A web browser for the TV that you drive with a game controller from the couch. It opens full screen, walks pages with the D-pad, points and clicks with the stick, types with an Xbox-style on-screen keyboard and blocks ads out of the box.
English · Português (Brasil)
Get 0.1.0-alpha, the first public test version:
JoyChromium-0.1.0-alpha-win-x64.exe: most PCs (Intel and AMD).JoyChromium-0.1.0-alpha-win-arm64.exe: PCs with a Snapdragon (ARM) processor.
Per-user install, no admin. Windows 10 or 11 and a controller: Xbox, PlayStation (DualShock / DualSense), Switch Pro, 8BitDo or any pad Windows sees as a gamepad.
This is an alpha. Expect rough edges. It does not update itself yet: new versions show up on the releases page (watch the repo → Custom → Releases to be told). Netflix and other paid streaming services are not validated yet.
- Install, plug in your controller and open JoyChromium. It starts full screen on the TV.
- Pick your language and search engine with the D-pad and A.
- Browse: the D-pad jumps from link to link, the left stick moves a pointer for everything else, and A clicks.
| Controller | Does | With the keyboard open |
|---|---|---|
| Left stick | Moves the pointer | Walks the keys |
| Right stick | Scrolls the page (sideways too) | — |
| D-pad | Jumps between links and buttons; up from the top reaches the toolbar and tabs | Walks the keys and suggestions |
| A | Clicks (twice quickly at the pointer: right click) | Types the key |
| B | Back, or closes a menu | Closes the keyboard |
| X | Reloads | Backspace |
| Y | Opens the keyboard on the address bar (LB + Y: favorite) | Space |
| LB / RB | Back / forward | — |
| LT / RT | Previous / next tab | LT: Shift |
| Start | Quick menu | Go |
| Back / View | Closes the tab (on the last tab, opens a new one; never quits) | — |
| Right stick click | Switches the D-pad mode: Spatial → Cursor → Arrows (remembered per site) | — |
| Left stick click | — | Letters → symbols → accents |
On a PlayStation pad the letters become ✕ ○ □ △; the keyboard's button glyphs follow the pad you last touched. A keyboard and mouse work too: F11 switches between TV mode and a window, Ctrl+T opens a tab, Ctrl+Shift+N a private one, Ctrl+W closes it.
- Three ways to move: Spatial (the D-pad picks the nearest link in that direction), a smooth pointer on the left stick that turns into a hand over anything clickable, and Arrows for sites with their own TV interface, like YouTube TV
- Xbox-style on-screen keyboard with the shortcuts on the controller's own buttons, address suggestions and Portuguese accents
- TV-first interface: full screen, large text and a clear focus ring you can see from the couch, with overscan and size options for older TVs
- Ad and tracker blocking built in (Ghostery engine with EasyList, EasyPrivacy and uBlock lists), turned on or off from the shield on the toolbar
- Tabs with previews, private tabs, history, favorites and site icons
- Opens from launchers:
--tv/--window/--new-tabflags andjoychromium://links, so Console Mode, Playnite or Steam can start it (integrations) - English and Portuguese
The first public build:
- A pointer on the left stick that glides over the page, the toolbar and the menus, with A to click and the right stick as the wheel
- Xbox-style keyboard: X deletes, Y adds a space, LT is Shift, Start sends, and the left stick click changes the layer
- The D-pad reaches everything: up from the top of a page goes to the address bar, the buttons and the tabs; a new tab starts on the address bar
- Ad blocker on the toolbar: the shield turns it on or off
- New onboarding with your search engine (Google, DuckDuckGo, Bing, Brave or Startpage) and a controller test
Now: Windows 10/11 · Next: macOS (#108), Linux, Wayland and Flathub (#109), Steam Deck (#110) · All platforms
- Install and troubleshooting · Current status · Release process · Controller test script
- Feedback and bugs: open an issue. A ⭐ helps other couch browsers find the project.
- Build from source: Node.js 24, then
cd app && npm ci && npm start. Tests:npm run typecheck,npm test,npm run test:e2e. See CONTRIBUTING.md. - The installer is not code-signed yet, so Windows SmartScreen may say "Windows protected your PC": click More info → Run anyway. The source is all here.