Xbox 360 News

Halo 2: Anniversary is Out Now on PC as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection with Xbox Game Pass and on the Microsoft Store and on Steam.

Halo 2: Anniversary on PC comes equipped with new features, optimizations, and customizations built for the platform. The game looks and plays better than ever at 60 frames-per-second (or greater) with 4K UHD support, and players can fine-tune their experience with a vast array of options, including customizable mouse and keyboard support, ultrawide support, FOV customization and more.

Like all titles in Halo: The Master Chief Collection on PC, players will have a few different ways to experience Halo 2: Anniversary depending on their platform of choice:

• Xbox Game Pass – Join Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta) and get Halo 2: Anniversary, the next chapter in Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST (Campaign), and Halo 4 will also be included in your membership and will be available on each game’s respective release date, completing the collection in 2020.

• Microsoft Store and Steam – The Halo: The Master Chief Collection bundle is available today for $39.99 USD, which includes Halo: Reach and Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, and now Halo 2: Anniversary, plus the remaining titles as they launch next year. Halo 2: Anniversary can also be purchased individually for $9.99 USD.

November 15^th – 17^th are the dates every Halo fan needs to be entering into their diary this month, with DreamHack’s ever-popular Halo Series set to launch in Atlanta, Georgia that weekend. As part of the full eSports convention taking place across the same duration, the Halo tournament is one that Xbox fans can’t miss. The three-day event is a huge celebration of everything to do with gaming, all under one roof and while, of course, the plentiful events and activities are sure to keep people busy, it’s the MCC: Halo Series that we’re particularly keen for. But what is this year’s tournament set to bring? We’ve got the lowdown.

How Do You Qualify?

While qualifying has already taken place for this year’s tournament, the process alone is worth a look-in all the same. Seedings for the Halo Series are based on four different categories – Players from DreamHack Dallas, the Atlantic City Qualifiers, the Atlantic City Event and the Atlanta Qualifiers which took place on the 19^th and 26^th October, and the 2^nd November. An online UGC Qualifier also introduced 12 teams into the second stage of the tournament (Pool Play) directly, without play in the Open Bracket. Esports betting sites are already setting the odds to determine the likely winner and with a $50,000 prize pool right at their fingertips, the pressure is on for the players.

The Schedule

As with every Halo Series tournament, the schedule will be split into three different stages, with an additional side event for those that weren’t able to secure their place in the main event pools. The MCC Halo 3: 4v4 stages are split up as follows:

Open Bracket

The Open Bracket is the place to be for those wanting to work their way up to the next stages – or at least if they haven’t already earned a slot based on UGC qualifying. This stage hosts up to 64 teams, as well as a double elimination bracket, and must win Best of Five matches in order to advance. Only the top four teams will make it to the Pool Play, while those that place 5-8 are put into the Elimination Bracket in the Championships Bracket.

Pool Play

This is the second stage of the tournament, in which 12 seeded teams from UGC qualifiers and the four winning teams from the Open Bracket compete. As before, all matches will be in a Best of Five format, with teams split into groups of four teams. This year’s pools are as follows:

• Pool A – Tox Gaming, Reign, PBG Esports

• Pool B – Lux Gaming, Believe The Hype, Chaotic

• Pool C – Team Mantra, DivvyCloud, 8ighty 2wenty

• Pool D – Simplicity Esports, Nfinite, Unllimited

Each pool will gain one more team before the tournament begins, according to the winners of the Open Bracket.

Championship Bracket

This is the final stage of the games, with 20 teams qualified through the Open Bracket and Pool Play. It once again has a Double Elimination bracket, and all matches are Best of Five until we reach the finals. The EB-, WB- and Grand Finals are Best of Seven matches and will determine the winners overall.

The Halo 5: Guardians 2v2

Each year, there is a small event that runs alongside the main one, and this year it’s Halo 5: Guardians 2V2. This is a sign-up-on-the-day event that can host up to 48 teams, so it’s a first-come-first-served process, but with a $5,000 prize pool to be split between 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd, it’s always a popular addition to the Halo Series. It begins on Saturday, but will only be open to teams that haven’t already qualified for one of the other tournaments, as they run at the same time.

Ticket Info

If you want to attend the event as a team, you’ll need to get a Halo team pass. Each pass will grant access for four people to the entire DreamHack Atlanta 3 Day Festival but also includes a single team sign up for the series. Currently, the team pass sits at $199.

