Microsoft’s next console, the Xbox Series X, is on the horizon and brings a great new feature for those who aren’t ready to upgrade just yet. Dubbed Smart Delivery, the games that come out for Xbox One in the future— and some that are already out— with this feature will give players a way to download a digital version of the game to play on Xbox Series X. But be sure to note that the Xbox Series X does not have a confirmed release date, so these games may not have its Smart Delivery option immediately at launch.
While there aren’t concrete details on how games with Smart Delivery will deliver its Xbox Series X versions to players, it is still a step up from having to buy remastered versions of a game a year after it originally came out, or having to buy a no-frills port of the game like was common during the 360 generation.
The first six titles were announced at the Inside Xbox Stream last week, along with each having Smart Delivery Support. This includes Codemasters' next entry in the long-running Dirt franchise, which is confirmed to run at 120 FPS on Xbox Series X.
Here are all the games confirmed to have Smart Delivery Support:
- Call of the Sea
- Chorus
- Dirt 5
- Scarlet Nexus
- The Ascent
- The Second Extinction
- Rainbow Six Siege
- Assassin's Creed Valhalla
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Gears 5
- Halo: Infinite
- Madden 21
- Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2
- Yakuza: Like a Dragon
In a technicality, EA confirmed that its next NFL game, Madden 21, will have a Smart-Delivery-esque feature, but it will not officially be a part of the Microsoft Program. It also comes with the additional stipulation that players must buy the game on Xbox One by December 31, 2020, and upgrade to the Series X version before March 31, 2021. Still, this is much better than Madden titles in the past that have straddled console generations, where players’ only option was to rebuy the game on the next generation of consoles at full price.
It will be interesting to see what response, if any, competitor Sony will have for the PlayStation 5. Rumors suggest that the PS5 will have a similar feature for upcoming games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, which would make sense that CD Projekt Red and Ubisoft respectively would want an upgrade for their games on all platforms. But according to the rumor FIFA 21, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, and Marvel's Avengers could also be included in Sony’s version of Smart Delivery, which would be a huge boon for Sony if these multiplatform games only offer free upgrades to PlayStation owners.
Another similar rumor suggests that many older PS4 games will be compatible with a “boost mode” on PS5 that will increase performance on titles like The Last of Us Remastered, Horizon Zero Dawn, Red Dead Redemption 2, Resident Evil 2, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, God of War, Infamous: Second Son, Spider-Man, and The Last of Us Part 2. The PS4 Pro does have a boost mode for standard PS4 titles, so this rumor is much easier to believe. There’s no word on if Microsoft will have such a feature for Xbox One titles that don’t get the Smart Delivery treatment or full next-gen versions.
Ultimately only time will tell on whether the rumors about the PlayStation 5 are true or if more titles will have something else akin to a boost mode or Smart Delivery as we near the PS5 and Series X releases at the end of this year.