Halo: The Master Chief Collection is about to launch tomorrow and Microsoft is preparing an all out Halo Assault with the launch of the much awaited Halo Channel app for the Xbox One and the Halo Fest event tonight. There's no word on a Windows Phone version at the moment, but we expect it to be available soon and to most likely launch before its availability on iOS and Android according to 343 in an interview a few weeks ago.
The Halo Channel has an integrated Twitter live stream where following and responding to tweets is made easy and intuitive, as well as the ability to use Microsoft SmartGlass feature.
Watching Halo related videos will be an immersive experience, as you'll be able to pull up the "explorer" menu and it'll tell you exactly what you're seeing in the specific scene, in addition to that, the inclusion of the Halo encyclopaedia will provide you with a Wikipedia-like experience for characters and events important to the Halo storyline.
You'll be able to interact with content whether it be from apps like Twitter and Twitch or things like unlocking side stories through a widget in the right corner of your screen. When this widget pops up you'll be able to interact with it while watching a show which can give you a different perceptive on the story and offer more insight.
Watching movies and being part of the Halo ecosystem through this channel will reward you when playing Halo, with game rewards and game unlocks. Halo developer Kiki Wolfkill says that watching Halo "Nightfall", which will be available with Halo: The Master Chief Collection will give you plenty of game unlocks for the game as well as the Halo 5 beta.
Another great feature of the Halo Channel is that it'll consolidate the Twitch Halo streams in one place for you, giving you all the different types of Halo streams to filter through, whether it be Pro Gamer, Friends, or Casual types of streams.
A neat feature available in the Halo Channel app when watching Halo Twitch streams is the inclusion of a live-scoreboard, providing you with a truly immersive spectator experience. Launching Halo: The Master Chief Collection from within the app will be possible and the app will work in snap mode.
http://www.microsoftproductreviews.com/xbox/much-awaited-halo-channel-now-available-xbox-one/
Download for Windows 8.1
http://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/halo-channel/ad13b78b-efcb-4c04-8921-b1e3f7ee493e
