Does Anyone Here Bother with Apps on Consoles?

[Moonface]

As the title says really. It was just something I thought of when seeing the Media tab on my PS5 home screen just now and being reminded that there are apps available to use.

I know nowadays I absolutely don't bother because I just use my Chromecast to watch anything on my TV, which is easier than booting up a console and using an app on there. I think I may have used the YouTube app back on the PS3 since I didn't have any other way to watch it on my TV, and I feel like that's probably the main reason anyone would bother to ever use any apps on any consoles.

[ShiraNoMai]

If we didn't have the Chromecast, it'd probably be worth using. We wouldn't be able to "cast" anything without actually having the apps on our TVs, and because we don't have a smart TV, we'd be shit out of luck there.

[Moonface]

...we don't have a smart TV, we'd be shit out of luck there.

With how garbage smart TVs are I would never consider those as an option for streaming content on a TV.

[Mr EliteL]

Just Amazon Prime on my PS5 and even that is in the realm of rarely. Didn't use any on PS4 and used YouTube very briefly on PS3.

[Moonface]

You ever considered using Twitch on your PS5 @Mr EliteL for when you might be using your laptop for other things such as Genshin or whatever?

[Mr EliteL]

I would do if I bothered to use my other DualSense that I've yet to get out of the box I got with my console, but I use my first DualSense for both PS5 and laptop, so pointless to have both on if trying to play on the other.

[Frank]

I do for specific ones.

For example, my Smart TV doesn't have Apple TV compatibility. For that I would use my PS5.

Back in the day, when I used to spend a lot of time in my heated garage, I had a TV and my Wii U set up. That was a great way to watch movies through Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube videos!

[Moonface]

I would do if I bothered to use my other DualSense that I've yet to get out of the box I got with my console, but I use my first DualSense for both PS5 and laptop, so pointless to have both on if trying to play on the other.

Could always sync up a PS4 controller with the PS5 instead if you're that lazy, since I'm sure your PS4 controllers are already out.

[ShiraNoMai]

I do for specific ones.

For example, my Smart TV doesn't have Apple TV compatibility. For that I would use my PS5.

Back in the day, when I used to spend a lot of time in my heated garage, I had a TV and my Wii U set up. That was a great way to watch movies through Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube videos!

Honestly that's one thing the WiiU was good for: it's TV functionality was pretty solid!

[Moonface]

I do for specific ones.

For example, my Smart TV doesn't have Apple TV compatibility. For that I would use my PS5.

Back in the day, when I used to spend a lot of time in my heated garage, I had a TV and my Wii U set up. That was a great way to watch movies through Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube videos!

Honestly that's one thing the WiiU was good for: it's TV functionality was pretty solid!

The Switch would work really well for TV purposes since you could just use it as a larger tablet screen if you want to watch something without using a TV, but I suppose Nintendo didn't bother much with it since they would probably rather people play games on the go rather than watch stuff, plus it might not even really have a decent market when considering how many people have tablets and how large phone screens are nowadays.

[Frank]

I do for specific ones.

For example, my Smart TV doesn't have Apple TV compatibility. For that I would use my PS5.

Back in the day, when I used to spend a lot of time in my heated garage, I had a TV and my Wii U set up. That was a great way to watch movies through Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube videos!

Honestly that's one thing the WiiU was good for: it's TV functionality was pretty solid!

The Switch would work really well for TV purposes since you could just use it as a larger tablet screen if you want to watch something without using a TV, but I suppose Nintendo didn't bother much with it since they would probably rather people play games on the go rather than watch stuff, plus it might not even really have a decent market when considering how many people have tablets and how large phone screens are nowadays.

The Wii U's dual-screen functionality was incredibly convenient though. And the second screen experience on apps like Netflix was also cool. Seeing what actors/actresses are currently on screen without having to pause or cover up the screen was also very nifty.

[Moonface]

The Wii U's dual-screen functionality was incredibly convenient though. And the second screen experience on apps like Netflix was also cool. Seeing what actors/actresses are currently on screen without having to pause or cover up the screen was also very nifty.

Did the second screen display things relevant to what was on the main screen as it happened or was it more that Netflix just showed a cast list on the second screen?

[Frank]

The Wii U's dual-screen functionality was incredibly convenient though. And the second screen experience on apps like Netflix was also cool. Seeing what actors/actresses are currently on screen without having to pause or cover up the screen was also very nifty.

Did the second screen display things relevant to what was on the main screen as it happened or was it more that Netflix just showed a cast list on the second screen?

I varied by app. Sometimes it would tell you the cast members currently on screen, other times it would allow you to browse other episodes without interrupting the show. It was ahead of it's time, especially now that streaming has been more widely adopted.