Special YouTube launches for Wii, PS3

By Robert Purchese Published 16 January, 2009

Simplified and tailored to fit tellies.

YouTube has launched a fancy version of its website tailored specially for PlayStation 3 and Wii owners using television displays.

Direct browsers to www.youtube.com/tv to access the new service, which has bigger and clearer text as well as a simplified layout for easier navigation.

The videos appear larger than they do on regular YouTube, but don't appear to be of any higher quality, leading to quite blocky clips.

Those eager for a look on PC need to install Firefox and the Download User Agent Switcher. Once that's done, go to Tools, User Agent Switcher, Options and type "Mozilla/5.0 (PLAYSTATION 3; 2.00)" in the user agent field. Assuming you're as boring as we are.

Switch to that new agent you will be able to view the YouTube TV website.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (29) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • BravoGolf #1 3 years ago

    Nice idea :)

  • DrR0b3rts #2 3 years ago

    I'd love something like this for 360.

  • clean515 #3 3 years ago

    Nice... I like watching jewtube on my ps3.

  • menage #4 3 years ago

    Youtube always hackles a bit on my PS3, did they fix that too? Kind of annoying when watching music vids.

  • Miths #5 3 years ago

    @DrR0b3rts

    You mean a web browser? :)
    I'm sure that if MS ever adds one of those to the 360, the folks at YouTube will be more than happy to spend a few seconds adding the 360 browser to the list of user agents that are redirected to that new site.

  • clean515 #6 3 years ago

    MS would probably charge you 30$ for a browser.

  • mcbi4kh2 #7 3 years ago

    any news on redtube EG?

  • space_ace #8 3 years ago

    ps3 goes appletv, about time appletv went games console...

  • Skooch #9 3 years ago

    I remember all those accusations pointing at Xbox being a closet PC inside a games console and now it is the only games platform (current gen) without a browser.

  • Benno #10 3 years ago

    Or because the 360 doesn't have a web browser...

  • redneon Verified Programmer, SUMO Digital #11 3 years ago

    @Mogs:

    I don't see why they should be paranoid. There's absolutely no reason they couldn't just run a web browser inside a sandbox. Look at XNA, for example. If they're giving people the ability to launch their own code inside a sandbox then running a web browser inside one is nothing ;)


  • smelly #12 3 years ago

    I still dont understand why you'd surf the internet on the wii.. when you have a perfectly good pc to do it on?

  • Doctor_What #13 3 years ago

    The BBC's iPlayer works nicely already on the Wii and PS3, so I'm not that excited about YouTube catering for 'em. Still, it's nice to have another feature on these systems.

  • clean515 #14 3 years ago

    smelly : For example in the morning before going to work i like checking my mail on my ps3, it takes no time to start up and i can check it while i eat.... Youtube on ps3 is also nice when you want to show someone a video and not bothered turning on the pc.

  • Hobo #15 3 years ago

    "Yes, which comes under the 'MS are paranoid control freaks' banner."

    That's just fucking brilliant!

    Because Microsoft would never launch an operating system with a WEB BROWSER at all!

    Where do these fucks come from?!

  • callum9999 #16 3 years ago

    Why does the xbox not have a web browser? Surely it would be simple for them to make one, seeing as they develop Internet Explorer?

  • Gaol #17 3 years ago

    The wii version works very well, compact interface and loads videos quick.

    Actually, the wii internet channel is pretty impressive full stop; first time browsing on a large SDTV has been anything but a chore.

  • smelly #18 3 years ago

    >The Xbox is not a PC.

    You're right.. it's a Power PC.

  • vegard #19 3 years ago

    but on the wii you still go of memory after watching a couple of videos?

  • Nithron #20 3 years ago

    The reason 360 doesn't have a web browser is because MS make a conscious effort to avoid making the PC 360 look like a PC in a nice case. This is the same reason there's no mouse support for it.

  • juho #21 3 years ago

    > MS make a conscious effort to avoid making the PC 360 look like a PC in a nice case.

    They've definitely avoided making it look like it's in a nice case.

  • drumbaby #22 3 years ago

    They've succeeded in making a Dell Optiplex lookalike, with 3 red lights on it so you won't trip over it on the way to your PC/ PS3.

  • bionutz #23 3 years ago

    I think they already had something in place. 2 months ago I stumbled across some pages in youtube on Wii, which seemed perfectly tailored for Wii. Maybe they were testing already.

  • lcmnick #24 3 years ago

    Wow, people actually use the PS3 web browser...?

    I'll defend my PS3 to the hilt, but that browser is one of the worst pieces of software ever created.

    MS have anything to worry about...

  • canIdoyabombsforya #25 3 years ago

    Good move this.
    Youtube keeps the kids quiet and is probably the best use of a console web browser. On the downside our Wii currently feels laggy streaming video.


  • miiiguel #26 3 years ago

    "It's no surprise that this isn't on 360. At all.

    MS are paranoid control freaks.
    Google own YouTube.

    Need I say more? "

    You could join that paranoid club...

    lol, I kid, I kid...

  • bioreit #27 3 years ago

    Actually, wouldn't be too surprised if they started to think about putting IE8 on the 360, seeing as it undoes most of the crap that we had to put up with in IE6 and 7. And it's supposed to be almost totally standards compliant (for once!), so should work with a majority of websites more readily.

    Given Microsoft's (abysmal) track record with security vulnerabilities with its browsers, I can easily imagine that the 360 development teams were saying "Hell no!" to having a browser until the relevant teams could offer greater assurances about potential security issues.

    I don't mind the PS3 browser, nor the Wii one - I still use both to occasionally watch iPlayer videos, or check emails, although iPlayer can look a tad rubbish on a 40" tv, so I'm starting to use my netbook more.

    Nice to see the usual suspects can still manage to turn this into a fanboy-infested bashing session.

    /looks at drumbaby and wonders how he can ever get so indignant about Xbots...
    Edited by 1 at 18/01/09 @ 12:06

  • mingster #28 3 years ago

    Ive got it on my xbox via XBMC already.

  • DivideAndCombo #29 3 years ago

    Nice idea. Youtube tailored for tv's. There's something similar available as a script for XBMC (original xbox).

    It's roughly the same as this here except there are a few things missing in the xbmc script (for example the duration of the clip, info). Also things to do with your own account, are missing from the xbmc script.

    Still, it's pretty effective. :

    http://www.xbmczone.com< /a>