They've already said that one of the primary goals of the new engine is to improve scalability. This doesn't just mean lowering the tech requirements. It means it should scale better with whatever hardware you have. This means if you have a lower end machine, you get less shiny effects, less characters/monsters on screen, but still get a decent framewhite. Conversely, if you have a high-end machine, you'll have more on screen at once, and possibly fancier graphics.

This is oooold news. I wish people would stop worrying about it.