What if Halo had been a Mac exclusive? | Alternate History Explored

[@polygon]

What other changes d'you think exist in the iVerse?

[@Tentetnikov69]

After the anti-trust lawsuit, they are finally able to confirm that the suit does actually jack Master Chief off.

[@polygon]

@@Tentetnikov69 Polygon is banned from KZbin after the Halo episode of Unraveled in the iVerse

[@anatypicallyhumanperson7200]

@@polygon you mean Itube, right?

[@tjstakehouse1424]

Macbook Pros would no longer be the dominant computer for productivity but GAMING while Windows laptops would be the productive powerhouses

[@austinknight5881]

Bubsy X Conker fan art drowns DeviantArt because "ugh, it's EDGY and OBSCURE, ugh, you wouldn't get it, it's MY art, ugh....."

[@KurtIndovina]

All should experience Seaman. The lack of Seaman in all of our lives is crime. Once again, the Polygon team has managed to make a video that speaks to me, and my undying love for Seaman. And that’s all despite me having a cameo and still being unaware of Seaman’s involvement.

[@polygon]

Thanks for stanning Seaman

[@gorimbaud]

I too thirst for Seaman.

[@Corbomite_Meatballs]

The more Seaman you have, the happier you will be.

[@misterscienceguy]

The Freelance Astronauts longplay of it is art.

[@RickWhitechest]

Seaman literally changed my life, by making me question my own health and forcing me to get a check-up that basically saved me.

[@pliable-head]

SO excited to see a Clayton installment of this series! I lovvvvved the wardrobe change as a way to differentiate between 'verses -- I've enjoyed the mirror flip effect in previous Versuses (versi??) but it was easier for me to miss/forget about if I wasn't paying close enough attention and lose track of what 'verse we were in. This is a super fun and cute way to make that clearer!

[@sealionroar]

I was staring at his hair part trying to catch it

[@paige_404]

While a lot of the iVerse seems a bit dystopian, the idea of antitrust laws having power in the present day _does_ hold a certain appeal...

[@betabee1221]

Pros: >Antitrust Laws have power >Seaman. Cons: >A more powerful and overbearing Apple all through the 2000s & 2010s >Both Nintendo and Sony being stripped for parts and their IPs being purchased by Apple & other companies >Microsoft struggling to stay afloat the entire time

[@ryanherrington2319]

@@betabee1221 Gaming is a side thing for MS, they'll be fine.

[@Silverwind87]

@@betabee1221 Cons: Waluigi is banned for being too sexy

[@TurdInternational]

If the government even bothered with anti-trust laws anymore, they would probably all be leveled against MS. In the late 90's they were in court for anti-trust cases, and now with their big buy-up of games studios, they're getting pretty close to getting into monopoly territory again. Hate Apple all you want, but don't pretend like Microsoft are a moral shining light, as they've consistently proven themselves not to be.

[@Mekasoundwave]

Surprised this didn't include the layup of Siri being Cortana in the iVerse.

[@alizetvargas]

Huge missed opportunity tbh

[@stevenedwardyoung]

Siri the name pre-existed apple purchasing the developer of the product. It’s not the assistant’s name so much as the name of the software. There’s no way Siri would have been called Cortana, especially since even if Halo was a mac exclusive (super unlikely anyway), Apple would never have owned Bungie or any other major games studio

[@Silverwind87]

@@stevenedwardyoung ALTHOUGH, if Apple bought up Bungie, it's possible that Apple would've named a device after Cortana or at the very least a Halo character. The Apple Warthog.

[@bingoblackdynomite]

That first transition from Blue Shirt Clayton to Black Shirt Clayton hits different

[@polygon]

I truly had to pause and screech the first time I watched this. -Simone

[@screaminggecko7660]

@@polygon I paused and walked away for 15 minutes

[@ben_burnes]

13:10 wouldn't this also mean that BluRay disks probably wouldn't have gotten the boost it needed to beat out HD-DVD? 🤔

[@DariaJames3777]

No, to be honest there's no way an extra console; no matter how popular, could cause the PS3 to fail. The BluRay is the sole reason the PS3 did as well as it did when the 360 already had a massive lead start and nearly twice the library.

