Halo Infinite has a cross-play between PC and Xbox in the Xbox series

Halo Infinite has a cross-play between PC and Xbox in the Xbox series

"Halo Infinite" is the latest example of Microsoft's commitment to PC gaming. This is because Microsoft tends to return to PC gaming every few years and then gradually shift its focus to Xbox consoles. The last time that happened was at the 2015 PC Gaming Show, where Microsoft released a few Xbox games on PC and then promptly stopped.

Still, between the Xbox Game Pass for PC and the current set of Microsoft titles available on Steam, Microsoft's focus on PC gaming already seems to be much stronger than last time.Xbox Wire's blog post on Microsoft's PC gaming strategy in more detail.

The big focus here is how "Halo Infinite" will utilize the gaming PC to deliver the best experience across platforms. But there is also interesting information for game developers. Game developers will soon receive 88% of the net revenue from games sold on the Microsoft Store, as opposed to the industry standard of 70%.

First of all, here is what we know about the PC version of Halo Infinite: it will be available on PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox One. We also know that it will be offered as part of Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass subscription ($15/month if you want both console and PC games).

An Xbox Wire post hints (but does not confirm) that the game will also be playable on Android and web browsers via the Xbox Cloud Gaming Service. Specific information about the PC version of "Halo Infinite" has also been revealed.

"We have worked closely with the PC community to ensure that "Halo Infinite" provides the best PC experience possible. This includes highly desired features such as ultra-wide and super ultra-wide screen support, triple key bindings, and a wide variety of advanced graphics options," wrote Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios. We want to make sure that 'Halo' serves the PC community well, and we're excited about the possibilities."

This alone is enough to make the PC version of "Halo Infinite" a significant improvement over the Xbox version, as the Xbox Series X supports 4K resolution and 120Hz frame rates, but offers nothing in terms of ultrawide, a 16:9 aspect ratio, which is tough for gamers who find the aspect ratio old-fashioned. Of course, with a really powerful GPU, the Xbox Series X could deliver more graphics than it offers.

There is also good news for multiplayer fans. We're pleased to announce that when Halo Infinite releases later this year, it will support multiplayer cross-play and cross-progression."

"This means that if you play on PC, you can play with your friends on Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S. It also means that multiplayer customization and progress will be followed on all platforms," Booty added.

Cross-play and multiplayer progression, while much more widely available than it was in 2015, is still not guaranteed. For example, the recent multiplayer shooter Outriders had to spend a lot of time tweaking its cross-play system and does not offer cross-system progression at all.

It is also worth mentioning that Microsoft providing 88% net revenue for games does not directly affect consumers right now, but may do so in the future. This is because developers may choose to sell their games on the Microsoft Store sooner or at a lower price to take advantage of Microsoft's plans. Currently, the Microsoft Store does not offer a great user experience, but that could change with the Windows 10 Sun Valley update later this year.

Microsoft was arguably the king of PC gaming in the 90s. Perhaps it will be again soon.

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