Here's Why PlayStation Fans Are Super Upset About Spider-Man
After hyping up Spider-Man: Miles Morales as one of the biggest PS5 exclusives, Sony announced last week that the game would also be coming to the PS4. At the time, it felt like Sony had lied to fans about the exclusivity of a major new title. However, it turns out that there are even more reasons for gamers to be frustrated with the PS4 version of Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
In a blog post from Insomniac Games' James Stevenson, it was announced that the "Ultimate Edition" of Spider-Man: Miles Morales would come with a complete remaster of 2018's Marvel's Spider-Man, complete with all of that game's DLC. This was exciting news, as the remastered version apparently had a lot of work put into it. According to Stevenson, the new remaster takes full advantage of the PS5's capabilities. Insomniac has added ray-tracing effects, improved animation, and more.
"We'll be supporting near-instant loading, 3D audio, and the DualSense controller's haptic feedback," added Stevenson. "Lastly we're adding three amazing new Spider-Man suits, new photo mode features, and even new trophies for those of you looking to Platinum the game all over again."
However, there's a catch, because Marvel's Spider-Man: Remastered will not be coming to the PS4 at all. This is because the remastered edition has been specifically built around what the PlayStation 4 can do. Also, players who already own Marvel's Spider-Man for PS4 will not be able to get a free upgrade to the PS5 version.
Confused? Don't worry; a lot of folks were, but Sony has recently tried to clear up some of the many questions surrounding the upcoming cross-gen title.
In a statement provided to Kotaku, Sony explained the confusing upgrade path for Spider-Man: Miles Morales. The statement said that "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 ... 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."
Did you get all of that? Basically, anyone who owns Spider-Man: Miles Morales for PS4 can upgrade that game to the PS5 version for no additional cost. Also, any players who upgrade from the PS4 version of Spider-Man: Miles Morales will be able to get the Ultimate Edition, which includes the remaster, for an additional $20 fee. Marvel's Spider-Man: Remastered will not be made available as a stand-alone purchase, and players who only own the original version of Marvel's Spider-Man on the PS4 will not be entitled to an upgrade to Marvel's Spider-Man: Remastered. If you want the remaster at all, you'll have to purchase the Ultimate Edition of Spider-Man: Miles Morales. If you want to skip all of that upgrade nonsense, then you can still play your PS4 copy of Marvel's Spider-Man on your PS5.
Yes, it's still needlessly convoluted. It is also seriously upsetting fans of both Spider-Man and PlayStation. Some are referring to the whole endeavor as being unfriendly toward consumers. One fan even tweeted that they felt like the Spider-Man IP was being "held hostage" by Sony at this point.
There was a similar outcry when it was announced that Spider-Man would be an exclusive DLC character for the PlayStation releases of Marvel's Avengers. Many fans didn't like the idea of one of their favorite characters being held up in a web of exclusivity, and this remaster debacle has seemingly ignited that fury once more.
In fact, the uproar over the complicated upgrade process has led to Xbox making jokes at PlayStation's expense. On Twitter, Xbox UK posted a thread on how to upgrade games from the Xbox One to the Xbox Series X. The supposed thread only listed one simple instruction: "Just buy the game."
Sony has already frustrated fans with the recent confirmation that the PS5's backwards compatibility for older games only extends to the PlayStation 4. Games from any earlier PlayStation generation will not be compatible with the PS5 at launch, which means that people need to hang onto their older consoles for a bit longer. However, between Spider-Man and Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War's upgrade path, it also seems like the transition from PS4 to PS5 is going to continue to be pretty confusing for a while.
Despite all of the confusion, Spider-Man: Miles Morales continues to be a highly-anticipated game. The first look at Miles Morales' gameplay showed how the game will take its cues from its predecessor, but will also add in new abilities and plenty of new enemies for the titular hero to take on. Spider-Man: Miles Morales will be released Nov. 12 for PlayStation 4 and 5.