Theta Android News: Which PlayStation 4 should you buy to play Spider-Man?

Friday, August 31, 2018

Which PlayStation 4 should you buy to play Spider-Man?

Get your sling on with the best console for you.

Marvel's Spider-Man for PlayStation 4 launches Sept. 7, so if you don't have a PS4 yet, it's time to start thinking about which one you want to buy. Let us help you with a quick guide on which one to get.

If you want 4K — get the PS4 Pro

Spider-Man on the PlayStation 4 will support PS4 Pro enhancements. Developer Insomniac Games has confirmed that the game will feature dynamic resolution that renders the title at up to 4K.

Like Insomniac's Ratchet & Clank, Spider-Man uses the company's "temporal injection" technique to render in 4K. We're still not sure what this technique entails as Insomniac has declined to go into detail about it. The important thing to know is that it won't be native 4K.

The game will also be in HDR, which is perhaps even more important than the resolution. HDR TVs use a much wider range of colors at much brighter levels than we're used to in order to make games and movies look absolutely stunning. If you're having trouble visualizing it, try this: walk outside after being in the dark for a bit and look into the sky. Your eyes hurt a bit as they needed to adjust, right? Well, that kind of feeling can be had when going from dark to sunlit areas in actual games with HDR. That level of color and clarity will do more to make Spider-Man look absolutely beautiful than anything else in play.

The other upside to picking the PS4 Pro is that you can generally feel safe knowing you're playing the best version of the game. Whether that makes for slight differences in visual fidelity through the magic of supersampling or a more stable framerate (a solid 30FPS for this title, we hear), the PS4 Pro will be the best console to play it on.

$400 from Best Buy

If you're a big Spider-Man fan — get a limited edition console

Luckily for the hordes of Spider-Man fanatics out there, there is a special edition PlayStation 4 Pro console available for you. This thing comes in bright Spider-Man red (or "Amazing Red," as Sony calls it) with a big white logo on the front. The controller matches, of course.

You'll get 1TB of storage, and naturally, the game itself is included with a few exclusive digital bonuses to be had. There's really no other benefit to buying it other than to feed your passionate fandom.

It's launching alongside the game on Sept. 7, so it's currently unavailable at places like Amazon, but is available for pre-order at Best Buy for $399.

$400 from Best Buy

But if you don't have the budget...

Already own a PS4 Slim or looking to buy a cheap one just to play Spider-Man on? Those are fine choices, too. Just note that you won't be playing at 4K. Spider-Man should still look great at the 1080p resolution the game is likely running at, though, so if there's no room in your budget for either the TV or the console upgrade, pick up a regular old PS4.

$300 from Amazon