[@ben_burnes]

@@DariaJames3777 Yeah, honestly one of the main reasons I bought (and continued to use) my PS3 was because it could play BluRay disks.

[@19Allan91]

@@ben_burnes Same for me. I was on the fence between an Xbox and Play Station, but the Blu-ray player sealed it for me.

[@romxxii]

I love these what-if stories. One thing you didn't touch on: Apple delaying the iPhone would've caused a tremendous change in the current mobile phone market. We probably would've been stuck with flip phones instead of transitioning to chocolate bar-shaped handsets that are mostly screen, Blackberry and Nokia would've continued their respective dominances over the American and global market, Android would've become the "ecosystem" of choice as it would have no real competitors in 2008, we could've seen MS, Nokia, and BB all transition to Android instead of trying to develop their own mobile OS and fail. Even a one year delay from 2007 to 2008 would've been monumental.

[@rajavlitra]

I'd trade my PSP for the domination of android. My god, the implications for dev culture in this one

[@MelangeToastCrunch]

I imagine Apple’s Pippin 360 would be a huge hit. Durandal Industries’ take on Marathon 4 would be quite the talk of the town, too

[@vhawco0620]

You should explore the alternate universe where the Halcyon gaming console was a success

[@polygon]

OOOH that's a good one

[@josekarloasturias954]

@@polygon collab w/ hbomberguy when??? WEW

[@veespa_]

at first I thought, “wtf are you doing?!” when the teabagging narrative kicked off, but, the way you blended it all together was hilarious. this was great.

[@rionsanura]

iGames Content Rectitude and Purification Department eliminating Waluigi's "erotic mustache" is what will kill me. I can feel it. I won't last much longer.

[@polygon]

hang in there

[@rionsanura]

@@polygon SORRY OKAY I JUST REALIZED IT'S THE CRAP DEPARTMENT NOW I'M DEAD FOREVER

[@Corbomite_Meatballs]

You learn the ins and outs of working at Black Shirt Clayton Apple when you attend South Harmon Institute of Technology.

[@nickdavidpalmer7076]

@@Corbomite_Meatballs I got a zero on my SATs!

[@insertcheesypunhere]

this needs to continue as a series. polygon needs to have more madness again now that bdg is gone.

[@mikael6043]

I enjoy these video essays but where are the videos like Griffin’s Amiibo Corner and Pat’s Please Retweet Toad?? I need that old school Polygon weirdness in my life!

[@gorimbaud]

This is the fourth entry in an ongoing Alternate History Explored series! kzbin.info/aero/PLaDrN74SfdT5QCdSgYLmlp2xA1ErOO3Fe

[@insertcheesypunhere]

@@gorimbaud bless u

[@polygon]

Thanks for dropping the link!

[@krell.1415]

Why does Clayton suit that Steve Jobs cosplay so goddamn well??

[@jetsflyingoffatrain4338]

Timeline break: Microsoft buys Bungie when Bungie leaves Mac

[@ArchivoEfemeroPR]

“First they came for the Teabaggers, and I did not speak out- Because I was not a Teabagger.”

[@kevinmilhim646]

I know that I've said this before, but I really hope that they do an episode exploring what would've happened if Call of Duty 4 wasn't set in modern times, and instead continued to take place in World War 2. Here are some points of speculation that I would guess would happen: - The Call of Duty franchise fizzles out due to being unable to set itself apart from the Medal of Honor Series - Activision loses its license to make Tony Hawk games - Crash Bandicoot languishes in obscurity - Blizzard merges with Activision even sooner which causes a bunch of Blizzard's IPs to be crammed with unnecessary microtransactions

[@Sicara91]

I have a really hard time believing that Nintendo would die that easily. Sure you can play M rated on Nintendo consoles but it just means that it has something for everyone and there are parental controls if you want to block stuff.

[@ghostshrimp5006]

Yeah that was nagging at me too, Nintendo might’ve been small and struggling at the time, but it would take a lot more than media outrage to knock them down

[@DirkCjelli42]

I must have lived in the iVerse because I remember seeing a desktop icon for Halo on the iMacs in my computer class in the year 2000. I never clicked on it because whenever we had free time everyone played Nanosaur. Nanosaur ruled.

