For those on Switch, is it that bad? Is that on Switch 1 (OLED, Lite, or original) or Switch 2? And which DNS are you using? (certain ones might have some built-in ad-blocking)

Popping up during conversations is a definite problem. I'm also not a huge fan of ads, so I'm always going to err on the side of making them be optional. The @Hide-BDNS-Ads group works well because you still have to seek it out, but also, signed-out users eg. people arriving via Google search can't join them.

If the ads are weird, how weird are we talking? Below is an example of the kinds of ads I'm seeing. Although it's a LOT of ad real estate, I also kind of feel like that's just how the Internet is these days?

Google has their own internal algorithms where they decide where to put the ads, but you can mark certain areas as "off limits" zones. That first page load though is some of the more valuable real-estate (which is also why so many news sites look so terrible). It's a trade-off for user annoyance VS ad performance, really.

Google AdSense ads have been added back to the site. This is an experiment to see how well they perform, but also whether or not they're too intrusive.

If you'd like to opt-out, you can join the @Hide-BDNS-Ads group and refresh the page to hide them. There's no penalty for joining that group! In the future, it may be placed behind rep requirements.

Although, I do want to receive feedback on how annoying they are as well-- This thread can be used to report whether they work on various devices, do they break things on the site, are there too many, etc.

Pray for world peace instead! For the browser, try asking Nintendo directly (and nicely).

Welp I looked into this:

Fay of the Social Security Administration selected a record from the top of the first stack of 1,000 records and announced that the first Social Security number in history was assigned to John David Sweeney, Jr. of New Rochelle, New York. However, since the Social Security numbers were not assigned in chronological order, Sweeney did not receive the lowest Social Security number, 001-01-0001. That distinction belongs to Grace D. Owen of Concord, New Hampshire.

from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Security_number

waltuh

Pokemon Red for GB Color ️

@LTempral oats n water and sometimes little dinosaur eggs, i believe

Which links aren't working? I tested them all on Switch 2, but the browser is a bit more powerful than Switch 1's.

The added links are due to new Google changes to stop supporting some browsers. We'll keep updating these as time goes on.

@Yanderemenhera Thanks for thinking of me-- I do generally view running the DNS and this site as "giving back" / "paying it forward" to others that hosted similar services that i used to use way back in the DS and Wii web browser days.

In the future, we plan on monetizing the site and service better via (opt-out) advertising, or in-app subscriptions, but right now there's no way to support it directly.

That being said, if you are interested in supporting me personally, I have a Ko-fi page here: https://ko-fi.com/vgmoose

No one is under no obligation to do so though! What Nared and Raven said is right: support can be provided in other ways, such as spreading the petition or the "good word" about browsers and Internet access.

Also, I'll use this post to say that if any other admins or mods want to create similar profiles (ko-fi, paypal, buymeacoffee, patreon, crypto, etc) to accept tips, that's totally fine by me as well. Taking care of this community is important work and worth rewarding financially.

Hey I'm good, typically I poke my head in here every so often to make sure it's not on fire. The moderation team has been doing a great job! A resource team initiative sounds like a good idea as well.

Okay! I'm going to add a bunch of known ad domains to be blocked on 45.55.112.11 (bdns US). I'll post here again when I do this, and I'd appreciate it if others could try it out and report back before I roll it out onto 45.55.142.122 (sbru) and 46.101.65.164 (bdns UK).

This still works! I got a cloudflare error on neal.fun's Size of Life page. You wait around a bit for the "Stuck? Troubleshoot" link to appear, and can submit feedback that way. The more people submit feedback, the more likely these checks will succeed.

Also if you keep dragging around the cursor with the joystick and staying on the page, while holding A, making circles and stuff, it will also eventually lets you through to the target page. I think it is more about making the inputs "seem human" since otherwise a lack of mouse input makes it seem like a robot is on the page.

@bugsinbread The problem seemed to be related to the latest Switch update (21.0.0) changing how some Javascript methods work.

One of the methods that stopped working: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Number/toLocaleString

It was erroring early and preventing the full page from finishing to load. Probably other websites on the Internet are also affected.

The fix on our end was to avoid these methods and use other methods of calculating times/dates across the forum.

