Xbox has a really smart system to avoid game download hell
As games get bigger, Microsoft has cooked up a sly way to keep Xbox One and Xbox One X download times down, not to mention save on hard drive space. Dubbed Intelligent Delivery, the system reportedly prioritizes only what each gamer actively needs, rather than forcing them to download the entire title. It'll mean potentially huge savings for Xbox One owners as Xbox One X games proliferate.
That's because, thanks to Intelligent Delivery, those without 4K capable consoles won't be required to download the 4K assets that they can't actually make the most of. According to Digital Foundry, game developers got a preview of the system earlier in 2017, in an attempt to persuade them to adopt it in their upcoming titles.
To do so, games much be portioned off into so-called chunks that are themed in different ways. For instance, a developer could choose to package together all of the different language packages – for cutscenes, voiceovers, and other game audio – into individual chunks. These are then tagged, either per language, per device, or per content type, such as single-player or multi-player.
When the gamer goes to download a title, only those chunks with the relevant tags are pulled from Microsoft's servers. Exactly how much impact that will have both on download time and local hard drive space will depend on the individual game and its genre. According to Microsoft, sports titles are likely to see the biggest improvements in both, since regionalization occupies the largest proportion of each install.
The same system will also bring benefits during console upgrades. If a gamer switches from Xbox One to a new Xbox One X, for instance, their existing game installs on external drives will be able to pull down only the missing data, rather than re-downloading the entire title. Conversely, you'll be able to remove files only relevant to the older console if you're looking to reclaim space.
The potential goes considerably further, however, as Microsoft attempts to streamline data management for titles that span multiple Blu-rays. It could mean far less disc swapping before you can start playing, something that will likely come as a welcome improvement for gamers eager to simply dive into their new game.
Of course, it's all dependent on whether game developers themselves play ball. They'll need to package their titles into the relevant chunks, and then go to the effort of applying tags to each. Still, with Microsoft likely to lead the way with its own games, the demands from Xbox One and Xbox One X owners for all providers to do the same might force them to get with the Intelligent Delivery program.