In terms of technical and game development side they better focusing on one console and optimize it for one console (Scarlet) so it will be a technical demo on how powerful Scarlet is and can be a selling point. In terms of economy and business side they have to release to both generation to achieve targeted sales and revenue.

Microsoft has recently changing their focus from selling Xbox console device focus to selling more games and service to other device , thus they has changed from devout to being agnostic. On next gen. Microsoft will focusing on Xbox as family not just a single platform.

Xbox has changed from a console to a platform and brand thus they want to avoid being "exclusive " to single device and trying to reach more market using other non traditional method A.K.A Console PC and streaming. They are slowly but sure trying to migrate to streaming and PC.

The reason why Xbox Scarlet were having three SKUs planned , one is Anaconda, the second one is Lockherath and the third rumored ones is streaming device , it's just shows Microsoft is trying to make Xbox to be more like PC and Steam machines and reaching consumer outside of dedicated hardcore gamer.

So if we speak in 2013 with console focus mentality, Halo Infinite probably will be ended up as Scarlet exclusive but now we are talking with Xbox division sirca Phil Spencer where revenue and sales of games is more important than selling one single console device. So they will not care if Halo will be holding back by Xbox One graphic capability.

Am I the only one who got dissapointed at the graphics? Even 360/PS3 era games looked slightly better. When i was watching the teaser, and the video started, i tought it was like an ad for a cheap android game, until MC appeared on screen...

Probably you are not alone. But for me i am okay with graphic is not mind blowing at all, and for sure it's far better than PS3/Xbox 360. But it's far from next gen graphic we are hoping for. That's because they using Xbox One as baseline hardware. There will be no fancy realistic graphic with this games, the Scarlet version will just ended up having the same look but with 4k and 60 fps capability (just like Xbox One X running every Xbox One games with better resolution and faster frame rates ).  

You know you are wrong.

If PS4 and X1 weren't a limit to game design then there would be no point in PS5 and XB4 plus any other system that comes after. The fact that you don't see a limitation or how they could increase scope or make a game impossible before doesn't mean it is reality.

I'm not interested in talking GFW, we know it was a bad effort. Also, the Windows Store being taken less seriously than Steam isnt relevant. The idea is growing an audience and Im sure thats happening with each notable release. I'm just not interested in the talking points youre pushing on that stuff. Its not gonna be Steam but it can have an audience.

I'm saying not every game on Steam gets a big PvP audience. Popular console MP games arent necessarily the same ones on PC. I think Halo MP will do really well on Steam, but I dont feel the same for Gears MP.

Commiting to PC gamers doesent mean putting everything on Steam. I've played Halo Wars 2 on PC, it works fine on the Windows Store. Game Pass is an awesome deal for PC gamers as well, espeically if you just want to use the store for exclusives.

Let me clarify in regard to Fable 3. If they really care to make money, they need to get rid of its GFW DRM. Also get rid of any need of CD Keys. Several games on Steam have done this. I think we will see a Fable 3 remaster before they attempt to sell the Steam/GFW version.

MS has shown no interest really in its legacy PC content. They should use that to attract people to Windows Store if anything.

Many games this gen didnt really need the power of 8th gen consoles per se. Most of the power just goes into better graphics. However, the biggest limiting factor in large scale games was probably RAM. During the 7th RAM requirements in PC games grew significantly. Muliples times the RAM found in 7th gen consoles.

In the 8th gen however, RAM requirements kinda stayed the same. 8GB was fairly common when the 8th gen started and 8GB is still plenty for most games. VRAM has become important primarily for textures.

Look at Switch, in practice much of its content looks like 7th gen games. Yet its doing fine running Witcher 3 and I credit that to Switch having plenty of RAM compared to 7th gen consoles. I get the impression bringing Witcher 3 to Switch was easier than Witcher 2 to 360. The advent of dynamic resolution also helps Im sure for performance.

Increased specs can certainly allow for games of greater scope or whatever. Im arguing much of that power simply goes to presentation in many cases. I've looked at many games this gen and thought, "did we really need new consoles for this?"

