343 responds to fans asking for ray tracing in Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Xbox Series X/S
Microsoft and 343 Industries have shared more information about the next-gen version of Halo: The Master Chief Collection in a new blog.
The publisher and developer confirmed the next-gen version of Halo: The Master Chief Collection would be arriving for Xbox Series XS on November 17 back in October, and now more information has been shared about the ports, too.
Fans have been asking 343 about how likely it is that the game will include ray tracing at some point in its life, and senior producer Matt Hohl has said that the studio has at least acknowledged the idea.
"I’m personally excited to see what we can do with the power of this new hardware in the future," Hohl said on Halo Waypoint.
"The complexity and scope of MCC poses unique challenges that I am still learning about, but I love the opportunities it offers for how we can roll out new features and enhancements in the future.
"One thing I have already learned here is that this team listens to the community as a crucial element to our planning. I love that and am excited to see what we can do together in the future!"
Whilst ray tracing may not be on the cards – at least in the short term – there are plenty of other upgrades players can look forward to.
"First, there is a raw performance improvement across the board," Hohl notes. @Players with compatible displays will be able to experience up to 120fps at 4k on Series X and 1080p on Series S. This was a big engineering effort as each game within MCC has unique performance challenges. While there are similarities to the efforts on the PC versions of each game, the work to do this on Series X|S is not always the same and included some unique challenges.
"Regardless of whether players have a display setup for 120 fps, we have also included some graphic enhancements to the game such as increased draw distances within levels and improved split screen experiences in Campaign and Multiplayer. And I can't wait until everyone gets to experience these loading times. A personal favorite for me is the added FOV slider."
For more on Xbox Series X/S, including securing that elusive pre-order, check out our dedicated page.