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Halo Infinite to support cross play/progression and other PC gaming updates

HeisenbergFX4

Gold Member
https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2021/04/29/continuing-our-pc-gaming-journey-in-2021-and-beyond/

Continuing Our PC Gaming Journey in 2021 and Beyond​

by Matt Booty, Head of Xbox Game Studios • Apr 29, 2021 @ 6:00am
We’ve talked often about our “player-first” approach to gaming over the last few years. In the past, that may have meant different things to different people, especially for those who identified strongly with being a console gamer, a PC gamer, or a mobile gamer. If you were to walk the (virtual) halls at Xbox today, I think you’d find that to us, the idea of the “player” has come to mean someone who plays many kinds of games on many different devices. PC gaming is part of this; “player first” has to apply for PC, as well, and to that end we’ve been making investments across the PC gaming ecosystem to ensure that PC is a key part of how people can play games.
Building Communities Around Games, Not Devices
A big part of our role as a platform holder and game publisher is to connect players with games no matter where they play. Over the last 18 months we’ve launched games on PC like Age of Empires II and III DE, Gears Tactics, Wasteland 3, Minecraft Dungeons, and Microsoft Flight Simulator, many of which topped the Steam charts at launch. We’re looking forward to delivering more PC content, including Age of Empires IV, later this year. Whether they are new genres for established franchises, the next iteration of a classic favorite or the evolution of a storied PC brand, we’re making games that PC gamers love to play.
We know many of you play across more than just your PC, including on Xbox and mobile. That’s why we’re excited to announce Halo Infinite will support multiplayer cross-play and cross-progression when it releases later this year. That means if you’re playing on PC, you can play with your friends on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. It also means that your multiplayer customization and progress will follow you across all platforms.
Halo Infinite

We have been working closely with the PC community to ensure that Halo Infinite offers a premier PC experience, including highly desired features such as support for ultrawide and super ultrawide screens, triple keybinds, a wide variety of advanced graphics options and more. We want to make sure that Halo is serving the PC community.
We’re also using the cloud to make console gaming accessible on even more PCs. While not meant to replace native PC gaming, Xbox Cloud Gaming allows Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members to play over 100 console games on a wide range of computers, from lower-spec, entry-level machines to older devices that otherwise couldn’t handle games that require more power.
Halo Infinite

