Halo: Master Chief Collection gets Xbox Insider update that fixes Combat Evolved's graphics

Halo
(Image credit: Microsoft)

An Xbox Insider update has fixed up some graphic bugs in Halo: Combat Evolved.

343 Industries has pushed an update for Halo: Master Chief Collection live, but only for those who are a part of the Xbox Insider program. If you're not part of it, Generalkidd (via Wired Up Report) uploaded a video to show off the improvements. 

In Generalkidd's video, we're shown examples from the original Halo: Combat Evolved title on the Xbox, the current version from the Halo: Master Chief Collection, and the Xbox Insider version. One example sees the Xbox Insider version bringing back the original textures for Captain Keyes and improving them to look less flat.

There are also some updates to the way Halo: Combat Evolved handles transparency. With the shields, for example, the original Xbox version would see shields flash red when taking damage, but in the Master Chief Collection, they stopped doing that. The Xbox Insider update restores the damage effect and also improves transparency across the rest of the game.

Fog is another thing that seems to have been fixed. The Master Chief Collection as it's currently available seems to lack fog, but with the Insider update, the fog has returned, bringing it back to how the game was on the original Xbox.

Halo: Combat Evolved's Insider update also improves bump maps, bringing more depth and clarity to the game's textures. The video shows off a ship at one point that looks rather flat on the current public version of the game, but the Insider update gives it that overhaul it needed.

This update could be going live to the public at some point, and 343 Industries has already said that we can expect to see new content and features this year for the Halo: Master Chief Collection. 

Also this year, we're hoping to see the upcoming Halo Infinite when it's slated to launch this Fall with beta testing possibly on the way.

Ben Bayliss

I'm partial to an action adventure RPG such as Skyrim and Cyberpunk 2077. I enjoy the occasional open-world driving games and even those skateboarding titles. But really, if any game I'm playing has a photo mode, I'll likely be found snapping pictures of anything and everything.