PlayStation 5 ray tracing and 60 fps grandstanding on Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered convey what all the next-gen console fuss is about

While there has already been plenty of fuss about the PS5 exclusive Spider-Man: Miles Morales, the remastered version of 2018’s Spider-Man has been flying pretty much under the radar until now. An official blog post and a couple of clips have been posted that demonstrate just how much effort Insomniac Games has put into the next-gen remaster, even recasting the face model for Peter Parker, which has caused a surprising amount of complaint from fans. In fact, the creative director of the studio, Bryan Intihar, even felt obliged to post an explanation for the recast.

Although some focused on the dramatic rejuvenation for Peter Parker, others have been wowed by the graphical differences between the PS5’s Spider-Man Remastered and the original PS4 title. A comparison video posted by Cycu1 on YouTube shows a side-by-side view of the PS4 Pro vs. PS5, and apart from Peter now looking suspiciously like Tom Holland, the subtle but noticeable changes are striking, especially with the lighting. Another clip shows the rejigged version running in Performance Mode at 60 fps, which is how fans really want to see Spidey in action.

However, it’s a couple of still images that really demonstrate what all the PS5 next-generation brouhaha is about. The pictures, posted on the PlayStation blog, were later compared with the same shots from the PS4, and the newer renditions are certainly enough to whet the appetite. Ray tracing and shadow work abound: Spider-Man can be seen in the reflections of the cars as he whizzes by them, and the image of the hero resting on a window pane is a considerable upgrade over the PS4’s version. Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered will be available for download as part of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition (US$69.99/€79.99) for the PS5.