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[123rl]

Anyone able to help?

I have a UK XBox360, bought on launch day - December 2nd. The day after I got it, I tried playing some Xbox games. Halo ran but said it needed to download a patch. It never actually downloaded as it was cutting me off from Live, then saying it needs to connect to download the patch. So I cancelled it and the game ran. So I assumed the patch downloaded and all was fine. But the thing that confuses me is that I tried another game and that wouldn't work. I tried it again last week and it worked this time, after it connected to Live and downloaded a patch.

I got a new TV last weekend and it's a widescreen (my last one wasn't). So obviously I wanted to try Halo in widescreen. I remember Bungie saying that Halo was going to run in widescreen but mine doesn't. It's clearly a 4:3 image even though my 360 is set to widescreen and the TV is set to auto-format (ie select WIDE for 16:9 or 4:3 for fullscreen material). So has something gone wrong? Should Halo run in widescreen? I think that Halo worked on its own and it needs a patch to run in widescreen. The system thinks I've downloaded this when I clearly haven't and it's caused an error somewhere. Is there a way to 'force' a patch download or to look for game updates?

 

[OniShiro]

Halo is 4:3, Bungie is lame for not suppoting widescreen.

 

[123rl]

I know Halo is 4:3 but I'm certain that I read that the 360 update for it adds 16:9 support and 720p. I don't have a HDTV so I can't test that but it should be easy to see if a game is widescreen or not (and it doesn't look like it is)

 

[Rawk Hawk]

Should Halo run in widescreen?

I know Halo is 4:3

Hmm... Seems like you knew the answer before you asked it...

 

[Vark]

halo 2 is widescreen 720p. original halo, i don't think it is.

 

[Sp3eD]

edit. nm.

 

[Shogmaster]

VGA cable and a 19" CRT monitor ftw! Halo looks pretty damn good at 1280x1024 setting through the dash.

 

[HARRYTASKER]

It should be in widescreen not sure why its not working?

Halo 1 Widescreen pic.

http://www.bungie.net/images/news/inlineimages/haloone02.jpg

Original news on bungie's site.
Link: http://www.bungie.net/News/TopStory.aspx?story=h2anniversary&p=5312619

did you switch the toggle on the component cabel to HDTV?

 

[Vark]

It should be in widescreen not sure why its not working?

Halo 1 Widescreen pic.

http://www.bungie.net/images/news/inlineimages/haloone02.jpg

Original news on bungie's site.
Link: http://www.bungie.net/News/TopStory.aspx?story=h2anniversary&p=5312619

did you switch the toggle on the component cabel to HDTV?

Note the obviously oval shapes of what's supposed to be round. It's a stretched 4:3 image.

 

[urk]

Note the obviously oval shapes of what's supposed to be round. It's a stretched 4:3 image.

That's just the HUD. They didn't design HUDs for differing aspect ratios for the console version of Halo.

 

[Sp3eD]

Halo 1 does not display a 16:9 picture in 720p. I just tried it. Black bars on the sides.

 

[Stinkles]

That's just the HUD. They didn't design HUDs for differing aspect ratios for the console version of Halo.

Correct. Sorry.

 

[Vark]

That's just the HUD. They didn't design HUDs for differing aspect ratios for the console version of Halo.

Wider pistols are hud issues?

 

[Shogmaster]

That's just the HUD. They didn't design HUDs for differing aspect ratios for the console version of Halo.

Halo 1 didn't have differing aspect ratios. It just had 4:3. End o story.

 

[Vark]

Halo Proper (keeping the extra vertical res.). Same screen, proper aspect ratio.

 

[arne]

Halo 1 didn't have differing aspect ratios. It just had 4:3. End o story.

Correct, and BC emulation adds black bars to 4:3 games to preserve the original aspect ratio intended by the developer. (Last Q on the page I linked to.)

 

[Vark]

Correct, and BC emulation adds black bars to 4:3 games to preserve the original aspect ratio intended by the developer.

It also jacks up the brightness to annoying levels!

 

[urk]

Wider pistols are hud issues?

No, the circles stretched out to ovals are.

 

[123rl]

Thanks guys, that explains it then. I know it's a 4:3 game but I was led to believe that, when played on the 360, it was enhanced to 16:9

It's a bit surprising though that I've gone back to Halo. I finished PDZ and, instead of re-playing it, I started Halo again. Apart from some textures and the models, it hasn't aged much at all and it's still a great game to play (and that's coming from someone who doesn't normally like FPS games)

 

[MarkMacD]

Related story--love Halo 2 on my 360 but when the action gets really hot online it gets all jittery and the sound goes all crazy...anyone else having this problem?

 

[123rl]

Not with Halo 2, but Halo has had a little slowdown when things get frantic. Half Life 2 is stuttery as hell during the intro. I'm sure it's normal (ie not a problem with your machine) but it's to do with the emulation and the fact that it's running on a different system

 

[Jumpman]

I have a related question. Halo 1 has horizontal black bars, and therefore looks squished on my widescreen HDTV. I assume I need to adjust my settings somewhere, I'm just not sure which ones. I have the settings in the 360 dash set to 16:9 HD. I also have the component cable switch in the HD position. Other games (including Halo 2) look great currently. My problem just seems to be with the original Halo. Any help would be apreciated.

 

[Nutter]

Related story--love Halo 2 on my 360 but when the action gets really hot online it gets all jittery and the sound goes all crazy...anyone else having this problem?

Is it on all maps or just select few?
Because i have MAJOR slowdown / sound issues with the new maps, but the older ones not much so.

 

[MarkMacD]

Is it on all maps or just select few?
Because i have MAJOR slowdown / sound issues with the new maps, but the older ones not much so.

Good question--I haven't been keeping track but I will start now....I know it's happened on Turf and Sanctuary...

It's not very often, maybe three or four times a match, but that's often enough to be annoying.

 

[Jumpman]

I went in to the dashboard and changed the display setting to 480P. That fixes the aspect ratio problem, giving me the expected black bars on the left and right. Problem is, that also knocks the resolution down to 480P (duh). There has to be a better way to play the original Halo. It seems silly that I should have to change the resolution settings each time to play in the proper aspect ratio. Does anyone know what I'm doing wrong? Or is the aspect ratio messed up for everyone when they play 4:3 Xbox games on a HDTV using the 360?