Marvel’s Spider-Man remaster: Sony says there are no plans to offer free upgrades for PS4 players, nor a standalone


If you bought the 2018 Spider-Man on PlayStation 4, don’t hold your breath for a free next-gen upgrade on PS5.

How to get Marvel’s Spider-Man: Remastered

In a statement sent to Kotaku, Sony clarified that — as of right now — folks hoping to get their hands on Marvel’s Spider-Man: Remastered for PS5 will need to purchase the $70 Ultimate Edition of Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

“Marvel’s Spider-Man: Remastered is an enhanced version of Marvel’s Spider-Man, and is included as part of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition for the PlayStation 5,” the statement explains.

“In addition, players who purchase Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales on PlayStation 4 can upgrade at no additional cost to the PS5 version of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales and can take advantage of a paid upgrade to download Marvel’s Spider-Man: Remastered.”

However, “there are no plans currently to offer Marvel’s-Spider-Man: Remastered as a standalone [release],” Sony says.

“Players with a copy of Marvel’s Spider-Man for PS4 can purchase Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition to experience Marvel’s Spider-Man: Remastered on PS5. Marvel’s Spider-Man for PS4 also will be backwards compatible on PS5.”

Upgrading the Miles Morales Ultimate Edition

So there are essentially two versions of each Spider-Man game: one for PS4 and one for PS5.

If you buy Miles Morales for PS4, you’ll be entitled to a free upgrade for the PS5 version of the game whenever you decide to pick up the newer console.

But folks who bought the PS4 version of the 2018 Spider-Man will get no such upgrade.

If you want Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018) on PlayStation 5, well, Sony expects you to pony up for the $70 Miles Morales Ultimate Edition.

No big surprise, really, but it illustrates how confusing the transition to next gen has become.

If you decide to purchase the standard edition of the game — or if you pre-ordered it already — you can always pay $20 for an upgrade to the Ultimate Edition later.

That would include the remastered version of the Peter Parker Spidey game, optimized for PS5.

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Remastered upgrades for PS5

If you’re wondering what changes Insomniac’s made for the PS5 version, community director James Stevenson posted a couple of tweets explaining Spider-Man: Remastered from the Insomniac Games Twitter account.

“Many art assets have been updated to take advantage of the PS5 console’s horsepower,” Stevenson said. “Better-looking characters with improved skin, eyes, hair, and facial animation. Ray-traced reflections and ambient shadows; improved lighting; more pedestrians and vehicles stretching into distance.”

Other upgrades include an “optional performance mode for a targeted 60-fps frame rate. Near-instant loading, 3D audio, [and the] DualSense controller’s haptic feedback.”

The remaster will also add three more suits, “new photo-mode features,” and additional PSN trophies.

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is coming on November 12. It’s serving as a launch title for Sony’s PlayStation 5, but will also arrive on PS4.

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