It’s been on the rumour circuit for quit a while now that Bungie, the developers of the cash cow Halo, have been talking about splitting with Microsoft. The alleged reason cited were Bungies unhappiness with the uniquely Halo direction Microsoft were pushing them Most of us in the know have been taking the rumours with a pinch of salt. After all, Microsoft without Bungie is like love without laughter and tears without tissues.
However, the unthinkable has happened. In a press release today Microsoft and Bungie say that they are to split company, and that Bungie will become an independent company. The Beast will still maintain a share in Bungie, and will also retain and invest in the rights to Halo. As Shane Kim, head of Microsoft Game Studios, said in a statement. “While we are supporting Bungie’s desire to return to its independent roots, we will continue to invest in our ‘Halo’ entertainment property with Bungie and other partners,”
So what does this mean? Could we be seeing Halo on the PS3? This hack says it’s highly unlikely. But perhaps some heavily networked focused multiplayer could well be on the cards for the victorian waffle owners.
After months of speculation, the new 65nm xbox chip, codenamed Falcon, has been found in the wild. Some clever hackers have opened up their new special edition Halo 360, and found the chip hidden under a smaller heatsink. This chip replaces the 90 nm chip which has been usedto date. The falcon apparently costs half as much to produce, and also produces less heat. There is speculation that the 350’s well documented Red Ring of Death was caused by overheating, so this may help on the reliability front, and recoup some of that 1 billion dollar hit.
