Backward compatibility versus Smart Delivery: What’s the difference?

One of the best features of Xbox Series X is both its backward compatibility and the new Smart Delivery system. The words are not interchangeable, though. They are similar in that they let you play games across generations, but they are distinct.

[timotim]

BC is being able to play past generation games on next-generation platforms. In the past its simply been the same exact games played on the newer platform, thus bring your games forward. Smart Delivery is a mixture of things including being able to play BC titles, but with modern enhancements added to those games that the previous platform couldn't do. It also means forward AND backwards compatibility...say you buy Halo Infinite on SX #DayOne and after you play it for a couple hours, your buddy calls up and wants you to bring it over to his house so he can check it out. Well you get to your friends house but he only has an Xbox One X...thats same game that you were just playing on your SX also runs on your friends X! The game will adjust itself and only download what the X can handle when you get back home on your SX, the game adjust itself back to 4K/60FPS with all the bell and whistles...all off that one disc. It means cross-buy, it means cross-save, it means cross-play. SD is playing all your games the best way they can be played on the best platform that plays them, while BC is just playing old games on the new platform.

And ill say this...what Smart Delivery is NOT is withholding DLC expansions from your massive install base to pad the launch of your new platform coming. Thats the exact opposite of Smart Delivery...its Dumbass Delivery...Anti-consumer Delivery...FU Delivery...we need a IP to sell our new console delivery.

[ApocalypseShadow]

Smart Delivery is just a fancy name for everything Sony was doing before, made into a single feature that still won't be supported by all developers.

BC. Yup. Sony pioneered that. PS3 was the only hiccup. And we all know why. Xbox BC is *popular game* BC. Not full BC. Don't know why this isn't spoken about. Popular games only is not full BC.

Cross Buy, Cross Save and Cross Play? Yup. Sony. pioneered that across game systems of portable home console and PC. Buy a game on one system, play it on another if it's offered.

And *Smart Delivery*? Sounds like a patent Sony applied for back in 2016 and confirmed in 2018.
https://www.google.com/amp/...
Taking legacy software and sprucing it up on the new console. Smart Delivery was announced only recently. If I buy a game on PS4, It gets spruced up if I have PS4 Pro. Which is the same for PS5. I didn't have to buy the Pro or PS5 version. The files are automatic and downloaded. If I had a Pro, the same game save would be the same as my base PS4 that I could go back to with the same online play.

As for "DLC Expansions" nonsense and "anti delivery" nonsense, Spider-Man Miles Morales is a stand alone game. I'd understand if it's a 2-3 hour game. But we don't know the length or the content to be upset about. And, Sony is well within their right to try to get gamers interested in their next console with it. Could they have offered it on PS4? Sure if it's the same game and just downgrade it. But we don't know that either. Might be new additions created by the SSD that are not possible on PS4. Just have to wait and see.

Want to know what's anti consumer though? Paying for online after already paying for Game Pass. PS Now doesn't require PS Plus. Paying for online for F2P games. FREE GAMES. Microsoft days no online for you without paying up. Being worth a trillion dollars but making less quality games than their competitors. Now THAT'S "Anti Consumer."

Is Smart Delivery the new Cross Game Chat being pushed? Nice feature. But not that big a deal.

[timotim]

"Smart Delivery is just a fancy name for everything Sony was doing before"

So when you put your PS3 Last of Us disc into your PS4, it automatically installed all the proper upgrades on the PS4 for FREE???

"BC. Yup. Sony pioneered that. PS3 was the only hiccup."

Hiccup? It was outright REMOVED from the console, never to make a return because they needed to get the price down and the PS2 parts in the PS3 were considered too expensive. Instead of Sony simply eating the cost and making it up in other ways they removed a huge feature from their console. Also...those games were BC in its simplest form...just like I already described. Older games moving forward. Nothing about them were made modern like Smart Delivery brings.

"And *Smart Delivery*? Sounds like a patent Sony applied for back in 2016 and confirmed in 2018."

