More people web browse on PS3 than Wii

by Majed Athab { Jan 5th 2009 at 9:30AM }

In addition to PS3's recent and stunning victory over GameCube in terms of "video game console usage," the ebony mammoth also one-ups over Nintendo's current console, Wii. According to statistical data gathered by Market Share, the PS3's internal web browser accounts for 0.04 percent of all internet users while Wii (the only other current gen console to have a browser) only measures up to a 0.01 percent share.

The PS3's free browser is probably one factor which gives it an edge over the Wii's $5 Opera Internet Channel. Unfortunately, as the trifling amounts show, neither system seems to really dent PC's 88.7 percent dominance. We guess people enjoy their game blogs, lol kittehs and pRon the traditional way.

[Via Joystiq via Edge Online]

Tags: internet, ps3, web-browser

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Peloun @ Jan 5th 2009 9:35AM

go ps3!

PSN ID -- TheUnforgivenII @ Jan 5th 2009 9:42AM

Stunning victory, fo'sure!

JaffaBoy @ Jan 5th 2009 9:48AM

May be a silly question... but what is that screen shot of? A PS3 tailored webpage or something?

MATT @ Jan 5th 2009 10:22AM

Yeah, that's the web page the PS3 browser defaults to.

monkeyhousetim @ Jan 5th 2009 10:33AM

Not in Europe it isn't, we don't get anything so useful. Any good PS3 optimised portals recommended? Especially something that makes YouTube usable please.

MakaiOokami @ Jan 5th 2009 2:46PM

Youtube is already completely useable monkeyhousetim. I watch Youtube on PS3 ALL the time. Especially useable if you do it through a media server that's properly configured to where you can download videos direct to hard drive.

Game Trailers works as well. Quit your whining.

tom @ Jan 7th 2009 8:53AM

im on it right now!aswell as youtube try ninjavideo.netthe alternative flash files work fine....well....for 72 mins anyway(megavideo).

KillaChaos @ Jan 5th 2009 7:55PM

Don't forget hulu.

Mickey @ Jan 6th 2009 10:21AM

Hulu is only avaliable in the US.

Nathan-DTS @ Jan 5th 2009 12:29PM

Duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

themediaman @ Jan 5th 2009 2:13PM

Quite the contrary about game blogs. I prefer to watch Zero Punctuation videos full-screen on my TV now that I have a PS3.

I got a Wii after the very, very short period when the browser was free. It's pocket change, but I've never had a reason to pay five bucks for a browser that does a poorer job of rendering on a smaller resolution than my desktop.

flixilplix @ Jan 5th 2009 10:33AM

Once the browser reaches performance levels found on a PC or Mac (Firefox/Chrome/IE), I think we'll see this number rise even more. That coupled with more PS3 owners finally getting around to hooking up that keyboard and mouse will most certainly give it a boost.

tdh004 @ Jan 5th 2009 10:17PM

This shouldn't be a surprise and is pretty much no news. PS3 has far more resources than the Wii, web browser is free on PS3 and costs money on the Wii. (Unless of course you got it for free when it first came out.)

PS3 web browser is actually pretty good now. Runs flash with out much problem, always had easy keyboard support and now the wireless keypad. Wii has added some keyboard support but nothing to be impressed with. Using the onboard keyboard with the Wiimote is annoying, and page loading is slow.

This pretty much falls under a no brainer.

Jose @ Jan 5th 2009 10:35AM

I got a wii like a year ago and the opera browser was not free, so I didn't bother buying it. On my ps3 though I have used the browser quite frequently.

Jon Acheson @ Jan 5th 2009 10:46AM

OTOH, I'd gladly pay $5 to get Opera on the PS3, as the free browser (NetFront, I think) is kind of a POS.

j.howlett @ Jan 5th 2009 11:30AM

it's a version of mozilla i think

Dan Rabot @ Jan 5th 2009 10:48AM

My PS3 is my browser of choice, saves fighting the mrs over the laptop, plus looks sick on my 37" HD LCD.

Don't know who moaned about youtube above -fool.

Youtube is one of the most PS3 freindly sites! Specially since the full screen update. Full screen youtube for the win!

Lars @ Jan 5th 2009 8:12PM

Yeah, browsing is almost as good as a PC, but there are 2 big bonuses to me: TV's are usually bigger than PC screens, and I love the zoom feature.

I used to browse the web on my Wii all the time (got the browser when it was free), but it doesn't look as crisp on my HDTV as the PS3, and scrolling is a bit annoying, and pages are a little slower.

Kyrre @ Jan 5th 2009 10:52AM

In before the usual "But Opera identifies itself as Internet Explorer by default" comments.

j.howlett @ Jan 5th 2009 11:28AM

i use my ps3 alot since my computer is to old and slow to be practical. i just wish more playstation sites would work better on it, it's improved alot since the flash update. i'm using my ps3 now

Fane @ Jan 7th 2009 5:54AM

What he (or she) said.

vandil @ Jan 5th 2009 11:48AM

For some households/gamers, their PS3 or Wii *is* the only computer in the house.

