9 Amazing Video Game Features You'll NEVER See In Anything Else

On Halo's 10th anniversary, Microsoft released a remake of the iconic FPS, which in addition to boasting glossy new HD visuals also allowed players to instantly toggle between the slick new aesthetic and the classic one.

It was by far the most impressive and praised feature of the remake, and so a few weeks after Halo Anniversary's release Microsoft filed a patent protecting the concept.

While you might recall that a few remakes and remasters have allowed players to swap between presentation styles - namely Grim Fandango Remastered and Diablo II Resurrected - these games had to ensure they didn't copy Halo's precise method of achieving it.

Microsoft patented the technique of having two graphical engines running simultaneously, a major technical challenge which caused significant issues during Halo Anniversary's development as the more detailed HD geometry deviated from the blockier original environments.

The development team spent a long time implementing bespoke solutions to solve this problem and others like it, so what might seem like a frivolous patent at first makes a little more sense when you dig into it.

As a result, any game that wishes to toggle between classic and new visual styles has to go about it in simpler, less-refined fashion, typically using an emulation technique for the original visual and tethering it to the shiny new gameplay, rather than having two engines running at once - or as the patent calls it, "a plurality of engines."

The patent expires in 2032.