Bungie confirms enhancements for original Halo on Xbox 360

Bungie has confirmed recent Internet rumours surrounding the Xbox 360's backward compatibility and graphical enhancements for the first two games in its award winning Halo franchise.

There has been some contention as to how comprehensive Microsoft's backward compatibility function will be, and it is has been suggested that not all Xbox titles will run on the next generation console.

To mark the one-year anniversary of Halo 2 on November 9th, Bungie released an update on its website, confirming that both the original Halo and Halo 2 will be compatible with the new console, including Xbox Live play for Halo 2.

In addition, both titles will be slightly enhanced to take advantage of the new machine's capabilities and will feature widescreen support, 720p (progressive-scan) support, and full-scene anti-aliasing to smooth over any jagged edges.

The statement from Bungie reads: "We didn't redo any of the old textures or geometry - this is simply the game you already own, running at a higher resolution. The results are not miraculous, but for owners of HDTVs (or VGA monitors with the appropriate cable) they are sweet."

For anyone interested in a comparison between the old and the new, Bungie has also provided a selection of shots showing the improvements, which can be viewed by visiting the company website. The feature also includes a detailed look back at Halo's original path to market and its subsequent global success.