Halo 4 : Ultimate Guide to File Browser & Theatre
Many of you will be surprised to know that Halo 4 actually has an inbuilt mechanism which automatically saves most of the recent game plays i.e. Warzone, Spartan Ops. Taking it even one step ahead the game also allows you to Take Screenshot, Create short clips and share it with your friends and upload it to Halo 4 server to share with the rest of the world.
There are two most unexplored parts of Halo 4, First the file browser and the second is the Theatre. When I saw file browser for the first time, I was totally into shock why it was even there but now I know the beauty, and when used in combination with Theatre, you are ready to show off your war skills and make them envy you!!
File Browser (Spartan Hub >Settings & Files)
Halo 4 has its own file system where it stores most of the recent played Screenshots, Games and Maps. I am not sure on the count, but till date, I can see all my gameplays. Now each of these sections have further subdivisions as following :
Temporary History : Everything gets dumbed here first, and this is place from where you can either save it on your local file system or upload to share. Not sure how often this is emptied but if there is something you want to save, make sure to do it ASAP.
Local Files : Whatever you save from Temporary History or create using Theatre, shows up here. You can create a new copy or share it with your friends.
My File Share : This lists down all the videos, clips, screenshot you have shared with your friends.
You can find screenshots shared by any gamer using his or her gamertag and download it your Xbox, and if you feel its pretty great, make sure to tag your friends and recommend it. You can view most downloaded and recommended section in the same place.
Theatre (Infinity > Theatre)
This is where all the fun begins, and there is a couple of achievements for this. Any file, which you saved, in your local file system on Xbox can be accessed here. Each of them will be in their respective categories. Now since, this is a theatre, you can make clips and take screenshot of the gameplay from almost any angle.
After you select any of the clips or films, you can view them using an inbuilt player. This player has controls which allows you to take screenshot or record a part of it.
Below are the specialized section for everything you wanted to do with Screenshot, clips, sharing etc. Enjoy it along with the video.
How to save your Halo 4 Gameplay / Map Variants / Game Type
- Launch Spartan Hub and go to Settings and Files and choose File Browser.
- Select what you want to save and chose Temporary History.
- You will need to look at the game type and date to pin point it.
- Press Y on your Xbox controller and select Download.
- Once done you can access the same using Theatre section.
How to take Screenshot of Game Play :
- Go to Infinity > Theatre
- It will have two things, One Local Films and Second is to start the selected file.
- So first select a film and then come back on the main screen to start it.
- Once you launch the film, you will get media player like controller of which one option is to take screenshot (use the Camera Button Icon).
- It is possible to take screenshot from any angle and to do that, first pause the movie and then use the steer on the controller to change the view. Once you are satisfied, hit the screenshot icon.
- You can save it with your own name or choose to automatic naming mode.
Video :
How to make clip from gameplay :
Steps 1 to 3 is common for making clip also as the record control is in the same place. In fact, its right next to the screenshot button. You need to press it once to start, and next press stops the recording. Right after that you can see preview, share or save with your own name.
Video:
How to share gameplay / screenshots :
Time to show off your hard work and this can be done from the theatre or the file browser. My preference is to do it from the File browser as files are pretty nicely arranged according to map type and media type. Once you select what you want to share, just upload it.
How to Download Gameplay / Screenshot from other Friends :
Check out your Recommendation section and see if any of your friend has shared something. If yes you can Download it your Xbox and at the same place you can Recommend and Tag your friends. This is a great way to share things.
That completes everything you wanted to know about File History and Theatre. Even though, I have covered most of sections, there are few things which I have left intentionally. If you can find them, make sure to drop in a comment below.
