The PS5 doesn't have a web browser like the PS4 – here's why

PS5
(Image credit: Sony)

Unlike the PS4 and the PS3, the PS5 doesn't have a web browser. Chances are, you never used your PS4's browser app to check Facebook or order groceries – but it was pretty useful if you wanted to, say, watch a video on your TV that wasn't on YouTube or any of the supported apps. 

The PS5, though, won't have one because Sony isn't convinced you need one in a games console. And you know what? This is pretty much right, especially in an age of smartphones – though it would've been nice to have one anyway. 

The news aggregation Twitter account Nibellion quotes a Japanese interview with outlet AV Watch, where Sony's Hideaki Nishino says: "We have doubts about whether a web browser is necessary for a game console as an app, so we'll have to wait and see." There are no plans to include a web browser right now, Nishino reportedly says. 

The same interview notes that the lack of 1440p resolution support on PS5 is due to TVs being the highest priority.

Does it matter?

Sony likely based the decision not to release a web browser for PS5 on how much usage the PS4's browser got. It's not a killer feature for a console, or anything, but it's been a nice little extra Sony has included going back to the PS3's original launch in 2006.

Xbox, meanwhile, includes Microsoft Edge as standard, in case web browsers really are a deal breaker for you when it comes to next-gen. 

Samuel Roberts

Samuel is a PR Manager at game developer Frontier. Formerly TechRadar's Senior Entertainment Editor, he's an expert in Marvel, Star Wars, Netflix shows and general streaming stuff. Before his stint at TechRadar, he spent six years at PC Gamer. Samuel is also the co-host of the popular Back Page podcast, in which he details the trials and tribulations of being a games magazine editor – and attempts to justify his impulsive eBay games buying binges.