Dont care what it sounds like my friend...I care about what the implementation is and Sony does nothing like it in practice.

"As for "DLC Expansions" nonsense and "anti delivery" nonsense, Spider-Man Miles Morales is a stand alone game."
Is it a full on sequel to the first game...NO! Is it using the same city layout from the first game...YES! Does that sound a lot like DLC expansion...YES! Sure they are well within their right to do so, but that doesnt mean they didnt just give a big FU to all the gamers who supported the first one on PS4! They were suppose to have a 10 year support life to PS4, yet here they are dropping support to pad the launch of the PS5. FU Delivery! Nice way to loyal to your fanbase.

"Want to know what's anti consumer though? Paying for online after already paying for Game Pass."

Sony charges you to play online just like Microsoft. Sure PS Now doesnt charge you, but neither does Game Pass Ultimate...I haven't bought Gold in about a year and play online all the time...both simply factor that into the price of their service.

"Is Smart Delivery the new Cross Game Chat being pushed? Nice feature. But not that big a deal."

Of course it isn't to you...but when Sony charges you for upgrades, it is a big deal. When I get free HDR with higher NATIVE resolution and frames and features for free on my games it will be a big deal.

[Darkborn]

@timotim enjoy your games looking inferior on Xbox while having the more powerful console. Even if Xbox went all out and tried to out do Sony, they can't. Their studios just aren't near sonys level at all. Plus they want to develop games for all Xbox consoles to include the OG Xbox one. That's gonna severely make those games look like crap. To me, that's anti consumer. If I buy a new box, it better look better and play better. By the time Xbox tries cranking the graphics up after 2 full years of garbage, their gonna be coming out with mid gen upgrades.

[timotim]

@Darkroom

Brother...from what Sony showed at their recent PS5 event...they aren't doing anything with this new console that they haven't already done with the previous ones. They continue to sacrifice performance for better visuals...most of their AAA games were running at 30FPS. I'm not excited by that anymore...thats so "last gen" to me. If you are OK with next-gen being only about how pretty they can make games look, then I'm very happy for you and you should enjoy your PS5...but I want more than that next-gen. I'm more interested in the way games FEEL and perform thats where real next gen is going to be.

And since you have yet to see gameplay for XGS main titles yet, its no real way you can make that statement with any degree of confidence. July will provide that first look for us. Come back and talk then.

[cooperdnizzle]

@Timotim. Xbox already showed games running at 30fps on their next gen console. We will see in July, and than next July and next July. Xbox only fans have been saying that for years. I hope enjoy your old outdated games running at 60fps. To each their own. I have an Xbox one x that I’ll use for BC. Not going to buy a whole new console for that. Book mark this comment. You are not going to get cutting edge games running at 60 FPS with M$. Crack down, sea of thieves, state of decay, all of these game’s had problems running on Xbox one x. Same thing will happen with the new console. Old games running well yep! New ones running well? Nope

[crazyCoconuts]

A lot to unpack here, but @timotim, you know darn well Game Pass Ultimate is the premium service, includes Gold and isn't what Apocalypse was talking about. I mean, that's $15/month. It's a bundle

[Spurg]

Except for the part where nearly all of the games that were cross-buy and cross saves were tied to ps vita and ps4 not ps3 to ps4.
It is nowhere tied to how Xbox's Smart delivery titles are with big hitters like Cyberpunk, assassin's creed, and Yakuza.

[ApocalypseShadow]

Game pass ultimate has XBL built in. It's $14.99. That's game($10 a month) pass +XBL($5) a month. All they did was hide it in the cost.

Have you seen the full game of Miles Morales? No. That means you are talking out your butt. You don't even know what's included or how the game runs.

Oh yeah. Sony's dropping support for PS4. I see 2 games coming out this year that goes against what you're saying. What big games does Xbox one have? Nothing big. But hey. One trillion dollars right?

