As much as this probably sucks for xbox fans, you cant release your flagship title in a broken state and just go "we'll patch it lateron".
If the first GaaS Halo launches and is a mess, maybe missing content, patches with raytraceing and whatnot..... and scores like a 60-70 on metacritic.
It would be bad for the Halo brand.

More time in the oven is the better solution.

a few timed exclusives? forza?

2020 games:
The medium, Crossfire X, Tetris Effect,.... and maybe forza?

Forza is in "early development". It's not coming out this year, Holiday 2021 at the earliest. They have Gears Tactics, a game already released on PC, but will be new to consoles at least.

Not really exiting. Could just be me. 

They also have some game patches to older games like Ori 2, Gears 5, Forza Horizon 4, and The Outer Worlds, so slightly improve graphics/framerates when running them on the series X.

And no, its not just you, its a very lackluster lineup for a console launch.

*appears forza isnt 2020 either.

Well, XseX willll sell out at launch anyway. Halo launching a little later may help sustain that momentum rather than rob it of any.

Infinite will now launch with Ray Tracing it seems.

While I was looking forward to Halo being the first game I played on the system and I am a little frustrated it is being delayed, it is the right thing to do.

Interesting that they mentioned 2021 only. They didnt even gave us the quarter in which they are planning to release it. So most likely this is at least a 6 month delay. Good thing is that they will probably be able to deliver a much better looking game, bad thing is that it might hurt XSX launch sales.

Tetrist effect, Yakuza, are out already on PS4.
Gears Tactics is a game thats one the smaller budget side, and belonged to the previous gen.

So its basically just CrossFireX and The Medium.

Crossfire is a PC game from 2007, that got a graphics overhaul.
It looks fine, but not like a next gen game. Its a low-mid level type game, from along time ago, with a graphics overhaul.

The medium? this looks next gen. Again its not a huge budget game, but thats fine.
Some will say its a walking simulator, or horror game, and thus pretty niche.


"a bit underwhelming perhaps, but not weak."

I think it looks weak, not underwhelming.
Theres nothing that really entices you into getting a xbox there.

Edit:  Look at Xbox One release exclusives back in 2013.

Forza Motorsports 5, Killer Instinct, Ryze Son of Rome, Dead Riseing 3, Crimson Dragon, Peggle 2?....

a delayed game in no way shape or form makes a good game.. there is a difference between a delayed game from miyamoto and 343, if that was not the case then crackdown and driveclub wouldnt have flopped, developer pedigree matters, 343 haven't proven their worth yet to get that distinction. 

high quality assets! where? those where some basic current gen assets rendered in 4k, missing shaders, flat lightning, pop in all over the place, even in cut scenes banished model looked way low quality even by a current gen standard.

pulling off halo 3 styled success, do u remember why halo3 was a system seller, a.) it was coming off just 3 years from a very well received halo 2 SP and MP, b) and true next gen Halo game. the hype even in pre youtube and twitter era was palpable.. I doubt MS/343 can recreate that hype considering their previous product was like 7 years ago and not very good. even if the game turns out to be good still it wont have halo3 level of pre release hype..

That indeed is a sad state of the industry. This exploitation of employees need to stop. They need to start organizing in unions like employees in the movie industry did about 100 years ago. Without that no real change is to expect. A little crunch may be OK from time to time, but neverending crunch is simply destroying the people.