The original Halo has been ported to everything from Android to the N64 (?!)

There’s been an explosion in game recompilations recently, as people port classic games to more modern platforms. It turns out the original Halo has also been ported to a variety of platforms in recent weeks, including the Nintendo 64. Yes, really.

The OpenCommunityEdition project released unofficial ports of Halo: Combat Evolved on Android, Linux, Windows, and the web earlier this month. These are ports of the original Xbox release rather than the PC version or the Master Chief Collection remake. Needless to say, you’ll need the game’s image file to run it.

What’s more impressive, though, is that developer JackTulli has released Halo 64 for the Nintendo 64 (h/t: Retro Dodo). This is admittedly only a port of Halo’s multiplayer suite rather than the entire campaign, but this is an understandable decision given the old console’s memory and storage limitations. Most of the game’s core code has been retained, but we’re looking at a new renderer and several other under-the-hood changes.

Nevertheless, you’re getting all 13 multiplayer maps, up to four-player split-screen multiplayer, bot support, a Firefight mode, and a variety of modes (including Slayer, Capture the Flag, and King of the Hill). This port was made with Claude AI, though, and the extent of generative AI usage is unclear.

Want to run Halo on your ANBERNIC Linux handheld? Well, there’s good news here too, as an unofficial port has been released for ANBERNIC handhelds with the AllWinner H700 chip. This port is available for the Knulli and MuOS firmwares rather than the stock OS. The port also offers an adjustable render resolution, including 0.5x and 0.75x, along with dynamic resolution scaling. It must be said that this port has also been made with Claude AI.

Either way, there’s no shortage of official ways to play Halo, as the first game was officially released in various guises on Xbox consoles and PC. But these unofficial ports are welcome if you want to play on your Android device or cheap Linux handheld. Or if you’re tired of playing Goldeneye on your old N64.