I like how you addressed the point to the severity of which pitch correction/autotune is processed. I think that's where programs such as Antares have really done well, in allowing users to easily use the pencil tool to manually draw the level of correction. At least this is the case in the studio. With live autotune pedals being limited to the autotune sound they can produce.
I understand that Antares even managed to team up with Art to create the
ART Autotune Pre, which is mentioned and reviewed in this article I came across...
Sustain Punch AutoTune Pedal Comparison
It's probably the closest processor to having studio antares in a live performance setting. Giving you three settings to address the level of autotune that is applied to the lead vocal.