Microsoft may be shaping up to be the most player-friendly console to date. Xbox One players who purchase Cyberpunk 2077 and/or Halo Infinite will be able to upgrade to the Series X version for free. The announcements come after Microsoft shared that the Series X would come with a feature called Smart Delivery. But what exactly is Smart Delivery?
Smart Delivery allows people who purchase any first-party title (and any third-party title that decides to support the technology) on the Xbox One to upgrade to the Series X version for free. Smart Delivery was announced in a recent Xbox blog post from Phil Spencer. Writing on the blog, Spencer explains,
‘This technology empowers you to buy a game once and know that – whether you are playing it on Xbox One or Xbox Series X – you are getting the right version of that game on whatever Xbox you’re playing on.”
It’s a great feature, even though it’s only optional for third-party developers. So far, CD Projekt Red is the only third-party dev to announce Smart Delivery support. The company took to Twitter on the official Cyberpunk 2077 page to confirm the use of the technology in their game, saying, “gamers should never be forced to purchase the same game twice or pay for upgrades.”
Gamers should never be forced to purchase the same game twice or pay for upgrades. Owners of #Cyberpunk2077 for Xbox One will receive the Xbox Series X upgrade for free when available. https://t.co/nfkfFLj85w
— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) February 24, 2020
Currently, only Cyberpunk 2077 and Halo Infinite have announced Smart Delivery support. We can expect more companies to come forward and announce Smart Delivery for their games as more Series X titles get revealed. Smart Delivery could also potentially spell the end of endless remasters and ports. They were notorious for saturating the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One library in their early days. Whether Sony will follow suit with similar technology for the PlayStation 5 remains to be seen.
What do you think of Microsoft’s latest technology announcement? Are you excited about Smart Delivery? Let us know in the comments!
Studying Games Journalism & PR in the UK. When she isn’t studying hard (AKA crying in the library), Mollie is probably splatting squids in Splatoon 2 or playing God in The Sims 4.
