Halo Waypoint update coming April 15

Microsoft has announced that starting April 15 Halo Waypoint is being updated with a host of new features, including stat tracking, community sharing and game-launching options. We’re also promised a significant performance boost, making the entire experience faster and smoother.

This Friday, for the first time, your Halo: Reach service record will be fully accessible from Waypoint, providing details on everything from game history to weapons stats and Challenges. There’s also a new ‘Compare with Friends’ feature that lets you compare your stats against your friends and rivals.

The update also adds the ability to launch the Games on Demand version of Halo: Reach straight from Waypoint, and introduces a new video player which features the same ‘Instant On’ streaming technology utilised by Zune.

Additionally, 343 Industries has announced the spring premiere of a brand new motion comic series entitled The Mona Lisa. The comic series will begin April 23 and will be supported by a line-up of Halo Avatar items.

The Mona Lisa is a motion comic that retells a dark tale from the Halo Evolutions anthology, set shortly after the events of Halo: Combat Evolved and brought to life by leading production studios ONE and Pyramind. Sent on a highly-classified mission in the debris field of the Halo artefact, the crew of the UNSC Red Horse discover a derelict prison ship – the Mona Lisa – adrift in space. When a contingent of marines board this vessel, they come face to face with a more terrifying threat than the Covenant and are forced to battle for their very survival.

Microsoft also shared word that the Halo franchise enjoys its 10th anniversary this year, with celebrations kicking off at the Penny Arcade Expo Prime in Seattle on 26, 27 and 28 August. More info will be released soon.