Spider-Man: Miles Morales released alongside the PlayStation 5, and as such became a cross-generation title also available on the PS4. Why wouldn’t Sony want to release it for both consoles? Its predecessor, Insomniac Games’ Marvel’s Spider-Man, became the best selling PlayStation 4 exclusive. The PS5 is a much more impressive piece of hardware than even the PS4 Pro, and the PS5 version of Miles Morales is likewise a significant upgrade. There is a whole host of differences between the two, from graphics settings and frame rate to controller functionality and load times.
Didn’t have a chance to play the first Spider-Man? Don’t worry about it – all of the enhancements made for Miles Morales are also available in the upgraded Spider-Man Remastered, so both games are optimized for the PS5. The enhancements are quite considerable as well, not just because of the improved console hardware but also because the addition of features for the PS5’s DualSense controller really help enrich the experience of swinging through the streets of New York. The difference between the PS4 and PS5 versions of Miles Morales doesn’t just come down to gimmicks; the complete package on the PS5 is a significantly improved game.
The most immediately noticeable difference between the two versions is the graphical fidelity. When Miles Morales first released, players had the option of playing in one of two graphics settings. Performance mode prioritizes higher framerates over better resolution and ray-tracing, making sure the game runs at 60 frames per second while toning down the quality of reflections and shadows. Fidelity mode does the exact opposite, locking the game at 30fps in order to show off the glitz and glam of the PS5’s new ray-tracing technology. Shortly after release, a compromise was made between the two and Insomniac introduced a new graphics setting to Miles Morales: Performance RT. This allows the game to be played at a buttery-smooth fps while still improving the lighting aspects with ray-tracing.
PS5 Compared To PS4: Miles Morales’s Differences
Ray-tracing isn’t the only major improvement over the PS4 version of Spider-Man: Miles Morales, though. The solid state drive (SSD) that comes in the PS5 is much faster than the HDDs, or hard disk drives, the PS4 models use. The SSD allows Miles Morales to load incredibly fast. Players can go from the PS5 home screen to swinging through New York in a matter of seconds, and once they are in the world there won’t be a single load screen to interrupt gameplay.
Not only does Miles Morales look different and play faster on the PS5, it also feels different thanks to the new DualSense controller. Two major features of the DualSense contribute greatly to the immersion of Miles Morales – the adaptive triggers and haptic feedback. The adaptive triggers, which use a screw-like mechanism to apply pressure back toward the player’s fingers, come into play when web-swinging. There’s a slight resistance in the R2 trigger when players initially launch sling a web at a building, but once its attached and Miles grabs the end, the trigger sets fully into place.
Haptic feedback is just the next step in traditional controller rumble, and some might even be familiar with the technology since its used in Nintendo’s HD Rumble in the Switch Joy-Cons. Instead of generic shaking, haptics offer precisely programmable vibrations. This is used for a number of things, including giving the player their very own Spidey Sense by having the controller vibrate on whichever side an attack is coming from, and unique rumble patterns for Miles’ Venom powers.
While the graphics are the most noticeable change from PS4 to PS5 in Spider-Man: Miles Morales, there’s a lot more to the PS5 version than a cosmetic upgrade. The ray-tracing capabilities allow for more detailed reflections and shadows, and the PS5’s SSD makes loading screens a non-issue. Players will also feel like they’re fighting street thugs and supervillains like never before thanks to the DualSense.
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