PS5 Spider-Man Miles Morales will play in stunning 4K at 60 fps — but there's a catch

Will PS5 games run natively at 4k resolution and 60 frames per second? It's a good question, and one to which we've received mixed answers. A new tweet from Insomniac Games confirms that Spider-Man: Miles Morales will run at 4k/60 fps — in an optional "performance mode." What this means for the game's default resolution and frame-rate is still up in the air.

Sony's own hardware discussions have explained that the system targets 4k/60 fps for most games, but a deep dive from Digital Foundry suggests that while the PS5's 4k resolution is set in stone, the 60 fps frame rate is not. Insomniac's Spider-Man tweet seems to back up Digital Foundry's assertion. Here's the tweet in its entirety: 

• PS5 release date, price, specs, controller and pre-orders
• PS5 games list: Every major title announced so far
• Plus: PS5 pre-order leak means you might be able to snag one

The tweet itself leaves a lot open to interpretation:

"Swing through the city like never before on PS5 with an optional 4K / 60fps Performance Mode."

Does this mean that Spider-Man: Miles Morales will run at 30 fps by default? If so, what graphical tradeoffs can players expect to see? Some commenters have speculated that ray-tracing would work better at a 30 fps frame rate, or that a lower frame rate would allow other graphical improvements. Whatever the case, one thing is clear: Whatever Spider-Man: Miles Morales's default mode entails, it doesn't include a steady 4K/60fps experience.

On the one hand, this may come as a disappointment to prospective PS5 players, since the 4K/60 fps standard represents a big improvement over the 4K/30 fps or 1080p/60 fps options on the PS4 Pro. On the other hand, the option to play in 4K/60 fps will be in the game, so it will be there for anyone who wants it. Even powerful PCs have to make tradeoffs between resolution, frame rate and graphical bells and whistles.

It's worth pointing out that the PS5 might not be alone in making 4K/60 fps a reach goal rather than a standard. Ubisoft claimed that Assassin's Creed Valhalla would run at a minimum of 30 fps on the Xbox Series X, raising questions about whether Microsoft's next-gen console would live up to its 4K/60 fps potential for every game. Like the PS4 Pro, Microsoft's current-gen Xbox One X can already achieve 4k resolution and 30 fps frame rates on many games.

Since players have expressed a lot of confusion over the tweet, it's entirely possible that Insomniac (or Sony) will follow up with more information on the game's native resolution and frame rate. Until then, it's good to know that Spider-Man: Miles Morales will, indeed, run at the PS5's "ideal" resolution and frame rate, even if you'll probably have to give up something else for it to do so.