Halo: The Master Chief Collection isn’t adding Halo 5: Guardians to its selection, but Tuesday’s upgrade did implement what we Halo fans have been waiting for since the Xbox Series X|S launch — Halo: The Master Chief Collection optimization for the latest generation consoles.
In addition to improved resolution, enhanced graphics and enhancements to the split-screen experience, Quick Resume and Smart Delivery will also be supported. Check out the full patch notes per the Halo website:
New Features
- Improved resolution
- Xbox Series X: 4K resolution at 60 or 120Hz in both single player and two player split screen modes
- Xbox Series S: 1080p resolution at 60 or 120Hz in both single player and two player split screen modes
- Both Xbox Series X and Series S will run similar “enhanced” graphics settings as PC
- Field of View (FOV) can be adjusted via a slider that ranges from 70 to 120 degrees
- Adjusting FOV requires the console to be set to 60Hz output, FOV will be locked to default value when the console is set to 120Hz output
- Several enhancements to the split screen experience
- Four player splitscreen runs at 60 frames per second (FPS)
- Reduced or removed performance throttles from the original titles
- In-game high dynamic range (HDR) options have been added to the Settings menu
- Quick Resume and Smart Delivery are supported
Known Issues
The following are active issues for Series X|S enhancements as of 2020/11/17 in build 1.1955.0.0.
- When playing Halo: Combat Evolved’s campaign with Anniversary graphics enabled on an Xbox Series X console and at 4K 120Hz, the framerate may drop noticeably in some areas and/or create noticeable screen tearing
- If the display supports variable refresh rate (VRR), enabling this feature may reduce the impact of this issue
- If the display does not support VRR, playing at 60Hz will provide a smoother gameplay experience
- On both Xbox Series X|S consoles, increasing the Gamma option above 5 may result in oversaturation of darker areas in the menus and gameplay
Install Size Version
Steam
- Max size of 25.4 GB
Microsoft Store and Xbox Game Pass for PC
- Max size of 47.95 GB
Xbox
- Max size of 42 GB
New Features
- Halo 4 is now available on PC!
- Halo 4’s Forge mode now includes “Thorage” content – this means new features, a higher budget, dozens of new items, and more
- Per-piece armor customization and “global” weapon skins for all loadouts are now available on all platforms as well
- PC players can now jump into Cross-Game Playlists in Campaign
- Crossplay and input-based matchmaking for multiplayer are now available on both Xbox and PC
- While players will be prompted to select their preferred input device upon their first launch of the game, this option can also be changed at any time from Settings menu while in the Main Menu
- This update also brings Xbox Series X|S enhancements to the Collection
- Please refer to this Halo Support article for additional information on these enhancements and how to enable them
- Season 4 is here with 70+ new customization choices – including new nameplates, weapon and vehicle skins for Halo 3, and weapon skins for Halo 4!
- Interpolation improvements for Halo: Reach, Halo 2: Anniversary, and Halo 4 when running at 60+ FPS
- Player Emblems are now visible in gameplay for both Halo: Reach and Halo 4
- Video settings can now be set on a per-title basis in the Settings menu
- Players can now select their preferred servers in the Network tab of the Settings menu
- Text Chat has been improved with a new Text Chat Availability option and auto-moderation
Resolved Issues
Global
- Players will no longer be returned to the main menu while loading into online multiplayer matches in Halo 3: ODST
- Unlocked customization items no longer appear locked while the Season menu’s data is being retrieved, this will reduce the occurrence of erroneous exclamation point notifications next to already unlocked items
- The Weapon Skin menu for Halo 3 will now accurately display the appearance of the highlighted weapon
- Nameplates in the Season Rewards menu are now the correct size and resolution
- The Magnum is now named correctly in both the Halo: CE and Halo 3 Customization menus
- Dare’s visor color is now consistent between the Halo 3: ODST Customization menu and in-game
- Various localization improvements have been implemented throughout the menus
- The “View Maps in this Playlist” menu now always displays a count of maps
- Fixed an issue where maps would often be duplicated or displayed incorrectly in the “View Maps in this Playlist” menu after matchmaking
- Added dynamic scaling to names on Challenge progress notifications to resolve text clipping issues
Halo 4
General
- Increased volume of the switch grenade audio cue, making it audible once more
- The amount of time needed to trigger the hold or toggle behavior of zooming in with a weapon has been adjusted
- The correct sound effect now plays when performing a melee attack on objects and walls
Campaign
- Accessing a Terminal now plays the video in-game rather than the Halo Channel app
- The skybox in the mission “Reclaimer” has been upscaled and is now more clear
Spartan Ops
- Spartan Ops Episodes now play in the menus rather than the Halo Channel app
- Added support for Spartan Ops to PvE challenges
Multiplayer
- Weapon audio no longer cuts out after firing in the Sword Room on “Pitfall”
- The correct emblem is now shown when starting a Free-For-All match
- Custom emblems now appear on armor in gameplay
- Some maps are no longer brighter than normal when playing local split screen on Xbox One consoles
- Fixed an issue where shadows from forge objects were not displayed appropriately
- Fixed an issue where various toy objects such as Golf Balls and Dice would despawn almost instantly
- Fixed various issues where incorrect or duplicate power weapons were present in matchmaking
- Fixed an issue which led to instability and, sometimes, network disconnects from matches played on Forge maps
Halo 3: ODST
General
- Fixed an issue causing incorrect shadows to appear on some objects on Enhanced graphics
Firefight
- Fixed an issue causing multiple sound events to fire instead of one, leading to repeated voice dialogue of covenant enemies and player actions
Halo 3
Multiplayer
- Improved how weapon skins on battle rifles appear in gameplay
- The multiplayer weapon “dirtying” strategy has been returned to MCC, realigning with legacy behavior
Halo 2: Anniversary
General
- The amount of time needed to trigger the hold or toggle behavior of zooming in with a weapon has been adjusted
Forge
- Held objects now move smoothly when playing with framerates above 60 FPS
- Non-host players can now use the Toggle Rotation Axes function as expected
- The Edit Mode Controls window in the Pause menu now lists the binding for Toggle Rotation Axes
- Fixed an issue where ‘Toggle Rotation Axes’ displayed in English while in other localizations
Halo: Combat Evolved
Campaign
- The “All According to Plan” Achievement can now be unlocked as expected
Halo: Reach
General
- The game will no longer freeze when a headset is unplugged during gameplay
- The correct emblem will now appear on the player’s armor in both cutscenes and gameplay
- Adjusted centered-crosshair viewmodel position to be more in line with the other titles
- Fixed various culling artifacts present on first person view models when crosshairs are centered
Theater
- In Forge films, players will no longer appear stuck in place after editing an object’s coordinates
Forge
- Non-host players can now use the Toggle Rotation Axes function as expected
- Fixed an issue where ‘Toggle Rotation Axes’ displayed in English while in other localizations
Are you excited for the Halo: MCC Xbox Series X optimization update? Let us know in the comments.
Ninja Gaiden was my rite of passage at an early age. After finally beating that game (and narrowly dodging carpal tunnel) I decided to write about my gaming exploits. These days I enjoy roguelikes and anything Pokemon but I'll always dust off Super Mario RPG, Donkey Kong Country and StarFox 64 from time to time to bask in their glory.
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