Halo Infinite Finally Gets the Halo 1 Armor Everyone Wants, but It Costs $20

ign.com:

343 Industries has finally released the Halo Combat Evolved Mark V armor for Halo Infinite, but it’s already sparked a vociferous debate about its cost.

Infinite’s Mjolnir Mark V kit is a recreation of Master Chief’s iconic armor from Bungie’s seminal 2001 Xbox shooter Halo Combat Evolved. It arrives exclusively within a bundle priced 2,200 Credits, or $19.99 / £15.99. As well as the Mark V kit, the bundle includes the Viridescent Ring armor coating, the Cinder Ring armor coating, and the Aurum Evolved visor.

It’s fair to say the Mark V armor is the most-wanted cosmetic among Infinite players, and it seems to be selling well, too. Halo Infinite, whose multiplayer is free-to-download, jumped 41 places on Steam’s top-selling games by revenue chart, a rise no doubt boosted significantly by sales of the Mark V armor.

But some Halo fans are lamenting its cost, which makes it pricier than many full-price games — including Halo Combat Evolved itself. Much of the current sentiment is made up of players who grow frustrated at the cost of cosmetic items in video games these days. 2023 has seen a number of microtransactions controversies from the likes of EA Sports FC 24, Diablo 4, Overwatch 2, and plenty more. Call of Duty and Fortnite and other live service games sell expensive skins, and Halo Infinite’s latest is but another.

“Ya know it used to be $10 for a bundle of maps,” said Imareallyneato in a thread on Reddit. “How we have gotten to this point is both depressing and unsettling.”

“Damn — I want this so bad. I can easily afford it. But the idea of supporting a skin that costs 1/3 the price of a game is insane,” added Owain660. “Remember when Infinite first came out and we thought $10 skins were expensive?” asked Logondo. “We're