Halo Channel

Halo Channel
Developer(s):	Microsoft Studios
Platform(s):	Windows (obsolete), Xbox One (obsolete), Android (discontinued), iOS (discontinued)
Release date(s):	November 11, 2014

"This is your home for Halo."

— Halo Channel tagline

The Halo Channel was a Halo multimedia hub that was available on Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Android and iOS. A spiritual successor to the Halo Waypoint app on the Xbox 360, the Halo Channel contained original content, interactive features, and unlockable content for its users.^[1] Original programming and entertainment, such as Halo: Nightfall, were available to all users. The Halo Channel was intended to provide the latest Halo-related news and live events, such as eSports broadcasts. Additionally, players could access Halo Wars, Halo: Spartan Assault, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and Halo 5: Guardians if they owned them through the Halo Channel.^[2] A version for the Windows Phone 8.1 was in development.^[3] It was first introduced at Gamescom 2014.^[4] Sometime in 2016 the Halo Channel stopped receiving updates. Since then, the terminals once exclusive to the Halo Channel were added to Halo: The Master Chief Collection when titles were ported to PC. Now, the console version does not function and the mobile versions have since been replaced by the Halo Waypoint app.

Overview[edit]

The Halo Channel menu.

The Halo Channel allowed its users to watch Halo content, including original programs such as Halo Legends, Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, and Halo: Nightfall.^[5] It also hosted the Halo 2: Anniversary Terminals and cutscenes, as well as the Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Terminals. Before watching an episode, the Halo Channel provided episode summaries, scenes from the episode, or access to the Halo Encyclopedia for its users. The Halo Channel gave viewers behind the scene looks and videos relating to the creation or bloopers of original Halo programming. Users could create playlists of their favorite scenes or episodes from original Halo programming. Users also had the ability to rate or share scenes from Nightfall or Forward Unto Dawn.^[4]

Beginning with Halo: The Master Chief Collection, all Halo Channel users could launch any Halo games from the program or begin any level they choose. Users could seamlessly join friends in any Halo game for the Xbox One.^[6] The "Halo Encyclopedia" offered information and content relating to the games or videos the user is watching.^[2]^[4] Featured videos were also shown on the Halo Channel.^[6] Users were given statuses and alerts of events, premieres, and news relating to Halo events, to which they had the option to view or ignore it. Users also had the option to pre-order upcoming Halo games or download Halo media from the Xbox One store, such as the Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer Beta. The Halo Channel can be accessed from The Master Chief Collection by the "Extras" tab in the main menu.^[4]

The menu for Halo Channel featured an original ambient musical track, composed by Brian Trifon and Brian Lee White from Finishing Move Inc..^[7]

Community[edit]

Community streaming with the Halo Channel.

The Halo Channel allowed its users to connect with other Halo players and the community with ease. Users could connect with friends through social media, and share their favorite Halo moments or content. With 343 Industries' partnership with Twitch, the Halo Channel allowed its viewers to watch Halo matches, competitions, broadcasts, or follow other players. Twitch integration allowed players to stream competitive multiplayer matches, speedruns, or simple playthroughs of the campaign. Viewers could monitor players in real-time, while the Halo Channel displayed statistics and data relating to ongoing matches. Users could also participate in interactive community polls and trivia challenges relating to the Halo universe.^[2]^[6] With the Halo Channel, users could access Twitter or Halo Waypoint. Twitter integration gave the users of the Halo Channel the ability to tweet during ongoing games or favorite the tweets of friends.^[4]

The Bulletin[edit]

The Bulletin was a community news feature connected to the Halo Channel that replaced the Halo Bulletin. It featured news articles, community spotlights, consumer products, and updates relating to Halo games. Members of the community were able to vote for which weapon they wish to be featured in a weapon breakdown in upcoming episodes of The Bulletin.^[4] Episodes of The Bulletin aired weekly. Videos and machinima created by Rooster Teeth, such as Red vs. Blue, were also shown on The Bulletin.^[8] 24 episodes, running from November 6, 2014, to September 11, 2015, were produced before it was unexpectedly replaced by the Halo Community Update.^[9]

Halo Encyclopedia[edit]

Jameson Locke's Encyclopedia entry.

The Halo Encyclopedia integration feature allowed users to learn about additional information about the scene they are currently watching. In addition, it contained information on the characters, locations, weapons, vehicles, and technology relating to the Halo programming or the Halo game the user was currently watching or playing.^[2] The Halo Encyclopedia was created to allow Halo Channel users to accessibly explore the Halo universe.^[6] For characters, the Halo Encyclopedia provided a character summary, their biography, and facts such as date of birth or homeworld.^[4]

Unlockable content[edit]

Halo Channel's awards screen.

Halo Channel users could unlock rewards through unknown means from Halo live-action programming. Rewards could also be unlocked by participating in community interactive polls or trivia games relating to the Halo universe. Some unlocks could have been used in upcoming Halo games, including Halo 5: Guardians.^[2]

Each scene had a certain amount of unlockable awards. Some rewards were unlocked through the completion of challenges. Some of these rewards could be used in Halo games. For example, after completing five challenges relating to Halo: Nightfall, a skull for Halo: The Master Chief Collection was unlocked for use in the game's campaign. The skull, Swarm, causes Hunters to do double damage and have triple health. After progressing in a original Halo program, a "Second Story" was unlocked. The Second Story gave viewers canon videos that were not included with the original series. For example, a Second Story entitled "SV-03: Confronting His Loss" features Thomas Lasky struggling to confront the death of his brother, Cadmon.^[4] The third episode of Halo: Nightfall contained two out of eight rewards and four Second Stories.