Sony only charges for Plus. But gives back hundreds of dollars of games to play while you're subbed. What is Microsoft giving back to F2P gamers? Nothing. It's anti consumer to charge F2P gamers. Simple as that.

HDR was free on PS4 and PS4 Pro. No cost. Will be free on PS5. OG Xbox One, you had to have a system above the original to have it. More cost "my friend." Same as the OG Xbox 360 didn't have HDMI. Sony's was supported and free on both PS3 systems. More cost.

Smart delivery-nothing new
BC-nothing new

But will be played up like cross game chat and cross play.

[rainslacker]

So...long explanation short(yeah I know not like me),

Smart delivery is an update app, and facilitates library management for games that support it.

[porkChop]

@Apocalypse

Dude, where do you get your info? Like do you just assume things?

"BC. Yup. Sony pioneered that."

Sony did *not* pioneer backwards compatibility. That existed in the 80's, before Sony even entered the market. Atari pioneered it with the Atari 7800, the first console to feature built-in BC. To pioneer something means you're the first to do it.

"Cross Buy, Cross Save and Cross Play? Yup. Sony. pioneered that across game systems of portable home console and PC."

Again, not true.

Square Enix pioneered cross play. Final Fantasy XI was the first game with cross play, connecting PC, PS2, and Xbox 360 players together.

Valve introduced cross buy two years before Sony, when they released Steam for Mac in 2010. All compatible games were automatically available on both platforms, requiring no additional purchases.

Kojima introduced transfarring with Peace Walker HD before Sony had cross save.

[DerfDerf]

@Darkborn Gears 5 could easily be called the best looking game of the generation.

[4Sh0w]

timotim,
You absolutely nailed it...great explanation!

Shadow he didnt say sony but we all knew and if it was Microsoft on the other side of this situation I 100% guarantee the ps community would have the pitchforks out for Microsofts head....but of course with Sony is all roses. This should be applauded; why do y'all get so mad when xbox does something great?

[TheGamez100]

BC is just playing old gen games.
Smart delivery is basically just crossbuy with current gen and next gen at no extra cost, the next gen version having enhancements with the new hardware and you keep your save. Not very complicated lol.

[NeoGamer232]

I do not think Smart Delivery is just cross-buy.

Microsoft has said that switching interchangeably between versions is an inherent part of Smart Delivery. So, I can play chapter one of a game on an old gen console then play chapter two on a next gen console and in each case my progress is carried between the different versions with one achievement list. My understanding (it has been a while since I have bought a cross-buy game on my PS4 - I think I bought Fl0wer with cross-buy) is that cross buy just delivers the two versions of the game and they are completely separate from each other with their own trophies and progression.

Also, with cross-buy the game doesn't need any redevelopment. It could be just a straight port with no improvements graphically at all. Whereas with Smart Delivery I think there is a requirement to support higher framerates and 4K on the newer console (I am just speculating there - MS has not said what the Smart Delivery requirements are there that I know of).

[JEECE]

Some games had cross save as well, so you could transfer your progress across platforms. Basically it seems like smart delivery is a combination of cross buy and cross save, and probably with fewer steps.

[NeoGamer232]

@JEECE
The difference is that MS is mandating certain things to get to say your game is Smart Delivery. Sony just has cross-buy with no requirements.

Which games have cross-save with cross-buy anyhow? I should look at the cross-buy stuff, haven't in a while, because it seems it was just smaller games with the feature.

[crazyCoconuts]

Sony called your first paragraph "cross save" with their PS3 / Vita / PS4 titles. Many times cross buy would also come with cross save, but it would be up to the developers. And cross buy would certainly have improvements - like the PS4 version wouldn't have PS3 or Vita assets...

[tontontam0]

So it's just like my setup right now, I play on my base ps4 when someone is using the ps4 pro with cloud save I can play between the two systems whenever I want. achievements are carried over because it is part of your online account.

