Push Square reports the PS5 has no web browser

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Anyone who lived through that era remembers: on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, the web browser was one of those features few people praised but many used, to look at a walkthrough, check the soccer scores or clear up a question without putting down the controller. That’s why the news of November 9, 2020 caught many players by surprise: the PlayStation 5 would arrive without a browser.

The British site Push Square was the one that drew attention to the subject. The site’s test unit had clear references to a browser in the settings menu, but the big PS5 FAQ published by Sony itself on the PlayStation Blog was direct: “No, the PS5 system does not include a dedicated browser app.” Push Square raised two hypotheses: either the blog was wrong, or the feature was pulled at the last minute. It’s worth remembering that the site was using pre-release firmware.

The press reading at the time was that Sony was betting on other solutions. The Game Help feature, tied to the activity cards, promised tips and videos inside the console itself, reducing the need to search on Google. And, let’s face it, almost everyone already had a phone in their pocket. Still, for veteran players used to having a browser on the console since the previous generation, it was a missed feature.

What came next

The PS5 launched on November 12, 2020 in the United States, Japan and other markets, and on November 19 in the rest of the world. The debut was the biggest in PlayStation history up to then, with 4.5 million consoles shipped by the end of December 2020.