The first time I ever surfed the web on a game console was on the Sega Dreamcast back in 1999. In hindsight it was a barebones browsing experience but it felt pretty darn cool at the time. A console generation leap after that, built-in web browsers almost became standard with the Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 all offering options to cruise the internet using your preferred controller.

As we enter a new generation of Internet Explorer for Xbox, Microsoft hopes to further refine the console web browsing experience through refined voice and gesture commands via Kinect. In addition to being able to go hands-free, you can also use an Xbox One controller or paired companion device with SmartGlass.

In terms of content, IE on Xbox One supports HTML5 and CSS3, so the transition from your desktop or laptop to the big screen shouldn’t be too much of a strain. The real draw here is that the Xbox One lets users Snap apps, so you can open a second window when doing another activity to perform a quick web search. This could come in handy when stuck on boss battle and that fancy Machinima app isn’t getting the job done.