I don't know what you fanboys are trying to defend but this smart delivery is just as simple as that with a fancy name. A smart name indeed for people who cannot understand that this is just a simple tech.

[NeoGamer232]

@crazyCocunuts
I know what cross-save is and you are correct. But, what MS is doing here is mandating cross-save for Smart Delivery. Sony does not mandate it. I have bought several cross-buy games in the past and had to restart progression in each version.

@tontontam0
Comparing cross-save on PS4 and PS4 Pro with cross-save across a generational change is not the same thing. PS4 to PS4 Pro was a mid-generation upgrade. No real change in the game code, they just changed the game framerates and resolutions.

[NotoriousWhiz]

Yes, smart delivery is more and better than cross buy. But I don't think Microsoft is forcing smart delivery on anyone, it's up to developers to choose to enable smart delivery on their games. Microsoft will likely include it on all of their first party games (for the near future at least). As for third party games, we'll have to wait and see.

[1Victor]

“Smart delivery “ Isn’t new it was done by Sony on the PS2 where MOST ALL PS GAME WAS AUTO ENHANCED ON PS2
Microsoft just took old ideas join them together and put glitter on it call it brand new features and all the kids too young to know better or too lazy to look it up are believing it at face value

[rainslacker]

Smart Delivery can also be used to update games in the BC program with patches if they're available. Kind of like how this gen the PS4P or X1X patch would be installed if you put in an older game before those systems were around, but the dev was cool enough to update the game with improvements.

Otherwise, it does facilitate cross buy, and cross save apparently.

There is nothing particularly new or fancy about what it's doing, but it is an all encompassing service from MS of stuff that has been done before, some of that stuff before by MS, some by others.

Marketing terms are used to make something seem new, when they really aren't. In this case though, Smart Delivery is a good feature.

[NotoriousWhiz]

Sometimes combining everything into one neat package is more than just "marketing". See the Switch, it doesn't do anything revolutionary if you look at its features individually. However, if you put them all together, you have something that is very appealing to a lot of people.

[rainslacker]

Yeah, they make it more appealing by putting them all together, and putting a new marketing term to it. That is what I consider to be marketing.

[Battlestar23]

Is Smart Delivery retrospective? I know the XSX has BC but I'm talking about enchantments to games on the XSX. All the Xbox games that i have like Ryse and Crackdown 3 if i pop the disc in the XSX will i get the XSX versions for free? And will all the gamers who bought all their multi-plats from the Xbox One launch on-words til the XSX launch also get free XSX versions free too?

[Z23ash]

You will get an XSX version of a Xbox one game IF they actually make a XSX version. If they don’t make a next gen version/upgrade you can play the Xbox one version as BC.

It’s a great idea but will probably only be relevant for the first year or two of the console (unless they also keep it for the next Xbox after XSX etc)

[MrPsycho1970]

This is incorrect. All old Xbox games will be upgraded regardless of if they make a new version. The stipulation is you will have to have the game on one of the new memory cards. All Microsoft games get big upgrades. Any Microsoft game that was 30 fps will be 60 fps and any 60 fps game will become 120 fps. Smart delivery is if you buy a game for the one x and upgrade to the series x, your game will automatically upgrade to the series x version free of charge. Sony is NOT doing this. If you buy a ps4 version of a game and upgrade later to the ps5, you will have to buy the ps5 version. Both companies offer great things with their respective consoles. Why does everybody have to be a dick about what console they like. I am an avid xbox fan and will have the series x day one, but I very much want to play the ps5. It looks amazing and should produce some of the best games of this gen. I think microsoft want to be competitive this gen. We shall see in July when they show the 1st party stuff. Relax, play what you like and enjoy being a gamer.

[xX-oldboy-Xx]

2 features PC does without making a fuss nor coining a marketing term.

ms is playing you all like a fiddle. Seems to be working too.

[RamRod88]

You mean like how Sony was making a big deal out of cross-play when it was first announced? From what I've seen around, most ps4 owners wished Sony was offering something similar, but then we have Sony fantastics like yourself that can't even give credit where credits due.