Creating Experiences Tailored to PC Gamers
We believe it’s important that players have a choice in where they purchase games and we want to make accessing content even easier. We know that the PC community uses multiple storefronts, which is why we also brought Sea of Thieves, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Age of Empires I, II, and III: Definitive Edition, and Forza Horizon 4 to Steam.
There are also millions of people opting to use their Xbox Game Pass membership to play. We launched Halo: The Master Chief Collection at the end of 2019 on the PC as part of Xbox Game Pass for PC; since then, over 10 million players have played it, with the vast majority of them being brand new to the franchise. We’re encouraged by the community’s response, and we continue to bring more games from publishers and developers across the industry into the Xbox Game Pass for PC library. We’re only four months into 2021, and we’ve already added 100 titles, including award-winning Bethesda games and brand new PC games, and we partnered with Electronic Arts to make EA Play a part of Xbox Game Pass for PC and Ultimate memberships at no additional cost. More than 50 leading device partners, including Acer, ASUS, Lenovo, MSI and Razer, are offering Xbox Game Pass for PC with qualifying devices, giving gamers around the world access to the library.
We regularly work on features and functionality that improves and/or allows for a more customized experience like Xbox Game Bar. We’re also bringing more quality-of-life improvements to PC gamers, including improved install reliability and faster download speeds over the next few months. We look forward to sharing more details on that soon.
Helping Developers Deliver Exceptional Experiences
Game developers are at the heart of bringing great games to our players, and we want them to find success on our platforms. That’s why today we’re announcing that we’re updating our Microsoft Store terms for PC game developers. As part of our commitment to empower every PC game creator to achieve more, starting on August 1 the developer share of Microsoft Store PC games sales net revenue will increase to 88%, from 70%. A clear, no-strings-attached revenue share means developers can bring more games to more players and find greater commercial success from doing so. You can read more about this new revenue share and our work with developers from Head of Game Creator Experience and Ecosystem Sarah Bond.
We empower developers to decide how to deliver their work based on their creative vision. Developing for PC was a priority for Microsoft Flight Simulator last year, using the help of Azure AI, machine learning, Azure Cognitive Services, and Bing Maps to bring the entire planet to life. . We’re also looking forward to releasing Age of Empires IV this fall, which modernizes the iconic RTS franchise for new and returning players with the first all-new title in the last 10 years. We’re building on our history in PC gaming with the addition of inXile entertainment, Obsidian and Bethesda to our development teams – bringing their world-class talent and heritage into the Xbox team.
We’re proud to empower all developers with the platform and services they need to execute their vision and provide exceptional experiences on PC. We introduced DirectX 12 Ultimate to both Xbox Series X|S and PC; coupled with the newly announced DirectX 12 Agility SDK, this enables incredible graphics experiences, like ray tracing, for an even larger set of PC gamers. We’re taking the work we did with our Auto HDR technology on Xbox to PC gamers, which is currently being tested with over 1,000 DirectX-based games. We’re also bringing DirectStorage technology on Xbox to PC, which means vastly reduced load times and more expansive and detailed virtual worlds.
The Future of PC Gaming is Brighter than Ever
We know that we still have a lot of work to do, but based on the response from both PC gamers and PC game developers, we think that we’re headed in the right direction for this community with the investments we’re making. We have never been in a better position as an organization to deliver for PC gamers, with Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda developing content for both PC and Xbox, the Windows and DirectX teams creating technologies that empower developers and provide PC players with features that specifically take advantage of PC hardware, Xbox Game Pass for PC featuring games for every type of PC gamer with Xbox Game Studio games coming on day one, and the ongoing evolution of the Xbox app and Xbox Game Bar. We’ll continue listening to the community to ensure we’re delivering on our promises, and respecting how players choose to play. This is especially true as we head into the second half of 2021, when our work across the entire PC ecosystem has the potential to come together in a way that propels the industry forward and brings great games to more gamers around the world.
 

reksveks

Member
One more thing, its more of a business thing, the xbox cut on PC is dropping to 12% matching Epic now.

Ignore me, it's there.
 
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ACESHIGH

Banned
i'd argue the revenue share update is the most important one. Fat Gaben should get off his ass and start releasing great games with all that Steam money. Ideally I would love steam to champion PC gaming like each platform holder does for their consoles. We should have quality games developed by them, not that multiplayer crap or a niche VR title.

I don't even care if they are exclusive or not. Just need Valve to focus on games again.
 

Shubh_C63

Member
So they're gonna release multiplayer day1 where console and PC players can duke it out, cross platform.

Nice. Good luck though.
 

sainraja

Member
I hope they are going to add ADS to Halo in a proper way. Also, I kinda got excited when they said multiple storefronts but mentioned only Steam. I hope they bring their games to GOG!
 

Kuranghi

Member
240fps halo(my refresh rate)……

gonna be nice

What resolution and settings do you usually have to play at to lock to 240fps? Is it locked or you're letting VRR takes care of drops?

Obviously it varies from game to game but give me a couple examples.
 

rodrigolfp

Haptic Gamepads 4 Life
"Halo Infinite offers a premier PC experience"

This means I can disable all aim assists. HELL YES.

Doubt
 

Warnen

Don't pass gaas, it is your Destiny!
What resolution and settings do you usually have to play at to lock to 240fps? Is it locked or you're letting VRR takes care of drops?

Obviously it varies from game to game but give me a couple examples.

