Thanks to advances in hardware, network speeds, and software capabilities, browser-based gaming has come a long way. Case in point: thanks to developer Mitchell Hynes, you can jump into and play the 2001 original Xbox version of Halo: Combat Evolved in seconds by visiting this link. According to the developers, average performance so far is 94 FPS, which is impressive. That said, performance suffers on iOS or Android, so PC is recommended.
Either way, it's an impressive achievement, with controller and keyboard-and-mouse controls, split-screen co-op, and multiplayer supporting up to 128 players. Mitchell Hynes adds that the 128-player multiplayer feature hasn't been fully tested; however, with reportedly almost 20,000 people playing the browser-based Halo: Combat Evolved in its first few hours of release, the multiplayer side is definitely getting a workout.
As we're talking about the original Xbox version of the game, Halo: Combat Evolved doesn't feature an actual online multiplayer mode, but instead split-screen and system link capabilities. This means the online multiplayer emulates multiple connected Xbox consoles, and the process is fairly seamless: you can create a multiplayer lobby or join one with a simple link.
This browser-based version of the original Halo: Combat Evolved was made possible thanks to a recently decompiled Xbox version that has been natively ported to Linux, Windows, and Android. As for why this browser version doesn't use the official 2003 PC port of Halo: Combat Evolved from Gearbox Software, well, that version is widely considered inferior. Beyond glitches and physics bugs, it's also visually inferior to the original Xbox release, with lower-quality lighting, transparency effects, and character models.
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And with this PC port serving as the foundation for subsequent re-releases and remasters, including Halo: The Master Chief Collection, developer Mitchell Hynes even added "no Gearbox Master Chief" as a key feature for this browser-ready port.