[xX-oldboy-Xx]

Sony didn't make any song and dance about crossplay - maybe telling people that it is now available, but not a big deal about it.

It was more to do with the unjust lynching by the media - when Sony were advocates for crossplay long before ms even mentioned it.

Short memory or just not educated - I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you simply forgot those details.

[RamRod88]

Oh yes, continue to downplay it just like most things that don't fit your agenda. Let's also not forget Cross-buy that Sony fans love bring up in every article about smart delivery

[rainslacker]

Sony pushed cross play for the games that supported it, which was mostly used to prop up the Vita. The PS3/PS4 cross buy games didn't have much, if any major marketing around it, although there are quite a few titles titles that use it...mostly indie, and a few from Sony itself.

[JEECE]

PC doesn't have generations, so I fail to see how this argument is even relevant.

[xX-oldboy-Xx]

And now what do we have ms saying "We don't believe in generations" - like I said they're playing you all and you can't even see it.

[JEECE]

@xX-oldboy-Xx

I love that you keep thinking I'm an Xbox fan because I don't treat MS news as unfairly as I possibly could.

BS marketing term aside, I fail to see how it's a problem that they have essentially come up with their own version of Cross Buy/Cross Save. I felt like that was a pretty good system for games that appeared on PS3, PS4, and Vita.

[Spurg]

????
PC is an open platform.
Xbox within the consoles echo system is offering upgrades and a one-time purchase and you own it on Xbox and PC.
Can I play FF7 remake on PS5 with upgraded visuals?

[xX-oldboy-Xx]

That's not the direction Lord Phil wants to go - toe the company line young soldier.

I dont know yet, no word from Square Enix - it is their choice after all.

[xX-oldboy-Xx]

JEECE - It isn't a problem, but it seems the small things get promoted to high hell and negatives fail to be highlighted.

By the media or xbox owners - it's baffling.

Sorry if I labelled you incorrectly - I won't do it again.

[rainslacker]

I'm not really sure what would be negative about Smart Delivery. And you know I'm a pretty big Sony fan.

It's just a bunch of features that do exist, that MS either already does, or adopting, and they wrapped them all together in a singular marketing term.

Those features are generally either of marginal importance, or really good.

I do agree that the small things are being overblown with Smart Delivery, and I'll add that others that already do it are often neglected in the conversation.

[xX-oldboy-Xx]

rain - There is absolutely nothing negative about 'smart delivery' nor BC.

But when these things are used to hide the fact that ms has spent nearly 10yrs providing sub-par (my opinion) games and lack of new ips.

The negatives I was maiy alluding to are:
- locking VOD services behind a paywall.

- Next to no original content for their consumer base.

All that is given a free pass while people shout BC, SMART DELIVERY.

I'm just the yin to the yang - I really don't care and mostly sling mud for a bit of fun.

[Positivelypositive]

I was really hoping for an announcement from SONY that the ps5 would run every generation backwards compatible. The software emulation is pretty lame. It is good to see that there is at least some BC out there. It really does need to be a standard feature.

TLDR: I am really impressed with the backwards compatibility on PC.

[xX-oldboy-Xx]

There's still time, Sony hasn't even had an event showcasing PS5 and all its features.

The event just passed was focused on games.

When they reveal the price we should see a full breakdown of features and their plans for PS5.

[Spurg]

Sony fans don't advocate for it so Sony won't even attempt to even consider it.
I can imagine they are going to remaster several games.

[ApocalypseShadow]

No. We don't big up "FEATURES" to be more than they are like Xbox fans do. We big up "GAMES" as being more important. Specifically, new games and new IPs along with sequels if the games were great.

When Xbox has no games worth mentioning like this year, they play up features. Cross play, BC, Cross game chat, smart delivery, etc, all come up when there's no games worth mentioning. Sony has TLofU2, Ghost of Tsushima, Iron Man, Vader, Immortal, the Squadrons game fully playable in VR, Pistol Whip, etc. So what do we get for Xbox articles?

