Bored with routine or just looking for a pastime? Microsoft may have found a way to break the monotony while at your computer and browsing the Internet. In fact, one of the Canary versions of Microsoft Edge contains a new panel that will allow you to quickly access a variety of titles from the MSN Games collection , and among these there is also the inevitable Solitaire that accompanies entire generations of users since the historic Windows 3.0 operating system of 1990. Here is what has emerged so far on the net .
Since the Redmond-based company decided to “restructure” its popular browser according to the guidelines of the Chromium engine, Microsoft Edge has repeatedly been the protagonist of innovations that transcend the “simple” ( but still fundamental and attentive) performance and safety. In the last period, several new features have been introduced, such as integration with the Microsoft 365 suite and new pop-up ads, new features dedicated to shopping, but also an improvement in password management and Edge Deflector blocking on all PCs with Windows 10 and 11 on board. In the past few hours, however, new integrations with YouTube have emerged by inserting the “followable web” option to channels followed.
Nevertheless, the landing of the games on Microsoft Edge is completely detached from the current web browsing experience offered by the popular Windows browser. The novelty has been anticipated by the user Reddit Leopeva64 and reveals a very specific choice by the US giant, although for the stable release we will still have to be patient, as we will see shortly.
However, it is not the first time that we have talked about games inside Microsoft Edge . The most attentive will in fact remember the game Let's Surf introduced last year by Microsoft in the 83.0.478.37 version of its browser and still available today for those who want to break the monotony of web searches through a simple pastime. It is funny. To start it just type the command edge: // surf in the search bar and dabble with the PC mouse, even in the absence of an Internet connection. A precedent that has in fact inspired a novelty that the same Redmond company is now ready to share with users of the program, albeit with very different mechanics.
To unlock the Games Button you will first need to have installed Microsoft Edge version Canary 99.0.1117.0 or later. The panel will still need to be unlocked manually, as it has been disabled by default and will likely be disabled in the stable version as well. To proceed with the activation it will therefore be sufficient to access the browser settings, enter the “Appearance” section and activate the “Games button” option in the list dedicated to the buttons to be shown in the toolbar. Alternatively, you can get the same result by enabling the appropriate flag in Edge: // settings / appearance.
Microsoft Edge will insert a new icon in the right area of the Omnibar of the browser. By clicking on the latter, a panel will open that will allow you to access a list of browser games . We reiterate that the Games Button is currently available in the latest version of Microsoft Edge Canary 99.0.1135.0 or higher and should land in the Dev and Beta channels over the next few weeks.
Entering the Game Panel you will connect to a collection of HTML5 video games that can be sorted by categories, such as Classics, Arcade, Board & Card, Puzzle, Sports and much more. The drop-down menu includes many of Microsoft's most famous games and we mention in this sense the inevitable Solitaire , the Minesweeper and many others included in the collection MSN Games .
The titles, available both for free and for a fee, will be played directly on Microsoft Edge , since it is a browser game. In fact, clicking a particular game will open a new Edge tab or window (depending on the user's settings) which will direct you to the browser version of MSN Games and then allow the user to play the game directly from the browser.
As we have seen, this is not yet an official function that can be used by everyone, also because Microsoft has not yet completed the testing phase. However, we expect to find it also with the next updates of the stable version of the browser, because after all the challenge to Google Chrome is played (it should be said) also through new features. And the one we've talked about so far, which brings nothing in terms of performance and security to Internet browsing, could win over those looking for a new way to break the monotony of web searches.