[@Sompursone]

7:35 Continuity Error: the game’s name should be listed as “Halo: Fight Different”, since the name changed between universes.

[@biandstupid7695]

Look, I didn't think this week was that hard on me, but then I literally teared up at the end

[@livemynd]

"Combat Evolved" -> "Fight Different" *Lowers sunglasses* I see no difference. (This is where I clicked the Like button.)

[@thomasgood3970]

Holy moly, I was not prepared for the twists and turns in this. Masterful work Clayton.

[@Giga-lemesh]

I love these alternate history versus videos, and this one is no exception. I especially enjoyed the Clayton Jobs look

[@thewingedporpoise]

i love this style of video so much, everyone seems like they're having so much fun

[@Silverwind87]

This is the perfect plot for a dystopian YA novel. Or a movie starring Michael Fassbender...

[@knullgorr3822]

4:04 More like (at least) two concessions. Microsoft wanted a lead in novel to the game to let players get a feel of the universe at large. The Fall of Reach was written in just six weeks and released just before Halo. While Bungie did use some aspects of the book in Halo 2 and 3, notably the ODSTs, they threw a giant middle finger to Eric Nylund (the author) and Halo fans when Halo: Reach disregarded basically the entire novel.

[@symfo]

The assets and edits you make for this series are my favorite. "What the fuck is The Verge?" at 14:36 had me rolling

[@jessej37]

The apple presentation couldn't have been a multiplayer demo even if the game were further along because multiplayer was only added to Halo: CE about a week before launch as a bonus game mode. Through 99% of development, it was planned to be single-player only.

[@danroemer2552]

I fucking adored this video. I wanna live in the Apple Angel timeline. PLEASE make more "what if" style videos like this.

[@brucesewing6183]

Yeah! Let's Get An Apple Angel

[@Klueran]

Ah yes, Halo: iReach - my favorite Halo installment.

[@casperwashere]

i did not expect to by jumpscared in the video but low and behold you put psychonauts on the igames shelf

[@MrBeanTroll]

I didn't know I wanted Seaman on my phone until now. Get on it SEGA

[@General_Nothing]

I feel like I’ve been lied to, clicking on an alternate history video and it’s not Jenna. Sony getting out of games in 2008 means they never approach From Software about a collaboration, which means they never make Bloodborne! Truly this is the darkest timeline.

[@polygon]

We're about 50/50 on Jenna hosting these! Pat did one a few months ago: kzbin.info/aero/PLaDrN74SfdT5QCdSgYLmlp2xA1ErOO3Fe

[@yashabreslove8276]

I’m not saying this is the most amazing video on KZbin (AppleVid*) but… Seriously well done. Apple retaining Bungie and Halo was always a fascinating concept, and this really made the most of it in a compelling and (mostly) believable way. Bravo.

[@thefollowingisatest4579]

I'm almost certain I saw a copy of "Halo: Fight Different" in the used game bin at that shady DVD store down the block.

[@StephenYuan]

If Halo had been a Mac exclusive it would have been another fps among a crowd of them. What made Halo what it was was how it brought the fps genre and multiplayer to consoles. It made a whole new set of experiences that were the domain of the few accessible to tens of millions of more people. None of that would have happened on the Mac, which is kind of a dead-end as a gaming platform.

[@KrisTheNinth]

wild that the breakdown of nintendo is like,,,, a small part of this convoluted timeline. i love it

[@joeyheinemann4013]

I would still love to see a what if Nintendo did continue their deal with Sony and didn’t make the CGI Zelda games

[@thegreygoblin5165]

*CDI

[@brucesewing6183]

Don't You Mean CDI

[@reidsewing6436]

Easy! Go online and look up "Player Two Start".

[@anotherwesley7661]

i screamed once at the turtleneck reveal and then again at the Asterius cameo, incredible. (More seriously its really interesting to retroactively learn about apple's long history of puritanical censorship, which for some naive reason I'd assumed was a recent development? It's genuinely sort of chilling to think about them having *more* sway over developers. Also, hearing SJ say the word "Bungie" out loud sparked a deeply buried, primal memory from my childhood, of a time when for a brief instant I thought I might finally be exposed to one of these "computer games" that I'd heard so much about, before those dreams were brutally crushed for another two decades.)

