Spider-Man 2 Launches on Steam with Lenient PC Requirements

Today, January 30, marks the eagerly awaited PC release of Sony’s Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, a game that fans have been eagerly anticipating since its porting was announced. Developer Nixxes Software has been hard at work to ensure the game runs smoothly across a wide array of PC hardware, and they've now shared the exciting details on the PlayStation Blog.

The PC version of Spider-Man 2 boasts a plethora of advanced features designed to "finetune performance and fidelity." One of the standout features is the removal of the hard PSN requirement for PC players, making the game more accessible. Additionally, the port introduces advanced raytracing features, including DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction, which enhances the visual experience significantly.

Menno Bil, a graphics programmer at Nixxes, commented on the impact of ray reconstruction: "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.”

Alongside raytracing, players can also benefit from DLSS 3 and FSR 3.1 Upscaling and Frame generation technologies, with Intel’s XeSS upscaler also available. While DLSS 4’s Multi Frame Generation isn't supported by default, users can leverage the Nvidia app to enhance DLSS 3’s Frame Generation image quality.

For those with wider monitors, Spider-Man 2 supports ultrawide resolutions up to an impressive 48:9 aspect ratio, with all cinematics viewable up to 32:9.

The game's system requirements are thoughtfully split into ray-traced and non-ray-traced configurations, accommodating a broad spectrum of PC builds. For those not interested in raytracing, the game can run at 720p and 30 FPS on older systems with modest hardware such as an Nvidia GTX 1650, an Intel Core i3 8100, and 16 GB of RAM.

On the other end of the spectrum, high-end rigs can take full advantage of their capabilities, with the "Ray Tracing Ultimate" setting at 4K and 60 FPS requiring an RTX 4090, an AMD Ryzen 7800X3D, and 32 GB of RAM.

As for playing on the Steam Deck, the high RAM requirements and the need for a modern graphics card make it a challenging proposition. While Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Miles Morales benefited from being PS4 ports and were more scalable, the PS5-exclusive Spider-Man 2 might push the Steam Deck's limits too far for official verification.

The community has responded positively to the detailed system requirements. A user on Reddit commented, “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."