Microsoft Delays PC Testing For Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Moving Halo: The Master Chief Collection over to PC is proving more difficult than it first seemed, according to Microsoft. PC Gamer is reporting that the company has delayed public testing of the Master Chief Collection's PC port, missing the April window Microsoft was hoping to hit.

"I know excitement and anticipation is off the charts and everyone here inside the studio shares it as well," wrote community director Brian Jarrard. "But this is a really complicated project and we all agree that quality trumps everything else and we need to bring MCC to PC at the bar Halo fans and PC players expect and demand."

One of the hangups the team is running into, according to Jarrard, has to do with mouse and keyboard support. Halo: Reach — the first game being released on PC — was originally an Xbox 360 exclusive, not built for play with anything but a 360 gamepad. So the team is essentially having to retool the experience to support those input methods. Not only that, but PC players would — quite understandably — expect the option to remap those controls as they see fit. As of now, remapping has to be done in a separate app outside the game, and that's not a solution 343 Industries wants to force on testers.

There's no word yet on when Microsoft plans to have Reach ready for public testing. But PC Gamer notes that 343 has an update planned for today that will offer more details on how the Reach port is shaping up.

It's clear Microsoft is eager to avoid a repeat of Halo: The Master Chief Collection's launch on Xbox One. That version of the anthology showed up with all kinds of issues, leading Microsoft and developer 343 Industries to embark on a multi-year effort to improve MCC and win back the community's support. It's a tad bit disappointing that Halo: Reach isn't going to be playable on PC this month, but if this delay results in a better experience — and ultimately results in a better build that generates more valuable feedback – then the wait will be worth it.