My CNET colleague Sarju Shah over at Gamespot has put together a great rundown of Web browsers you can run inside of the latest video games. The four solutions tested include PlayXpert, Steam, Rogue, and Xfire
Why run these instead of your standard browser? Simple, these browsers have been designed to run as lean and mean as possible, and play nice with an application that's running in full-screen mode. They also feature niceties you won't find in your standard Web browser like hot keys that can make them appear or disappear in an instant, and transparency that lets you continue to play a game in full screen while looking up things like cheat codes and walkthroughs, right on top of the action.
Shah has put four different solutions through their paces, and has screenshots that will show you what each one looks like in various games. Worth noting is that all of the included options are PC only, which means Mac and console gamers are out of luck.
In-game browsers let you surf the Web while keeping you from having to alt+tab to another application. Pictured here is PlayXpert running on top of Bethesda's Fallout 3.
(Credit: CNET Networks / Gamespot.com)If, for some reason, you've been missing out on a reason not to use your browser's pop-up blocker, here's a new one: Window Pong. The age old game of Pong comes to your browser using separate pop-up windows. You play against a computer that volleys back yet another window that acts as the ball--complete with sound effects. Meanwhile, a fourth window at the top of the screen keeps score of the ordeal, giving the first player to reach five points the win.
Is it practical? No. Is it a great use of JavaScript? Definitely.
I found it to be unplayable on my laptop's track pad, but had slightly better luck with my mouse. If you're looking for a more precise experience, worth checking out is sister project Snake, which emulates the age-old arcade classic popularized by Nokia phones. Better yet, you get to use your arrow keys instead of a mouse.
Both sites were created by Amsterdam-based interface designer Sylvain Vriens as a part of Project-Euh.com, a small collection of interactive Web games and technology demos.
(via Reddit)
Those aren't just random windows, they're paddles and a ball to play the classic arcade game Pong.
(Credit: CNET Networks)
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