Players Complain About Bad Audio in PC Version of Halo: Reach
Halo: Reach was released on Tuesday for PC and Xbox One and quite a few PC players are reporting problems with audio, among other things. For example, the shots from firearms would sound very muffled and players also report that gameplay and the frames are not always very smooth.
On various forum topics, such as on Steam, Resetera, Reddit and the official website for the Halo universe, players report the bad sound once they get out of the main menu and into the game world. Firearms shots are said to sound very soft compared to other sounds, and there are also quite a few reports of cracking noises. Also the voices of allied and enemy characters would be very difficult to hear. A player reports that it is not possible to fix this by adjusting the audio settings; only the volume would be adjustable.
The existence of this audio problem was already known to the developer, 343 Industries. On November 22, the creator wrote that updating Halo: Reach for PC and Xbox One meant completely changing the encoding for the game’s audio. This results in a sound experience that differs from the original game, the developer writes. The original game was released for the Xbox 360 in 2010. “It takes some time to come up with solutions that improve the overall audio experience, and work has already begun,” says 343 Industries. The developer has not yet indicated when it believes it will have resolved these issues. Furthermore, mention is made of stuttering image, which is attributed, among other things, to a moderate frame pacing.
Halo: Reach was released Tuesday for PC and Xbox One. This is a graphically polished version of the 2010 original, which was still being developed by Bungie. Halo: Reach is the first of several Halo games from the Halo: The Master Chief Collection to be released step-by-step for PC. This collection was previously available for the Xbox One, but Halo: Reach was not one of them. For Xbox One owners of The Master Chief Collection, multiplayer is free to play, but other parts of the game are only accessible by paying.