With the next generation of consoles inching closer than ever, the two giants in Sony Entertainment Interactive and Microsoft have been pumping news out regularly, boasting and showcasing features that the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X will have and showing why theirs is the better choice. Just recently, Microsoft introduced one such feature that the Xbox Series X will have. Dubbed Xbox Series X’s Smart Delivery Feature, Microsoft explains how owning the Xbox Series X will make sure you always have the best version of any game you own on the Xbox One automatically transferred to the new console.
In an Xbox Wire post, the Smart Delivery feature was said to be “one of the most exciting technologies we’re introducing with the Xbox Series X”. And that is for good reason. The post states that this will ensure that players will always have access to the best version of the games they own for their own console across generations. For example, if you are currently enjoying Gears 5 right now on your Xbox One, but are also planning to buy an Xbox Series X this coming holiday, you are not required to purchase the game again to enjoy it on your new console. The Series X will just download the Optimized version of the game “with a push of a button”.
Other examples provided by the post is Halo: Infinite which is set to release for both the Xbox One and the Xbox Series X. Buying it on the Xbox One would suffice, and if the player decides to upgrade to the Xbox Series X, it will automatically recognize that and download the optimized version if the player chooses to. This also applies to games that haven't been released yet and are still just planned for current gen consoles, such as Cyberpunk 2077. Buying for the Xbox One means that when CD Projekt Red comes out with the next-gen version of Cyberpunk 2077 and you also have the Xbox Series X, you don't need to purchase the game again.
It is important to note that while all developers will have access to this technology, only games under Xbox Games Studios will automatically apply this (unless confirmed by the developer). This brings to mind the recent showing of Grand Theft Auto V during the PlayStation 5 event, raising the question of how many times players will have to purchase a game to enjoy it across generations.
To conclude, Microsoft has provided a list of 14 games that will be included in the Smart Delivery feature initially. This includes notable upcoming titles like Halo: Infinite, DiRT 5, Scarlet Nexus, and Yakuza: Like a Dragon. You can catch the full list here.
