I think too much of the focus here is on the removal of the HD requirement. Lower HD allows for greater 4xMSAA anti-aliasing, which makes things look gorgeous, while higher HD doesn't allow for the same technique (which means simultaneous vertical and horizontal anti-aliasing) in most cases, thanks to GPU drain. It's a situation with advantages and disadvantages on either side. In short, sacraficing the HD a little can have some real benefits.
For more info on the techy side of a...
Exactly right! Countless devs will continue to go with HD above the minimum requirment, but now those who chose the anti-aliasing path at 4xMSAA have an option too...