According to PCWorld, Opera has launched a new music visualizer called Sonic in its free Opera One browser. The visualizer works with Spotify through Opera’s sidebar music player and uses WebGPU technology to create dynamic backgrounds. Sonic captures audio from the sidebar and converts it into a power spectrum texture that drives animations and colors synchronized with the music. The browser comes with Spotify set as the default player and offers users an upgrade to Spotify Premium. Opera One is separate from the company’s Opera Neon AI browser and Opera GX gaming browser, each with unique features.
The ghost of Winamp past
Here’s the thing – anyone who used computers in the late 90s or early 2000s remembers Winamp’s legendary visualizers. That software didn’t just play music – it turned listening into a full sensory experience. Opera‘s Sonic is clearly tapping into that same nostalgia, but with modern browser technology. Instead of standalone media players, we’re getting integrated experiences that live right where we already spend most of our time: the browser.
Why this actually matters
Look, on the surface this seems like a gimmick. But it’s actually showing us where browsers are heading. They’re becoming full-fledged platforms rather than just web viewers. The fact that Opera is using WebGPU – which is basically the next generation of web graphics – means they’re pushing what browsers can do visually. And honestly, who wouldn’t want their work browser to look a bit more interesting while they’re grinding through emails?
The browser wars continue
Opera has always been the experimental browser. While Chrome dominates market share and Firefox fights for privacy, Opera tries weird stuff like built-in VPNs, gaming features, and now music visualizers. It’s a smart differentiation strategy. They’re not trying to beat Chrome at being Chrome – they’re creating niche features that might appeal to specific users. The question is whether visualizers and themes are enough to make people switch browsers. Probably not for most, but for the right audience? Maybe.
Where this could go
Opera has way more resources than the current Winamp team, so they could actually evolve this into something pretty compelling. Imagine if they open this up to developers – we could see a whole ecosystem of custom visualizers and themes. The technology they’re using is sophisticated enough that this isn’t just a simple color-changing background. It’s analyzing frequency and time data to create unique visual responses to whatever you’re listening to. That’s actually pretty cool when you think about it.