[@aiden_3c]

I love the little bits of B roll from the Computer Chronicles in the Apple Vs Games bit of the video

[@HydroKingEntertainment]

A universe where the Virtual Boy was successful and all problems that it had were never a thing could be fun for you guys to explore.

[@LordMoku]

How exactly would you suggest a small company releases a day-one patch in 1998? Even if you put it on your website, there's no way to inform people who bought the bugged game. I can only see their options being a recall or ignoring it.

[@EpicBeard815]

Title: About Halo Video: About Seaman

[@polygon]

that's what they call clickBAIT because, fish,

[@EpicBeard815]

@@polygon booooooooo

[@ed4165]

I always love these vids and this guys ideas but BOY was I hooked as soon as you mentioned Seaman

[@polygon]

there are DOZENS of you - Simone

[@pinstripeowl]

@@polygon as there should be; like fishes in the sea(, man) (i too, am a fan of nemoy creature)

[@biscuitygudness]

oh my god, YES! i love the polygon alternate timeline videos, i got so excited seeing this in my recommended

[@rmdcade1717]

Love this series, and I'm glad all the editors are getting a crack at it.

[@bbittercoffee]

Okay, "halo : fight different" made me chuckle Well done whoever wrote that

[@debbiebishop86]

I love Clayton so much! I love this series so much!

[@pilby457]

There's no universe where I don't need the waluigi censorship case file as a poster in my room

[@needlethatsings4454]

this is the best series on Polygon imo

[@beefpelican]

I love all the work they put into writing news articles for this that appear for half a second.

[@Bimon1234567]

This is a fun story but unfortunately a lot of the plot points only work if you assume that the USA is the only market for video games on Earth.

[@opadrip]

At least in this universe, Steve Jobs doesn't die of Ligma

[@egan452]

This is probably the most believable of these yet, well done Clayton

[@leon-ns3gr]

Confirmed: Master Chief has no libido

[@TheWOLF1201]

Everything was going great until you said Microsoft bought Rockstar lmao. To say GTA alone would push the PS2 out is kinda crazy too. 😂

[@MildMisanthropeMaybeMassive]

I used to be a Mac fanboy in the 90’s before wholeheartedly switching to Windows. I remember we put our hopes on Bungie to break up the Windows and DOS gaming monopoly after Steve Jobs introduced Halo during the 1999 MacWorld and make MacOS as viable as a PC gaming platform instead of getting the occasional port. After Halo was announced to be an exclusive to Microsoft’s new game console, we called it _”The Great Halo Betrayal.”_

[@CiscoLopez]

and the most wild thing? microsoft's halo 3 edition zune never gets released-instead apple releases their ipod nano with full halo skin design and family friendly gregorian chants pre-installed

[@FrankOConnor]

I've thought about this a lot, both before and after starting work on Halo - as a journalist in a past life we were thinking about this possibility in real time. Apple was trying to make the Mac a relevant gaming PC and - perhaps correctly - thought it needed big exclusives - but didn't necessarily want to commit - I think Jobs thought it was a sidebar problem - and that the real promise of gaming was the horsepower and CPU needed to make decent games. Bungie ad already enjoyed being a big fish in a small pond with Mac versions of Marathon and Durandal etc, on a platform that either didn't have, or was late to get games like Doom/Quake etc. So Bungie's more lore driven, story rich worlds found a niche to flourish, but never performed as relatively well on the PC because there was more competition. If Halo had shipped on Mac - several things would have been so radically different that there's almost no point predicting the scale - Bungie wouldn't have had to solve for analog joypads, might not have created the BSP loading/streaming tech the same way it worked on Xbox - but MIGHT have ended up with a System Link analog via Appletalk - but then wouldn't have created the almost universally standard "Couch experience" of console matchmaking. Would it have been good? No doubt. But I suspect that it was better by being forced into the Xbox format because so many of the solutions they came up with were so fantastic and influential. You could argue that Mac losing Halo changed console gaming more radically than just one game.

[@timothyclark58]

I think the main thing this video doesn’t quite consider is the Japanese market, which Apple would have a much harder time in and Sony and Nintendo have a home team advantage with (although Sony actually suffered just as hard if not worse in the Japanese market during the ps3 launch). Plus, exclusives aren’t the only things that sell games, so I imagine the ps2 would have slightly more market share. So the Wii U and PS3 launches wouldn’t have been able to kill their respective companies so quickly, I think.

