With so many great games still to come for current-generation consoles during the second half of 2020, there exists an awkward limbo where gamers must decide whether to play immediately or hold out for next-gen versions at the end of the year.
Thankfully, publishers and console-makers are trying to make the transition between console generations as smooth as possible.
Microsoft is at the forefront with its Xbox Smart Delivery program, which gives players next-gen versions of selected Xbox One games for free, and now Square Enix has announced that Marvel's Avengers will be available at launch for both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X as a free upgrade for owners of the current gen version – either digitally or on disc.
"Featuring extremely fast load times, boosted resolution and fidelity, improved texturing and armor destruction, ray tracing, and more – Marvel’s Avengers will look and play great on next-gen systems," reads Square Enix's press release.
- Xbox Smart Delivery will carry your save data over to Series X
- Here are all the Xbox Series X games announced so far
- PS5 vs Xbox Series X: what we know about both consoles
What you can expect on PS5
Though the free upgrade has been announced for both upcoming consoles, the press release only describes what players can expect from the PS5 version.
"The PlayStation 5 experience will be seamless and dynamic, fully utilizing the ultra-high speed SSD, the PS5 DualSense advanced haptics, and immersive spatial audio. To fully customize their visual experience, PS5 will also provide players with their choice of Enhanced Graphics Mode or High Framerate mode."
More information about the PS5 version of Marvel's Avengers was revealed on the official PlayStation blog, with developer Crystal Dynamics' chief technology officer Gary Snethen offering the inside scoop.
"PS5 greatly lifts the performance and graphics bar for consoles. The new GPU allows us to increase our texture resolution, push a higher level of detail farther from the player, enhance our ambient occlusion, improve our anisotropic filtering and add a variety of new graphics features such as stochastic screen-space reflections with contact-aware sharpening," said Snethen.
Long story short, this is great news for those who want to get a jump on Marvel's Avengers before the new consoles arrive late 2020. For more information on the game itself, Square Enix will be holding a Marvel’s Avengers War Table digital stream on June 24 at 10:00am PDT.