More features...yay...lol

[SLiSH83]

Smart delivery is Forward compatibility

[leejohnson222]

Just another buzz word for cross buy, the xb isn't bc as all titles don't run, too much marketing bs, yesterday I saw an xb fan say what's this demons soul rip off, trying to be like the souls games. Good grief!!

[JEECE]

Well obviously they don't want to use terms that someone else has already used.

And lol at the Demon's Souls thing. Can't say I'm terribly surprised though.

[xX-oldboy-Xx]

DEMONS SOULS is built from the ground up, completely remade for PS5 - BIG DIFFERENCE.

You'll see when you boot an old xbox 360 game and see the difference.

If you loved that 360 game so much, you'd jump at the chance for ms to remake and would be happy to pay for it.

Proof will be in the pudding.

[JEECE]

@xX-oldboy-Xx

Uhh Demon's Souls isn't on 360...that's the whole joke...the point is that the kids who only played 360 are so ignorant that they don't know that Demon's Souls is the predecessor to Dark Souls, so they think it's a ripoff. I was literally saying that it is unsurprising that they would be so ignorant.

[ApocalypseShadow]

Old boy, Xbox fans would say that PS4 gamers should get Demon Souls PS5 for free. Which is nice. But totally unrealistic to expect a developer to put in all that work, only to give the game away for free.

They're used to not buying games after game pass. The fear was put on them after a lot of games came back with low metacritic ratings like crackdown. Now, they want games in a cheap service cost or free upgrades for chilly developed games.

Consider all Microsoft's cross gen games with smart delivery. Why buy any first party game from Microsoft when you can just play them for $10 or less?

We already know which console Will actually sell games for developers to make money to make knew games.

[ApocalypseShadow]

Old boy, Xbox fans would say that PS4 gamers should get Demon Souls PS5 for free. Which is nice. But totally unrealistic to expect a developer to put in all that work, only to give the game away for free.

They're used to not buying games after game pass. The fear was put on them after a lot of games came back with low metacritic ratings like crackdown. Now, they want games in a cheap service cost or free upgrades for fully developed games.

Consider all Microsoft's cross gen games with smart delivery. Why buy any first party game from Microsoft when you can just play them for $10 or less?

We know which console Will have actual sales of their games not propped up with a crutch of a service.

[Sharky231]

It’s a fancy way to say the game has been updated to take advantage of next gen hardware. That’s all plain and simple!

[ApocalypseShadow]

On no no no. You can't say that. It's a totally new way to deliver games. Never been done before like with PS4 and PS4 Pro. Microsoft has changed gaming forever. /S

[Elda]

New original AAA exclusive experiences should be the first & foremost thing to attract newcomers to buy an XBSX console. BC should be an extra incentive not a first & foremost selling point.

[tontontam0]

Sony and ms has been doing this smart delivery for years now,

smart delivery is just a fancy name for "automatic update patch".

ps4 pro enhanced xbox one x enhanced games are automatically updated if you play compatible games on those systems.

[AK91]

There isn't one.

[u-bEttA-rUn]

Soooo.... Do we really Care this much about making our old crappy games looking like new old crappy games? Like really y'all... It's been a year and this is all y'all are looking foward /back to??? 🤦

[Pickledpepper]

I care as do alot of other gamers, i stiil go back to my zx spectrum 48k to play jet set willy, spikey harold and a few others. Least with this feature i dont have to set my original xbox up to play the games i want.
I was hoping sony would do the same so i would have to set any of my PlayStations up just to play the games i love

[SamTheGamer]

"Again, though, the games that support Smart Delivery vary based on the publisher. Microsoft is committing its own first-party games, but some third-party publishers may not support it at all. And you’ll still need Xbox Live Gold or Game Pass Ultimate to play online multiplayer."