I believe we feel that to a greater extent in the 9th gen. Its gonna be like the 8th gen but even prettier. Dont expect the scope of games to change too much. Also, it takes a lot of power just to achieve 60 fps with 4K.

And yet... You seemed to be talking about them.

Gears Multiplayer would do well on PC if Microsoft actually released the game to the appropriate audience where PC gamers actually buy games.

Halo Multiplayer has already proven to be a big hit with Eldorato. - I expect good things with the Master Chief Collection to be honest, they have the foundations for something fantastic.

That is fine, that means I don't commit my wallet to Microsoft's games and they can have my criticism instead. - It's also free!

Halo Wars 2 needs a Steam release, mostly for the population boost, the game didn't sell well even on release so it never had a great population even on console... That is one bonus of Steam titles, more multiplayer bang for your buck potentially thanks to the larger audience.

No. Let me clarify, it's not hard to give Steam more keys to sell more copies, it would take a few minutes for Microsoft to generation more, there are games still being sold on Steam which is still tied to games for windows live and they are fine.

A remastered version of Fable 3 would be awesome, hopefully they fix some of it's larger story-based issues to boot. (I.E. The time skip.)
But I think we are more likely to get a Fable 4 before that happens.

They are taking the art style back to Halo: Combat Evolved, so it's got a very clinically clean look, which isn't actually a bad thing... It's certainly going to be less dark and gritty than what we saw with Halo 4 and 5.

Visually the rendering pipeline is pretty damn impressive from the trailers presented, but we don't know what hardware is being used to run it yet.

Only one thing that irked me was some of the Depth-Of-Field transitions and some 2D sprites stuck out, but that are small technical niggles really, I would assume the full release would have that ironed out... Or you just play it on PC.

It helps that the Switch actually has modern hardware from a technical perspective, more modern than the base Playstation 4/Xbox One in many aspects.

Last gen baked lighting and shadowing details into the textures is what allowed games to look more impressive than they really did, towards the end of the 7th gen games started to regress in visuals as details started be rendered in real time... But it also meant that as those details were real-time on 8th gen the jump seemed less impressive on a comparative basis. - But the jump was actually huge.

Yes I think so. The core game design will be seriously limited by going cross platform. I understand that Xbox One owners will want to play the new Halo and not everybody will want to buy the new Xbox at launch and wait for a price drop. But imo it's then better to wait a bit and play a game that is build from the ground up and optimized for the new hardware, instead of the playing the exact same game at 4k at 60fps.

If talking about them is dismissing them in a few sentences, then yeah...

Windows Store isn't JUST about selling as many games as possible. They also want their own store to thrive and that means not everything can come to Steam, at least not immediately and some simply never will. If you don't like then go use the Epic store.

No, let me clarify. MS doesn't want to make Fable 3 keys so get over it. Go play Witcher.

I'm sure there are other reasons why Witcher 3 works on Switch, but not having to struggle with RAM is huge. The developers were able to overcome limited CPU and GPU, but I think Switch having just enough RAM is what really makes some of these ports feasible or it would just be too much work.

I'm simply saying the added power of new consoles, primarily on the GPU, primarily goes to graphics over increasing the potential or scope of most games. I'm suggesting game design potential is still pretty great on limited specs like 8th gen consoles, while new specs is more about visual polish. It gets back to topic of this thread. People feel Halo Infinite has limited potential because its being built for X1, I feel the potential is more dependent on how the game is designed. For example, Halo 5 was a more linear experience because that's how it was designed. Not due to limitations of the hardware.

Yes, thats what I meant, resolution and cleanliness in graphics are good, but the realism is a little bit too low to be a yet to publish game... Truth is I played halo 1 story for the first time like 5 years ago, and even tho at that time it was already outdated graphically, i really enjoyed it. Problem is that last 2 games had a very lackluster story, so graphics wouls have been the only thing to push me to buy it. Even tho i dont think i will get Scarlett any time soon (ps5 comes first), i would like to see the game being developed with next gen graphics on mind, not being held back by Xb1