List of discrepancies between Halo: Combat Evolved versions

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Halo: Combat Evolved has been released on a number of platforms since its original Xbox release in 2001. Some of these versions have become infamous for diverging from the original game in some areas. This page contains a list of discrepancies between these versions of Halo: Combat Evolved.

Versions of the game

The following is a list of the different versions of the game that have been officially released:

• Halo: Combat Evolved (for original Xbox)
• Halo Demo (for original Xbox)
• Halo: Combat Evolved (for PC)
• Halo: Combat Evolved for Macintosh
• Halo: Combat Evolved Trial (for PC)
• Halo: Combat Evolved Trial (for Mac)
• Halo Custom Edition
• Halo: Combat Evolved (for Xbox 360, via backward compatibility)
• Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (for Xbox 360)
• Halo: The Master Chief Collection (for Xbox One)
• Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (for Xbox One, via backward compatibility)
• Halo: The Master Chief Collection (for PC)

Background and history

This section needs expansion. You can help Halopedia by expanding it.

List of discrepancies

Discrepancy	Halo: CE Xbox	Halo PC PC, Mac	Custom Edition PC, Mac	Halo: CE 360 BC	CEA 360, XB1	MCC XB1	MCC PC
Graphical
Resolution	640x480	User-determined	User-determined	640x480	1152x648	1920x1080S 3840x2160X	User-determined
Frame rate target	30 fps	Hardware-dependent	Hardware-dependent	30 fps	30 fps	60 fps	Hardware-dependent
Animation frame rate	30 fps	30 fps	30 fps	30 fps	30 fps	60 fps (Interpolated, some animations remain at 30)	User-determined (Interpolated, some animations remain at 30)
Jackal point defence gauntlets and Covenant portable shields lack the rippling energy effect on their surface.	-	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Water shaders do not render correctly, causing water to lack details such as ripples.	-	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes (c. 2014) No (c. 2018)	No
Bump mapping is not present in the game at all.	-	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Materials such as the Pelican hull, assault rifle shroud, Master Chief's MJOLNIR Mk. V armour and others appear different, due to shader adjustments.	-	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
The sun appears a different size in the sky, due to resolution differences.	-	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
Jacob Keyes' model is slightly modified, and he sports a different uniform on The Pillar of Autumn.	-	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
The skybox used on The Truth and Reconciliation is lower resolution, and the Halo ring is much brighter.	-	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Assault on the Control Room lacks the fog above the map, leading to the black clifftops contrasting starkly against the sky.	-	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
The game uses a higher-resolution version of the original HUD, with slight modifications to certain elements.	-	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
The game uses the Halo: CEA HUD, a completely overhauled version of the original HUD.	-	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Level layout
On the map Hang 'em High, the small lips at the edges of the trench in the middle of the map have been removed.	-	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
On the map Sidewinder, the one-way teleporter pair leading from each base to the far corner of the map have been replaced by two-way teleporters.	-	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Gameplay
Bloom on certain weapons such as the magnum has been increased, and is dependent on framerate.	-	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes

^S On Xbox One and Xbox One S.

^X On Xbox One X