Sony issues a statement about whether the PS5 will have some sort of Smart Delivery feature, but its response is likely to frustrate many of its fans. The Xbox Series X Smart Delivery feature allows players to buy an Xbox One game and upgrade to the Xbox Series X version for free.
After gamers began to ask about an equivalent PS5 Smart Delivery feature, Japanese gaming site Gamespark contacted Sony for an official statement. A Sony spokesperson told the site that PS4 to PS5 game upgrades will be done at the publisher's discretion, suggesting that the company has no plans for a formal upgrade program the way that Xbox does with Xbox Series X Smart Delivery. The statement, translated by Twitter user BlackKite, also said that Sony plans to "flexibly" support these PS4 to PS5 upgrade plans.
Those planning to buy a PS5 will likely be frustrated with this information. In comparison, Xbox Series X Smart Delivery seems to offer a much more comprehensive solution to playing games across console generations. The Xbox Series X feature automatically provides the upgraded version of a game and applies to exclusives that will get an Xbox Series X upgrade when the console launches later this year. Smart Delivery technology is also available to all developers, the Xbox team has confirmed.
It does seem likely that many of the multi-platform titles using Smart Delivery on Xbox Series X will also come with free upgrades for PS5 though there's no guarantee. CD Projekt RED will be providing a free Xbox Series X upgrade for Cyberpunk 2077 but has said nothing about the PS5 version. Any confusion about this may be amplified by Sony's decision not to offer a dedicated Smart Delivery program.
Adding to the upset is EA, a publisher which will offer a free upgrade for Madden NFL 21 but doesn't use Xbox Series X Smart Delivery. It has said that a PS5 upgrade will only be available in some cases. Anyone who owns a physical version of Madden NFL 21 on PS4 will not be able to upgrade and get a free copy of the game on the PS5 Digital Edition, a console which does not come with a disc drive.
As Sony has reportedly mandated that all PS4 games being certified from July onwards have PS5 versions, the question of Smart Delivery is going to come up more and more. Not having a unified plan for the feature may well prove to be a big issue.
Source: Gamespark