[@thatonecookie242]

are they planning on doing more of these?

[@Schnyger]

Can we do one of these where WoW either never came out or failed? This is mostly so I can imagine a world where StarCraft: Ghost was actually prioritized, finished, and released.

[@mitkitty]

Honestly when you said Apple put the iphone on the backburner i was anticipating the rise of Zune

[@dwareb]

I really want to know what the actual censored search was at 13:50.... Probably "fully clothed minotaur"

[@redsands1001]

I can't even think of a proposal for the next What if so good on ya

[@harryr2431]

Wait a sec, was that Ballmer recording for real?

[@arcanelore3791]

I love this series so much.

[@WingofTech]

No way they actually announced Halo. Damn!!

[@Ikcatcher]

The Iverse just sounds like a dystopian nightmare for the games industry

[@medievalsim]

why's it that when a rare word like Skeuomorphism comes up, it's said by both Ssethtzeentach and Clayton? truly is the word of the day

[@maverickREAL]

How did you even THINK of this? This probably needed a good long time, right? It's so thorough, and the Seaman revival is amazingly unpredictable.

[@polygon]

no one understands clayton's mind

[@renfineout5350]

This series is so dumb. I love it. Please make many more.

[@ericbazinga]

> Microsoft owns Take-Two > Sony and Nintendo become third party devs > Gaming-focused phones with full actual games on them > PC gaming still exists and M-rated games are likely thriving there I unironically want this universe. I'd be willing to trade Halo for official Nintendo and Sony games on PC. I can emulate Nintendo and Sony's been putting their games on PC lately (huge props for that), but those two companies going third party is a huge win for those who hate anti-consumer exclusivity practices. Sure, the iVerse's gaming landscape isn't the most ideal with the likely small amount of M-rated titles, but neither is our own landscape. And frankly I'd honestly say we'd be better off with this one, where there's only two choices for consoles, less exclusives all round, and computers reign supreme.

[@jortsofficial173]

alternate history my beloved

[@davicossamuel1911]

Could you review the overcooked! Levels as a health inspector? It would a awesome to see all the heath violations

[@screaminggecko7660]

Im glad to hear we arent in the worst timeline afterall

[@Schraiber]

I absolutely love these shitpost videos

[@Rhukzy]

7:34 I didn't think it was called Combat Evolved in the iVerse.

[@JordannEdwards]

I still cannot believe how thoroughly researched this was, even if it is a what-if scenario 😳

[@nvrndingsmmr]

This was absolutely incredible. What a fascinating idea, and I love all the details! Lmao at the early 2000s IGN page!

[@TheWOLF1201]

This is so clearly an apple fanboy pov. Without the Iphone , Apple would have most likely died off. To say any different timeline would result in Sony leaving the console market or Microsofts Rockstar Aqusition, just is unrealistic. Jeez

[@pinstripeowl]

this was fascinating, and also a glimpse into a horror verse

[@jjthepikazard212]

these are always so cool

[@Becktastic01]

You look good in that black turtleneck, actually. I can’t wear black, it doesn’t suit me... the thought of apple getting halo is actually kinda scary...

[@m3nmin]

An apple only tech sphere would be terrifying

[@seantheimp]