I own both systems and never use the browsers. I can browse the net on my computer or on my phone. But having the console option is nice.

GAME-HERO @ Jan 5th 2009 11:50AM

I just don't understand why it is that people just don't see the VALUE of the PS3 like you and I, It's a shame...I think they're just Wii-tarted!

carterk88 @ Jan 5th 2009 1:21PM

I use the PS3 browser alot, it's pretty sweet surfing the web on a 50" plasma and listening to music through my home theatre. Honestly though after the flash player update it's kinda turned into a Pornstation 3. They can't get viruses right? lol

CJLopez @ Jan 5th 2009 1:29PM

I only use the PS3 to browse videos

Else is on the Wii broswer, cuz the wiimote works better as a mouse than the PS3 sticks

Ghaleon @ Jan 5th 2009 2:16PM

Yeah, how anyone enjoys Internet browsing with analog sticks is a mystery. I mean typing is obvious on the Wii but the controller makes it much easier to navigate.

prime @ Jan 5th 2009 2:01PM

bluesky_v2.01 @ Jan 5th 2009 3:27PM

I'm browsing on a PS3 controller, that count?
And yes, it's as impractical as it sounds.

iamkid @ Jan 5th 2009 7:05PM

ive tried to do that before, but so far i can only get the ps3 controller to work in the games i set it up with...ive always wanted to get it to work though

JaffaBoy @ Jan 5th 2009 3:27PM

Check out UK iPlayer in UK too... works out its a PS3 and adjusts nicely

JaffaBoy @ Jan 5th 2009 3:29PM

oops... that was UK BBC iPlayer (for those who don't know what I'm on about!)

tom @ Jan 7th 2009 8:53AM

itv iplayer coming out soon too!or its here already????i should of checked 1stim lazy

ngc628 @ Jan 5th 2009 8:02PM

I have both and I like the Wii Browser 88.7 times more than the PS3 Browser. The PS3 browser is slower, it doesn't load Yahoo (my phone loads the main Yahoo site for frack's sake) , I can't access Hotmail, it requests to run plug-ins almost every time it loads a page, it doesn't zoom as smoothly and the screen is hard to read (I have a HDTV but I admit that my eyes are crappy).

I hesitated to shell out the $5 for the Wii browser but it was a great investment. It is far from perfect; video support is limited, and not having mutliple pages is a pain but it loads most of the pages I want to see and it is quick to access.

Nude Love @ Jan 8th 2009 5:58PM

I use mine for Porno.

It's great for Porno.

kentuckyfried @ Jan 5th 2009 5:58PM

It's great having that ps3 browser...saved me during last semester, so I could run pandora.com while doing homework.

iamkid @ Jan 5th 2009 7:03PM

of course! no way im paying a cent to browse on my wii when i can get it free on my ps3, even though opera is a great browser.

ChocoDK @ Jan 6th 2009 2:16AM

I got my Wii on launch (although it bricked on me and I got a new one for free from Nintendo). Anyways, I got the Oprah Browser for free and I did use it before I had a PS3 and it was great to zoom in on videos for Youtube. But it did move kind of slow.

I personally prefer though the PS3 browser and also I use my PS3 more. I prefer using the analog sticks to move around a website then having my arm partly out using the Wiimote. Also my keyboard is always in my PS3 and the USB port is more accessiable to use.

Dalrint @ Jan 6th 2009 12:25PM

Uhm...

Isn't this kind of like celebrating that a hot car hood is better at frying eggs than a hot tin roof?

Neither are really designed for the purpose...

*just plays games on his ps3*

Eneref @ Jan 8th 2009 9:18PM

The PS3 browser seems to have flash issues on a lot of pages I visit, and rendering issues on others. While it clearly is FAR better than it used to be, it's simply not nearly as good as my PC for web browsing and navigation. Even if I were to hook up a mouse/keyboard for web browsing, it's not really seamless (no zoom/window-swithing keys available on even the 'ps3 keyboards' touted by vendors, which leaves me with the controller as the only input -- which is incredibly sub-par as an input device for browsing).

The Wii actually has a far more intuitive browsing interface for casual browsing, and I use it for reading news (they're hands-down better UI developers on that side, I'm afraid).

Where the PS3 shines is some of the media sites, such as youtube, or (my personal favourite for the PS3) Pandora Radio. The ability to use them on the big screen and big 7.1 speakers really outdoes the experience on the PC or the Wii with ease.

I think the trio make a 'best of all worlds' kind of environment. I'd use the PS3 more often if there were better user interface design on the browser, and a more intuitive browsing method than controller/keyboard or mouse/controller/keyboard (for all the keys lacking on a usual mouse/keyboard combo).