't be using this, having a tablet for Internet browsing is pretty much the best case scenario in most situations. Good to know that Nintendo is taking it seriously.
As for Safari on iOS performing so well, don't forget that it was the browser that pushed HTML5 the most because it didn't support Flash from the beginning. iOS and Apple devices are pretty much the reason HTML5 is as far along as it is right now.
One of my favorite features of the iPad and an Apple TV hooked up to the TV is that it's super easy to share what you're viewing with other people. Nintendo has already showed that they want to use this type of feature way early. I bet we hear more about this in the coming weeks.
I probably won't use the Wii U's web browser that much but its good to know that its far better than the one on the Wii.
It's webkit based, so it should provide excellent browsing capabilities. Not sure it'll beat my ipad though.
Interesting... Looks like I'll be testing my Wii U's internet capabilities for a bit. Anything will be better than my cruddy Wii browser.
Now if they could update the 3ds browser...
Cool I guess. I don't know how much I will use it but good to know it is there.
Even though I am not too keen on getting a Wii U early, the news I've heard about it now is tempting me.
@triforcepower73
As long as it continues to use Internet Explorer, then no, it won't. Far from it.
So now I can go on Nintendolife all while playing my Wii U?
It's weird that not one browser actually fully supports every function. I get 434 + 8 with Chrome on PC. The Xbox one isn't surprising, when I run IE9 on PC I get 138.
Where's PS3? I don't really care about PC internet browsers being compared to this actually... Were talking about game systems here. I would have rather heard how the PS3 stands up(probably in the 200's + 8-10), than PC web browsers. Besides, the Wii U has the Gamepad and you can search the internet on while pausing your game, which obviously a PC cant do, and I guess if you have a tablet, internet exploer or whatever iOS your're using won't be accesible from Xbox 360 internet with SmartGlass. Any word on someone being able to play a VC game on one Gamepad, while the other person is playing a Wii U game? I think the gamepad should be able to play even Netflix, and a VC game, and someone playing a Wii game all at once with the 3 screens at play.
Another bit of great news for the awesome Wii U. If it launches with this browser, there's no excuse for that piece of crap in the 3DS...
Even if I don't know what any of those numbers mean, I'm psyched to open up those red velvety curtains and let my living room guests see .... something!
http://www.html5test.com is more of a compatibility test than a "benchmark". For a benchmark, http://www.webkit.org/perf/sunspider/sunspider.html is probably more useful even though it only tests javascript.
I used my Wii's web browser a ton when I was in undergrad for watching YouTube and streaming vids from my PC using Orb.
It better be fast, on a machine that's designed for "next gen" Graphics/animation with a tablet controller. We can only hope the design is better than the opera junk we have now on Wii.
Well the Wii U has 1 gb of ram JUST for the operating system. This browsers not going to suffer from the slowness and out of memory errors that plagued the Wii one.
Its great to see all that its supports!
Cool
love the +0 on the 3sd one. So true
This blows my mind. Console browsers are usually sad, cut-down versions of their PC-version siblings, and Nintendo hasn't exactly made having a feature-rich browser a priority.
Unfortunately, I doubt Nintendo will support all the various plugins required by sites like Youtube, so all that effort spent making it HTML5 compliant is probably not going to be enough for people to switch to using it as their preferred browsing method.
@Ren: That test score has little or nothing to do with speed. It's a rating of how compatible the browser is at handling all of the features of HTML5. Basically they load up a complex page and see if the browser renders it as intended. It's surprising how non-compliant mainstream browsers can be, though Microsoft has made a good deal of effort fixing that since IE6.
It's also worth noting that HTML5 is a new spec that hasn't yet been adopted by most web hosts, so it's perfectly reasonable that current browsers don't support all the bells and whistles yet.
Well just as long as I can get a VPN on there i'll be fine (A VPN is a special program you need to get on certain websites such as youtube when your a American living in China)
I'm disappointed it doesn't have flash. This means it won't be able to stream anime from sites like justdubs.net, goodanime.net, animecrazy.net
@Bryon15 That's a downside, but maybe they will move to HTML5 at some point.
For what it's supposed to be able to do, it BETTER be that good. It is surprising for a console browser though, so good stuff all around.
323 isn't too bad for the Wii U browser, though I doubt I'll use it much. The PS3 web browser is a nightmare to use.
Well, it doesn't take much to outperform Internet Explorer. If it can beat FireFox or Chrome, that would be impressive.
That's good. If only 3DS web browser was as good.
Where is Firefox on this list?
Heh, the Wii U has a higher score than the old Mac I'm working on. I guess it's time to upgrade this 2002 beast!
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