Sorry guys, I didn't know what forum to drop this in so I just put it here.
I definitely didn't have enough characters to work with to get out my entire thought in the title, so let me elaborate :)
Keep in mind this post should not devolve into an argument as to whether or not Halo Reach should support more than 16 players, but is merely a technical proof-of-concept question.
Now I know a game like MAG on PS3, that supports 256 players, can only do so because of the rudimentary graphics engine, lack of physics, and the fact that the games are hosted on Zipper Interactive's dedicated servers, which I'm sure are uber fast.
Also, I know that game's powered by matchmaking like Halo, Gears of War 2, and the upcoming Modern Warfare 2, have a difficult time supporting more than 16 players because the game gets hosted by one of the players, who, chances are, has a crappy residential DSL or Cable Internet connection.
My question is, could a version of matchmaking exist where the server load is shared by both a random host within the game, and a dedicated server at the developer's expense, to allow for more players?
I know Perfect Dark Zero (I know I know, it was godawful) supported something like 50 players, and the console Battlefield games support a decent amount too. Do they do something similar to this?