I plan to buy a PS5 someday, but I already know that Xbox Series X owners will be envious. That's because Microsoft is going beyond cross-console compatibility with something called "Smart Delivery."

Smart Delivery is much like the PC and Xbox One cross-platform compatibility we see today, with Xbox executive Phil Spencer announcing the feature on his blog, saying, "Buy a game once, and whether you're on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, or any Xbox You will get the correct version of that game, no matter which Xbox you are playing it on."

The feature will be enabled for all Xbox Game Studios titles, including "Halo: Infinite," which will be released this fall along with the Xbox Series X. CD Projekt Red's highly anticipated "Cyberpunk 2077" will feature Smart Delivery CD Projekt Red announced that the highly anticipated "Cyberpunk 2077" will be one of the first major third-party titles to feature Smart Delivery:

Spencer further stated in succinct terms that Smart Delivery "allows you to buy a title once to play the best version available, no matter which Xbox console you play it on. Xbox is working to ensure that Xbox Game Studios exclusive games will receive Smart Delivery, but from here it will be up to third-party developers.

Meanwhile, PlayStation 5 owners like myself are probably scratching their heads as to whether or not "Skyrim" is worth another console purchase. Perhaps this kind of compatibility and future potential might be enough to make them consider switching teams. Sony has stated in the past that the PS5 will be backward compatible with PS4 titles, but has yet to say whether PS4 games will automatically upgrade to the PS5 version.

Smart Delivery can be seen as an effort to encourage people to continue buying current generation games instead of waiting for a Series X console. Also, both the Xbox One S and Xbox One X are frequently sold to those who do not want to wait for the next generation of consoles to arrive.