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 version of the browser, with end-of-support status for the desktop client slated for later this month.
- The new Microsoft Edge is now available to Alpha Skip Ahead Xbox Insiders, with a broader public rollout expected over the weeks ahead.
Microsoft has debuted its all-new Microsoft Edge browser on Xbox consoles, providing a long-awaited refresh to the web experience on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S devices. The new and improved Edge saw its PC overhaul last year, stemming from plans unveiled in 2018 to rebrand and rebuild the app. It's currently available to a subset of Xbox Insiders and on track to replace the aging legacy Microsoft Edge widely available today.
The new Microsoft Edge delivers a new look and feel, switching the inbuilt browser from EdgeHTML to one based on the open-source Chromium Project. The engine changes hugely improve compatibility and usability in most instances while also adding new features previously unavailable with the now-abandoned legacy Edge browser. Its Xbox arrival marks the latest expansion of the app, available for testing through the bleeding-edge Alpha Skip Ahead ring, which provides the earliest access to future updates.
Microsoft Edge returns with all the core benefits and features seen with previous platforms, albeit fine-tuned for Xbox and living room usage. The user interface comes tuned around controller input, with mouse and keyboard support currently absent. Skip Ahead testers who install the latest Xbox system update will automatically find the new Edge in their apps library.
The new Microsoft Edge hits Xbox with an important end-of-support date fast approaching the legacy Microsoft Edge desktop app. The company hopes to transition users to the latest app by March 9, 2021, at which point legacy Edge security updates will be discontinued.
While infrequent among countless games and apps, web browsing remains crucial to Xbox consoles. The new update looks poised to keep its current Xbox family updated with the latest available version of the browser, headed into the latest Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S generation.
Xbox Series X/S
Main
- Xbox Series X: Everything we know
- Best games coming to Xbox Series X/S
- List of Xbox Series X specs
- What is the Xbox Series X release date?
- How much does Xbox Series X cost?
- Why you can't preorder Xbox Series X yet
- Best Xbox Series X Headsets
