Spider-Man 2 Launches on Steam with Lenient PC Requirements

Sony's highly anticipated Marvel's Spider-Man 2 has finally swung its way onto PC platforms today, January 30. The port, which has been meticulously crafted by developer Nixxes Software, promises to deliver a seamless gaming experience across a wide array of hardware configurations. This exciting news comes after months of anticipation and speculation about how well the game would perform on PCs.

In a detailed post on the PlayStation Blog, Nixxes Software outlined the extensive PC features included in the port. These features are designed to "finetune performance and fidelity," ensuring that players can enjoy the game at its best, no matter their setup. Alongside the announcement, a new trailer was released, showcasing the game's stunning visuals and gameplay.

One of the standout features of the PC version is the removal of the hard PSN requirement, making it more accessible for PC players. Additionally, the port introduces advanced raytracing options, including DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction. According to Menno Bil, a graphics programmer at Nixxes, "In Marvel's Spider-Man 2 on PC with ray reconstruction enabled, we see more detailed ray-traced reflections and better-defined ray-traced shadows, especially when viewing raytracing effects at steep angles. We also see improvements in the ray-traced interiors and less ghosting and noise in the ray-traced ambient occlusion."

The game also supports DLSS 3 and FSR 3.1 Upscaling and Frame generation technologies, as well as Intel's XeSS upscaler. While DLSS 4's Multi Frame Generation isn't supported out of the box, players can use the Nvidia app to enhance DLSS 3's Frame Generation image quality. For those with wider monitors, the game offers ultrawide support up to a 48:9 aspect ratio, with cinematics viewable up to 32:9.

The system requirements for Spider-Man 2 are thoughtfully split into ray-traced and non-ray-traced configurations. If you're not concerned about advanced reflections, you can run the game at 720p and 30 FPS on a modest system equipped with an Nvidia GTX 1650, an Intel Core i3 8100, and 16 GB of RAM. For those with higher-end rigs, the "Ray Tracing Ultimate" setting at 4K and 60 FPS requires an RTX 4090, an AMD Ryzen 7800X3D, and 32 GB of RAM.

As for playing Spider-Man 2 on the Steam Deck, the high RAM requirements and need for a modern graphics card might make it challenging. While it's possible, don't expect Steam Deck verification anytime soon. Previous titles like Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Miles Morales had PS4 ports, making them more scalable, but Spider-Man 2, being a PS5 exclusive, may demand more from the hardware.

The community has praised the detailed hardware requirements, with one user commenting on Reddit, "This must be the best hardware requirements sheet I've seen so far." Another user, ItsMeIcebear4, added, "Honestly, great job. If performance lives up to this, it'll be very well received."