A BROWSER?! 🌐
This is a preview of v0.8.2, not a stable release. I never saw myself making a browser, but it's proven to be really cool! Someone suggested connecting to Xbox Gamepass, so as a spike I embedded a Webview browser, and apparently it works better than I thought it would!
The proof of concept has turned into something quite usable. YouTube playback and fullscreen video work in testing, and I've also been able to launch Fortnite through Xbox Cloud Gaming with both Nightfall's controller gamepad mode and a connected Xbox controller. There's still plenty to test and polish, so I'd love feedback before calling this finished!
Standalone browsing and AI 3D
Use Open Browser on the welcome screen - no Sunshine host or Meteor connection is needed. Browse to a website or enter search text in the address bar, use Nightfall's virtual keyboard, and enable AI 3D as usual to convert the browser's picture locally on the headset.
The browser uses Android WebView rendered into Nightfall's existing screen and AI pipeline. It isn't a separate Horizon Browser window, and the page fills the screen rather than including a toolbar in the video image.
Browser resolution can be set to 1080p or 1440p under Screens → Browser Res. Close and reopen the browser after changing it. Higher resolution costs more GPU work; it doesn't force a video service to send higher-resolution video.
Bookmarks, privacy and blocking
- Save, rename, reorder and remove bookmarks, which persist across app restarts.
- History is optional and off by default. Privacy controls let you manage history and website data separately.
- Optional ad/tracker blocking, including filter-list updates and per-site exceptions. This is built-in filtering, not support for installing Chromium extensions, and it isn't a promise to remove every advert.
- Local HTTP websites are supported, including services such as a Plex server on your LAN. Only use unencrypted HTTP on networks you trust.
Cloud gaming
The browser includes gamepad input for Nightfall's Quest-controller gamepad mode and connected Android gamepads, tested here with an Xbox controller. Focus the browser game and hide Nightfall's menu/keyboard before playing.
Xbox Cloud Gaming/Fortnite worked in testing, but service compatibility, DRM-protected playback, other controllers and other websites still need wider testing. This isn't a guarantee that every streaming service will work.
What this preview does—and doesn't—include
This is the single-screen browser milestone. Browser tabs share one screen; they aren't separate floating browser screens. Concurrent PC streaming plus browser screens and the wider multi-screen work are still to come.
The browser has primarily been tested on Quest 3. Quest 2/3S browser behavior, standby recovery and repeated open/close cycles would benefit from more feedback. The APK includes the existing PC-streaming features from v0.8.1, and there are no new depth models in this preview.
Please report browser/input issues, problem websites and headset-specific behavior in Issues or Discussions. Thanks for helping test this next step!