I‘d imagine I will have to drop the settings some to get over 200fps on a 1080p monitor with my 2070 super. Hell if I can keep it on ultra at 120fps I’d be happy (gysnc for dips).
 

Mister Wolf

Member
Man if Halo has DLSS and advanced raytracing features on PC I'm going to scream for joy. Can you imagine if it gets not only RTGI but also raytraced emissive lighting and raytraced reflections.
 
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FeldMonster

Member
I guess I will stick with Halo 5, because if every match is going to be infested with mouse players and the inevitable computer hackers and cheaters, then what is the point? I guess people don't want fair competition anymore, which to me, is the whole point of playing Halo in the first place.
 
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Nikana

Go Go Neo Rangers!
I guess I will stick with Halo 5, because if every match is going to be infested with mouse players and the inevitable computer hackers and cheaters, then what is the point? I guess people don't want fair competition anymore, which to me, is the whole point of playing Halo in the first place.
Turn off cross play?
 

OverHeat

« generous god »
I guess I will stick with Halo 5, because if every match is going to be infested with mouse players and the inevitable computer hackers and cheaters, then what is the point? I guess people don't want fair competition anymore, which to me, is the whole point of playing Halo in the first place.
Never played mcc on pc have you?
 

Gamezone

Gold Member
The 12% revenue changes nothing. People don't care about MS Store or EGS, so this won't push Valve at all.
 

BigLee74

Member
As long as cross play can be turned off, and is off by default, then no problem.

Only a masochist Xbox player would enable that. Just go play COD Warzone with the sweaty keyboard and mouse PC players jump-sniping or lasering your arse every other kill for proof. Still bugs me that we don’t have the option to disable that nonsense.
 
Also, the new Inside Infinite is supposed to release today and I believe it’s about the PC version of the game. So we’ll know more.

Even though that’s the only version we’ve seen and haven’t actually seen it run on an Xbox yet
 

rodrigolfp

Haptic Gamepads 4 Life
I guess I will stick with Halo 5, because if every match is going to be infested with mouse players and the inevitable computer hackers and cheaters, then what is the point? I guess people don't want fair competition anymore, which to me, is the whole point of playing Halo in the first place.
Like this?


This is much worse because they have the 2 aim assists on top of the mouse aiming!!!
 
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Excess

Member
As long as cross play can be turned off, and is off by default, then no problem.

Only a masochist Xbox player would enable that. Just go play COD Warzone with the sweaty keyboard and mouse PC players jump-sniping or lasering your arse every other kill for proof. Still bugs me that we don’t have the option to disable that nonsense.
I play COD on PC with a controller and am always paired up with console players because they're also presumably using a controller, so cross-play itself isn't the issue. The issue when people obfuscate their input device, because K&M players on console will inevitably be paired up with other K&M players, regardless of platform. Obfuscating K&M with a third-party device will circumvent that and can put you in lobbies with people who are using controllers.
 
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sainraja

Member
Halo 5 has ADS.
It's been a while since I finished the game but isn't it gun specific? Might have to go back to it just to check. It is the only Halo game I have finished so.....I'd welcome ADS back in that case. So the more accurate question, will Infinite have it? I hope so!
 
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twilo99

Member
This could be good.

Warzone does a good job balancing overall. Sometimes the aim assist on controller is a bit too strong, but if its the only way to do crossplay, I will take it. I just don't know why they allow controllers on PC...
 
Most interested in what they'll do with the store; it's infamous for being...not great. Between that and reducing their cut from 3P sales there (which is a great move BTW), this might put a dash in my speculation of them buying Valve, unless this is some twelve-dimensional chess move :pie_thinking: ...
 

Fredrik

Member
This thread title does not reflect all the awesomeness talked about in this wall of text, MS is pulling some nice strings here! Hopefully they can merge game progression from Steam to Xbox as well, dream scenario if that happens.
 

