So what? Sony is going the same route i think. As long as the games are made with next gen hardware in mind and scaled down for current gen, i don't see an issue.
It was the exact same thing with the previous transition into this gen, why would it be different.
If both companies take this approach, it will not change my feeling on it.
I do not feel this is the same as last generation at all and I presented this in the video.
Basically, last time around, cross-gen games were developed as separate products by bespoke teams. Sure, Titanfall, Forza Horizon 2, Shadow of Mordor and the like appeared across generations, but these were unique products. You didn't buy the PS4 version of Mordor and received the PS3 version. They were different games designed for different platforms.
Which is pretty much how things have always played out. You'd have a new game designed for a new platform which would often receive ports to lesser machines. This goes back to the arcade days even when everyone wanted to have conversions of popular games. Yet, the original developers of those games did not take into consideration the home market while creating them. It was up to separate teams to build these conversions and find ways to make them work.
What is being proposed this time is different - these first party titles are being designed as a single SKU. That same code will run across the full range of consoles. Halo Infinite on Xbox One S will be the same game as the Series X version. The changes are likely to resemble what you'd expect from changing settings on a PC game. The fundamental base game is being designed for the lowest common denominator. There will be no maps or scenarios in Halo Infinite which the Xbox One S cannot handle. The design team must ensure this.
It's this unified approach that seems different to me.
Consider something like Crysis 1 - it was designed for the PC. Decisions were made to push the platform in unique ways which resulted in some amazing physics interactions and impressive encounters. The game was not designed for consoles.
Yet, years later, a console version appeared. This port follows the traditional model where it is a bespoke conversion that attempts to translate the game to a lesser machine. They did a good job preserving the original vision but the sacrifices were obvious and numerous. The key is that PS360 did not influence the creation of Crysis. They DID, however, influence the creation of Crysis 2 and Crysis 3 and, well, while they are beautiful games, many of the advanced physics interactions and simulation elements were eliminated and scope was reduced.
If Crysis 1 were created with those consoles in mind, we may never have had the game received.
Right or wrong, that's where my line of thinking stems from. It's all personal opinion based on speaking with various developers and working as a software engineer for 10 years, though.