7:42 Only part I really don't buy. GTA or not, the PS2 destroys the XBOX. Microsoft wasn't ready for that kind of competition in a market that wasn't about to roll for them. The PS2 library wouldn't be slowed down by the loss of Rockstar. Similarly, the failure of the WiiU was, well, _real._ And it still came back swinging a few years later with the Switch. I think a universe where Nintendo, Sony, and Apple compete as the Big Three of gaming is a lot more interesting. Perhaps... What if the trio was even more different? What if the _back-to-back_ flops of the N64 and the Gamecube resounded much more deeply for Nintendo, and they never came out with the Wii? They cut their hardware division and someone else sees an opportunity in the "Project Revolution." Sega hurt just as much with the failure of the Genesis, but with their long-time competitor bailing, they take a gamble on motion controls. Sega is a _little_ bit edgier then the big N, so its final name is the Sega Constellation. They even see a golden opportunity in bringing one of their largest franchises to motion control with the Constellation's "Star Wand" controller, and let the fighting game map your body movements to the game! It does okay, but the console still prints money. Nintendo quietly retires to becoming a Game Developer at first, but their large library gives them an idea: sell not just their own games, but _other people's games_ as well. They get to work converting their library to work on computers, and, what do you know, the family friendly Apple just broke into gaming a few years ago and Microsoft owning Rare makes them a direct competitor from the past. Nintendo opens their digital library, dubbed "Warp Pipe", on Apple computers and makes waves by acting as a marketplace for anyone to sell games, not just the puritanical trash Apple is willing to sell. As a third party program, Apple has no choice to accept it even as Nintendo drives them to become the premiere gaming computer seller. Sony does very well in this universe as it does ours with the PS2, and with Sega and Apple both acting as family-friendly as they can(with Nintendo subverting them by making bold moves with _Mario: Vengeance_, and _The Legend of Zelda: Godfall_) they move in the other direction and cater to hardcore gamers, drawing Activision to focus on them when marketing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and gain yet more console exclusives that in our universe would have gone to the 360. This explosion of console exclusives launches the PS3 to dominate the market for the generation, while Sega chased VR as the next step to immersive gameplay, releasing the Sega Spyglass to... lukewarm sales, but once again pushing technology forward. Unfortunately, that weak response led to bankruptcy, and they were bought out by, of all megacorps, Google, who saw a match made in heaven. The digital marketplace opens up as companies see WarpPipe and iGames tear at each other, and battle.net and other storefronts all vie for gamer's attention. It's the Wild West and the winner is you, the gamer, as well as Indie Developers, as competition forces these services to improve apace. In November of 2012, Nintendo announces that they have recompiled the last known retro game(Bonk’s Adventure for the Turbografx-16, 1989), and cement themselves for all time in history as the forever home of abandoned IP, and claim their place at the top of the heap as the granddaddy of legal emulation and videogame archival. In the most 8th generation, Sony and Apple would homogenize somewhat and do about as well as each other, and Google-Sega would be working on a hybrid AR/VR mobile machine that could put you in Sonic's shoes on the go. The technology would finally be far enough along and useful enough that it would revolutionize life, with lower-powered AR glasses becoming a force to rival the juggernaut that was the iPhone. There is no definitive winner in this generation. Sega-Google does extremely well with their Horizon, but the PS4 came out earlier and just as strong(with a continued lineup of strong third-party exclusives) and Apple continues to double-dip with both consoles and computers. Sony and Apple continue to battle it out between them as Sega and Google announce in 2020 that they have cracked the brain-machine interface, and full-dive virtual reality becomes more than just an anime cliche. Dunno what comes next.

[@martinovallejo]

Those Apple memos were gold (Edit: i had only seen the one on Halo 4)

[@xstarsystemsx]

I'm loving the commitment to that gta tattoo.

[@goyosoyoyo]

Apple taking away something everyone loved only to bring it back years later is so in character for them wtf😩

[@AuntBibby]

are there any universes where waluigi gets the love he deserves????

[@polygon]

no

[@MiseFreisin]

@@polygon ;_;

[@katietaylor5094]

LOVE IT thank you Clayton

[@willie6278]

Wow. What a rollercoaster!

[@megatoonEJE]

Can you do something like “What if the ESRB created the E10+ rating in 1997?

[@Boonesman]

I got weirdly emotional at the reintroduction of teabagging...

[@maxzakian6342]

I like to think Clayton has always had the power to travel between alternate universes, but chooses to use his powers for Streaming content instead of war.

[@TheCommandoSnail]

I don’t know if this is something this series would cover, but I’d love to learn about the world where Will Smith played Neo in The Matrix

[@josephgarfield3363]

What if Fortnite didn't add battle royale? That changes so much, no big push for crossplay, no battle passes, no epic games store. It'd definitely be interesting.

[@wabbit2099]

Clayton, you are great.

[@chocolatemetalmilk2685]

Is Todd not in this world? Please say yes, give us this one good thing I beg you

[@polygon]

Todd's existence was not part of the NeoGAF leak