Xbox launches Xbox Labs to explore running games like Halo: Combat Evolved in browsers

GG Brief Editorial Desk · AI-assisted, source attributed

Xbox announced Xbox Labs, an initiative described as aiming to get games — including improved old-generation titles such as Halo: Combat Evolved — playable in regular web browsers, IGN reports. IGN says the initiative formalizes existing Xbox experiments with running Xbox and Xbox 360 games in browsers. IGN reports Xbox presented Xbox Labs as a small engineering team exploring emerging technologies and that the group is expected to ship products rather than only research. IGN also links the move to new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma's reported goal of reaching 1 billion players per day and quotes Sharma saying, "We'll build in the open."

• What happened: IGN reports Xbox announced a new initiative called Xbox Labs aimed in part at making improved old-generation games playable in standard web browsers.
• Why it matters: IGN reports Xbox Labs is intended to be more than research—Xbox has tasked the small team with shipping products and the announcement was tied by IGN to CEO Asha Sharma's reported goal of reaching 1 billion players per day, with Sharma quoted as saying "We'll build in the open."
• Context: IGN reports Xbox has already been experimenting with running Xbox and Xbox 360 games in browsers and cites as an example a 94fps browser version of Halo: Combat Evolved.
• What next: IGN describes Xbox Labs as a formalization of current tinkering and says a small team will explore emerging technologies, but IGN does not provide confirmed details on which specific titles, platforms, regions, timelines, or public availability will follow.