For standard visitors, or any additional coaches or team supporters that want to attend, pricing will depend on how long you’re attending for, whether you’re bringing your own computer and the level of ticket that you want.

• BYOC – $115 for 3 days 24/7 access, 100mbit Ethernet Port, 30” x 30” for your PC and Peripherals. Must be purchased in advance.

• BYOC Premium - $275 for the above, but with 1gbit network uplink, a 48” x 30” space, an exclusive hoodie and a home delivery add-on. Must be purchased in advance.

• BYOC Ultra - $555 for the above, with Gaming desktop loan, 120hx screen, maxnomic chair and unique, customisation badge.

• Festival Pass - $79 in advance or $85 at the door for 24/7 3-day access to the whole festival.

• Festival Premium - $189 for 24/7 3-day access to the festival, plus a premium hoodie. Must be purchased in advance.

• Day Pass - $35 in advance or $40 at the door for 1-day access to the whole festival

Four new Xbox 360 titles: Half-Life 2: The Orange Box, Portal: Still Alive, Left 4 Dead, and Left 4 Dead 2 have been added to the Xbox One X 'Enhanced' list.

Whether players are revisiting these iconic titles or experiencing them for the first time, they’ll see them with the stunning visuals only the Xbox One X can deliver.

Xbox 360 games enhanced for Xbox One X run at a higher resolution and 9X the original pixel count. The power of Xbox One X enables the Xbox 360 emulator to showcase the very best version possible with the existing assets—all without touching the game code.

Check out an up-to-date list of all Xbox 360 games that have been Xbox One X ''Enhanced''.

1. Assassin’s Creed
2. Crackdown
3. Fable Anniversary
4. Fallout 3
5. Forza Horizon
6. Gears of War 3
7. Half-Life 2: The Orange Box
8. Halo 3
9. Left 4 Dead
10. Left 4 Dead 2
11. Mirror’s Edge
12. Oblivion
13. Portal: Still Alive
14. Skate 3
15. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Starting today, four new Xbox 360 titles will be enhanced for Xbox One X, which includes The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, Forza Horizon, Fable Anniversary and Crackdown, the newest addition available now in the Xbox One Backward Compatibility library. We’re also excited to release a new graphics setting for enhanced Xbox 360 titles on Xbox One X to give you more control over your gaming experience.

Xbox 360 games that are enhanced for Xbox One X run at a higher resolution and 9X the original pixel count on Xbox One X. The power of Xbox One X enables the Xbox 360 emulator to showcase the very best version of the game possible with the existing assets—all without touching the game code. Today’s additions join the seven previously released Enhanced Xbox 360 titles like Halo 3, Skate 3, and Gears of War 3 for a total of 11 Xbox One X Enhanced Xbox 360 games.

Here is the full list of Xbox 360 games that are in the Xbox One X Enhanced catalog:

• Assassin’s Creed
• Crackdown
• Fable Anniversary
• Fallout 3
• Forza Horizon
• Gears of War 3
• Halo 3
• Mirror’s Edge
• The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion
• Skate 3
• The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

When you play Enhanced Xbox 360 games on Xbox One X, you can now choose how to experience them—with enhanced graphics or in their original form. Enhanced graphics will be turned on by default, running your game with higher resolution, 9X the pixel count, increased texture details and antialiasing, allowing you to enjoy greater visual clarity than ever before. If you turn off the Graphics setting, the graphics will be comparable to the experience on Xbox One or Xbox One S. Here’s how to access the setting. Note, once you change the setting, you’ll need to restart the game:

1. Press “View” and “Menu” buttons on the controller to pull up the Xbox 360 guide
2. Navigate to “Settings” blade
3. Select “Xbox One X Settings”

1. Select to optimize for “Graphics” or “Performance”

We’re thrilled with the continued excitement for Xbox One Backward Compatibility—the community has played more than 840 million hours of Xbox 360 games on Xbox One. Compatibility is important to Xbox, to developers and their games, and our community. Preserving the art form of video games is part of our DNA, which is why Xbox One is the only console designed to play the best games of the past, present and future. We’re excited to continue to deliver on our vision of compatibility and grow our current Backward Compatible library, which includes more than 460 Xbox 360 games, 11 Xbox One X Enhanced Xbox 360 titles, and 13 Original Xbox games.