DeaDPo0L84

Member
Just to confirm I am seeing "multi-player crossplay" but will there be campaign cross play? Cause I have friends who play on Xbox but I'm on pc and I'd love to run through the campaign with them.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Good to see the 30% cut drop to 12%.

I know business is business and if storefronts typically get 30% is standard and everyone (except Epic) does it, then so be it.

But 30% doesnt even make sense, but a pure money grab due to digital storefront power.

Retailers selling discs dont even make 30%. Pretty sure they make closer to 25%. And they have to go through the hassle of buying it, sticking it on store shelves and hope it sells before everyone starts dumping price down the drain. Get in and get out fast.

Digital storefronts make 30% cuts, dont carry or buy inventory at high costs, have no stores or clerks to pay, dont have to worry about theft and first party sales are 100% revenue at full pop. The big cost is servers and whatever it costs to send 70gb games over the net to people's homes, which in no way costs as much as running stores and inventory.

Given the above, you'd think a reasonable standard would would be digital storefronts at 12% to begin with, or maybe 15%.
 
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It's been a while since I finished the game but isn't it gun specific? Might have to go back to it just to check. It is the only Halo game I have finished so.....I'd welcome ADS back in that case. So the more accurate question, will Infinite have it? I hope so!
Halo 5 had ADS on every weapon. Usually in Halo only the scoped weapons can zoom. Judging from the little infinite gameplay we saw last year, it looks like a return to scope only.
 

EverydayBeast

thinks Halo Infinite is a new graphical benchmark
Halo is well liked on PC the younger crowd will gravitate towards the console version.
 

Gamezone

Gold Member
Good to see the 30% cut drop to 12%.

I know business is business and if storefronts typically get 30% is standard and everyone (except Epic) does it, then so be it.

But 30% doesnt even make sense, but a pure money grab due to digital storefront power.

Retailers selling discs dont even make 30%. Pretty sure they make closer to 25%. And they have to go through the hassle of buying it, sticking it on store shelves and hope it sells before everyone starts dumping price down the drain. Get in and get out fast.

Digital storefronts make 30% cuts, dont carry or buy inventory at high costs, have no stores or clerks to pay, dont have to worry about theft and first party sales are 100% revenue at full pop. The big cost is servers and whatever it costs to send 70gb games over the net to people's homes, which in no way costs as much as running stores and inventory.

Given the above, you'd think a reasonable standard would would be digital storefronts at 12% to begin with, or maybe 15%.

30% doesn't make sense on MS Store, and they know it. Everyone besides Ubisoft and Epic have no problem spending 30% in order to have their games on Steam. Microsoft are fully aware that their store is garbage, and I guess most of their gaming revenue on PC is trough Steam, so they want to push Valve to lower their cut, but that won't happen. Steam is too strong for Valve to even care.
 

BigLee74

Member
I play COD on PC with a controller and am always paired up with console players because they're also presumably using a controller, so cross-play itself isn't the issue. The issue when people obfuscate their input device, because K&M players on console will inevitably be paired up with other K&M players, regardless of platform. Obfuscating K&M with a third-party device will circumvent that and can put you in lobbies with people who are using controllers.

COD claims that it pairs you up with input device, but it doesn’t. I guess for quicker match making times?

I’m always in a lobby with keyboard and mouse PC players. And more of them than anything else these days - I genuinely believe they are chasing the console players away.

But yes, XIM like devices are an absolute pain to be matched against too.
 

sainraja

Member
Halo 5 had ADS on every weapon. Usually in Halo only the scoped weapons can zoom. Judging from the little infinite gameplay we saw last year, it looks like a return to scope only.
Ah okay. My memory is really bad! I don't remember using ADS when playing through the game. I didn't play it for long after finishing the main story so maybe I just forgot that it had it. Anyway thanks for the clarification.
 

FunkMiller

Member
Nice. Looking forward to getting this on GamePass and seeing how my laptop handles it. Got friends with Xboxes, so happy to be able to play it with them.
 
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