YouTube builds special web channel for Wii and PS3 video streaming
The new site is optimized for TVs, but there's still no support for the 360.
Home A/V | by Stephen Schenck | Thu Jan 15, 2009 4:16PM | 0 comments
Have you noticed YouTube inching its way into your living room? It seems lately that every sort of media-playing gadget is adding support for YouTube, from local network media centers, to streaming rental solutions like VUDU, and even some of the latest Blu-ray players. The company is serious about getting its content off your computer and onto your TV, and it's making a big step closer to that goal with its latest announcement of Wii and PS3 support.
YouTube is leveraging the web support those two consoles provide, as it's created a special version of its website, optimized for rendering on a TV. This means larger fonts and simpler navigation, as most gamers will be making do without a mouse or keyboard. You'll also be able to set up queues through the site, so you can sit back and watch for a bit without constantly stopping to choose the next clip.
This sounds awesome, but it just makes us painfully aware of Microsoft's stubbornness in keeping its gaming business and web browser business separate. You could hack together a system that uses your PC to convert YouTube to a streaming format the 360 can handle, but that's way to kludgy for our liking. If hackers have developed a custom YouTube streaming plugin for XBMC on the original Xbox, we'd hope Microsoft's engineers would be up to the task of building something similar for the 360. Bring on the ubiquitous YouTube support!
This story around the web:
- Trusted sources:
Coming to a Wii or PS3 (But Not an Xbox 360)… [Tech-Ex]
Google Delivering Youtube Video To Wii And… [Alley Insider]
YouTube comes to the Wii and Playstation 3 [DVICE]
YouTube Comes To TVs Through Sony PS3,… [InformationWeek]
YouTube gets optimized for PS3, Wii [Joystiq]
YouTube Introduces “TV Website” For… [NewTeeVee]
YouTube launches TV-friendly site for… [Webware.com]
Youtube now on Sony PS3 and Nintendo Wii [I4U News]
Youtube now on Sony PS3 and Nintendo Wii [DotGizmo: The Best gadget Blog Posts]
YouTube Optimizes for Your Wii and PS3… [Lifehacker]
YouTube Comes To The Wii And PS3, But Not… [TechCrunch]
YouTube Comes to Wii and PS3 for TV Viewing [Mashable!]
Get more information on topics relating to this story:
- Related glossary terms:
- Streaming video
- Related brand news:
- Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation 3
- Related devices and services:
- Nintendo Wii, YouTube, Xbox Media Center, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360 Pro





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