Apparently new Samsung smart fridges display Internet ads, like this: https://www.reddit.com/r/assholedesign/comments/1ow6cpu/apparently_my_samsung_fridge_has_ads_now/

I'd be very curious if setting up BrowseDNS displays a browser on these fridges! It will depend on the connection test URL that they use, and also whether they have captive browsers in the first place.

Here is a list of different unconventional Internet-enabled consoles and devices, and known ways and resources to browse the Internet on them.

Last updated: Jan 16, 2024

Nintendo

Nintendo DS - Nintendo DS & DSi Browser
Nintendo Wii - Internet Channel
Nintendo 3DS - Internet Browser
Nintendo Wii U - Wii U Internet Browser
Nintendo Switch - Switchbru DNS, BrowseDNS, Homebrew: BrowseNX, Goldleaf

The interesting trend for Nintendo is web browsing used to be seen as a pay-for feature, then became an included app, then got hidden.

Sony

PSP - Internet Browser
Vita - Internet Browser
PS3 - Internet Browser
PS4 - Internet Browser
PS5 - Google.com Trick, BrowseDNS, User Guide Method

Given Sony's history of just having normal browsers accessible, a bit upsetting they decided to follow in Nintendo's footsteps in this area.

Apple

Apple Watch - Google.com iCloud Shortcut, Captive Portal Workaround

The Apple Watch has a hidden browser as well, actually using it is a little annoying, but accessing it is very easy. It's very useful if your phone is dead and you have the Cellular model!

Peloton

Bike - BrowseDNS (UK)

Similarly to other Android-based devices, BrowseDNS UK will pop up the captive browser. It allows basic browsing, but video playback doesn't seem to work.

Amazon

Kindle - Experimental Web Browser

This browser works great, but due to the eInk display it's not so easy on the eyes. Or maybe it's too easy on the eyes?

Google

Android TV - Download browsers from Play Store
Wear OS - Download browsers from Play Store

Having multiple browser choices on TV and watches is cool!

Microsoft

Xbox 360 - Internet Explorer
Xbox One - Microsoft Edge
Xbox Series - Microsoft Edge

Google, and Microsoft both make and advertise their browsers, so maybe it's not surprising that most of their devices have them easily accessible.

Similar to Krita, but in the browser: https://www.photopea.com

Haven't tried it on Switch yet, but probably using it with the timeout and no file saving would be too frustrating.

Discross is a service to access Discord on devices that don't support the official clients, such as the Switch or PS5. In order for it to work, a bot needs to first be added to whichever Discord servers that it will work with.

URL: https://discross.rc24.xyz

When you create an account, it asks you for a "Verification code". This code is what links your Discord server list to your username.

You can get this code by typing ^connect in a Discord server that has the Discross bot added to it already. For example, in the BrowseDNS Discord: https://discord.gg/Mv85Pjexfb

Direct messages are not supported, but if you make your own Discord server and add the bot, you could use it with a small group of people.

In short, to set up:

1. Get a Verification code by typing ^connect in a server that has the Discross bot added (Needs a phone or PC)
2. Register on the Discross site at this URL, using the code during signup
3. Login on the Discross site, and you should see a list of all servers that you're in, that have the bot.

Also! If you do that, please leave some feedback on your experience. We can pass this along to the Discross developers directly.

Discross is open source, and the source code is available here if you would rather self-host it.

This site simulates Windows XP, and runs great on console browsers!!

URL: https://pranx.com/windows-xp-simulator/

I've started working on a basic web browser that will run on the WiiU, Switch, and other consoles! It's built using the same libraries as the Homebrew App Store. The project page is here: https://github.com/vgmoose/broccolini

Here's a screenshot of it on the Wikipedia home page:

There's still a lot left to do, but I'll keep working on it, and will share project updates here from time to time. My first goal is supporting homebrew consoles, although it's possible that it could end up on an official store (eg the eShop or PSStore).

If you have a modded WiiU or Switch, you can download the latest nightly build here, and feel free to open an issue on Github if you encounter bugs or missing functionality: https://nightly.link/vgmoose/broccolini/workflows/main/main