When Microsoft officially debuted its latest generation gaming console, the Xbox One X, at the recently held 2017 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) event, the company mentioned some games that will be updated to run on the new system. However, one particular title from the company was absent from the list, which understandably caused a lot of concern from fans. Now, the company has officially announced that "Halo 5: Guardians" will indeed be getting an update and that fans will soon be enjoying the game in its full 4K glory.
Wasn't ready in time
In a new post on the game's official website, the game's developer 343 Industries explained that they, unfortunately, weren't willing to make an announcement during the E3 event and that they just didn't want to reveal anything until they were sure that it was ready. The company then confirmed that "Halo 5: Guardians" was indeed going to get the 4K treatment for the Xbox One X and that it is going to be the best "Halo" experience ever. Based on the post, it can also be assumed that the update itself may arrive just in time for the console's release.
Added bonus
As the icing on the proverbial cake, the developer also announced that a number of the past titles from the "Halo" franchise would soon be added to Microsoft's backward compatibility program later in the year.
This includes four major titles, namely "Halo 4," "Halo 3: ODST," "Halo 3," and "Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary."
As part of the backward compatibility program, all of the games will be playable on the Xbox One, Xbox 360, Xbox One S, and the upcoming Xbox One X. Those who already have a physical copy of the games can just insert their discs on their console of choice.
Additionally, all of the game will support LAN play between the Xbox One and the Xbox 360.
Even more freebies
Microsoft is also now giving a new bonus for owners of the original "Halo" games by giving away all of the add-on map packs for free. Players can download the map packs on the Xbox Store without any added cost. "Halo 5: Guardians," which was released back in 2015, currently runs at a smooth 1080p resolution at 60fps on the Xbox One and the Xbox One S.
It is not yet clear if the developer would once again prioritize the game's framerate for the 4K update, which could result in compromised resolutions to retain the desired 60fps. For now, 343 Industries has not yet clarified the refresh rate or the stability of the resolutions, but it did mention that it would reveal more information before the release of the console itself.
