When Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales first launched on PlayStation 5, it came with two graphics options: the Fidelity and Performance modes. About a month later, developer Insomniac Games introduced a third option meant to be the best of both worlds, Performance RT. This aims to deliver a consistent 60fps, just like the regular Performance mode, while still supporting the ray tracing of Fidelity mode. New PS5 owners wanting to see what ray tracing is all about have only two options, but Spider-Man: Miles Morales' Fidelity and Performance RT modes offer very different experiences.
The Fidelity and Performance RT graphics settings both deliver real-time reflections. This means Spider-Man: Miles Morales' puddles, windows, and mirrors in both modes feature accurate, dynamic reflections during gameplay and cutscenes, as opposed to reflections pre-rendered and baked in by the developers. Fidelity mode promises a native 4K resolution but comes at the expense of frame rate, targeting 30fps. Performance RT, on the other hand, aims for 60fps but caps resolution at 1440p.
In Digital Foundry's comprehensive analysis of the Performance RT and Fidelity modes for Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Remastered, both were found to accomplish what they set out to do. Fidelity mode maintains its high resolution at 30fps, while Performance RT holds a mostly steady 60fps at 1440p, with only infrequent frame drops in both modes. The largest difference between the two seems to be the quality of their reflections, and the shadows therein.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales renders its reflections at a quarter of the rest of the game's resolution. Therefore, Fidelity mode's reflections are in 1080p, while the reflections in Performance RT are 720p. Performance RT also has less shadows within its reflections in order to maintain its high frame rate. Shadows of large objects like buildings are reflected in full, but pedestrians and other small objects lose their shadows.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales' PS5 Performance RT Is A Quality Middle Ground
Performance RT mode may be the best option for an all-around experience of what PlayStation 5 hardware can do. Web-swinging and throwing punches in 60fps feels silky smooth, while the addition of ray-traced reflections adds a substantial amount to the look and ambiance of the game. Stopping to look at the reflections will reveal corners were cut in ray-traced detail, but in minute-to-minute gameplay, it's largely unnoticeable.
Digital Foundry was also impressed with Performance RT mode's ability to maintain its high frame rate. The YouTube channel tested a particular scene late in Miles Morales with an abundance of volumetric fog and particle effects, and the frame rate was still almost exclusively at 60fps. The drop to 1440p may be disheartening to those with 4K displays, but Fidelity mode's cap of 30fps is arguably much more noticeable. A majority of the rare instances when Spider-Man: Miles Morales' Performance RT mode dropped frames in Digital Foundry's testing were during cutscenes - and even then, it appeared to never go below 55fps at the very worst.
Fidelity mode looks incredible, and its 1080p reflections are a good indicator of what's possible on the PlayStation 5's hardware, but Performance RT is a more enticing alternative for a game like Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Its free-flow combat and improved web-swinging are even better when played at 60fps, and Performance RT's compromises in visual quality are worth it.
Source: Digital Foundry