On October 21, 2021, 343 showed a surprise video and article showcasing some of the PC features launching with Halo Infinite. Although much of the information in both the article and the video has been known from various sources over the past year, there were some interesting and noteworthy details revealed in both places. These two sources are included above this paragraph.
News Article
The news article posted to Halo Waypoint contained summaries of what was discussed in the associated video, but with a few key details included below.
"Most excitingly though, we're looking forward to working closely with AMD bring Ray Tracing to Halo Infinite. Ray Tracing is one our top development priorities post-launch and look forward to sharing more soon." - Noah Benesch
The last time Ray Tracing was mentioned for Halo Infinite was in a news interview right after the July 2020 Campaign Demo. During that interview, it was stated that Ray Tracing would come to Halo Infinite after launch. Despite the delay, these plans have not changed, and Ray Tracing will still be arriving after launch. That being said, this feature is a high priority for the team to deliver ASAP, alongside Campaign Co-op and Forge.
"What’s more, all Razer customers will benefit from Halo Infinite’s integration of Razer Chroma, with in-game events triggering unique peripheral lighting to correspond to the event. Whether you’ve just had your shields popped or you’re firing a SPNKR, there’s a Chroma Effect that brings Halo Infinite to life." - Noah Benesch
PC players with Razer peripherals will notice that the Razer Chroma features react to a large variety of in-game moments in Halo Infinite, providing a colorful flair on one's keyboard when interesting things happen.
Video
The bulk of the information provided by 343 was in the PC Overview video they published to YouTube. This section contains all the details not already mentioned above in the News Article section.
1:04
In Halo Infinite, players can set a Minimum Frame Rate to ensure the game maintains a frame rate no lower that the minimum. This is done by reducing the resolution dynamically to maintain the targeted frame rate. Players can set this to Off, 30, 60, or Custom. Choosing Custom allows the player to type their desired Minimum Frame Rate.
Also, note the VRAM Usage bar in the bottom right. This lets players judge the best Video options to use for their GPUs. The Current Usage, Ideal Usage, and Maximum Usage are all marked clearly, allowing the player to make informed decisions when tweaking graphical settings.
1:07
The options for Maximum Frame Rate are:
Unlocked
30
60
Custom (user can type their own Maximum Frame Rate)
The maximum frame rate simply limits how high the frame rate can go, which can result in a more consistent frame rate across the game.
5:11
"We're going to have a Ranked Controller hopper, we're going to have a Ranked Mouse and Keyboard hopper, and we will have a Ranked Crossplay hopper as well." - Jeff Guy
Halo Infinite will feature separate Ranked playlists for each type of input: controller and mouse and keyboard. However, they will also offer a Crossplay playlist so that players from any platform using any input device can still play together. In fact, the Crossplay playlist will provide the best practice for HCS events, since those will also allow all inputs at once.
5:28
When playing Custom Games, players can choose one of three Server options:
Xbox Live (connect to a dedicated server hosted on Xbox Live)
Local Offline (play splitscreen multiplayer with other players on the same Xbox)
Local Area Network (PC-only: starts a server on the PC and connects to it. Other PCs or Xboxes running Halo Infinite on the same Local Area Network can connect to this server.)
These options confirm two important details:
1) Custom Games can be played offline again. This was not an option in Halo 5: Guardians, so it is good to see that it will be supported in Halo Infinite.
2) Players can set up a Halo Infinite server on a PC, then connect to it with any Xbox or PC running Halo Infinite on the same Local Area Network. This feature was first introduced with Halo 5: Guardians and will be supported in Halo Infinite as well.
6:10
"Open Game Bar, message a friend, tell them to join, ping another friend on Discord, ping another friend on Steam, pull all three of those people into a Fireteam and go play." - Jeff Guy
In addition to the usual Xbox Live support, Halo Infinite will offer Steam and Discord integrations, allowing PC players to communicate with their friends and invite them to Fireteams through those platforms.
Summary
Halo Infinite will be the first Halo title to launch on PC at the same time it launches on Xbox consoles. There is a significant focus on making Halo as good as it can be on PC, and this can be seen in the features, settings, and partnerships that are accompanying the title. Learn about all the details we discovered in the most recent PC overview.
Ray Tracing will be coming to Halo Infinite after launch as a high-priority addition
Razer Chroma peripherals will feature unique color animations related to in-game actions on PC.
The Minimum Frame Rate setting can be set to Off, 30, 60, or Custom (typed by the user). This setting will cause the resolution displayed to decrease if necessary to maintain the minimum.
The Maximum Frame Rate setting can be set to Unlocked, 30, 60, or Custom (typed by the user). This setting can be used to achieve a more consistent frame rate across the full Halo Infinite experience.
While adjusting Video settings on PC, a bar displays the current amount of VRAM used, alongside the ideal amount and the maximum amount.
There will be three Ranked playlists: controller only, mouse and keyboard only, and crossplay.
Players on Xbox can play Custom Games while offline using Splitscreen. PC players can still access Custom Games while offline, but they will not have access to Splitscreen.
Players on PC can choose to start a Custom Game server on their own PC, allowing any other device running Halo Infinite on the same Local Area Network to join them.
Halo Infinite features Xbox Live, Steam, and Discord integration.