"Spider-Man 2 Launches on Steam with Lenient PC Requirements"

Sony's Marvel Spider-Man 2 has finally swung onto PC as of January 30, and while the anticipation for this port has been building, the specifics of its performance on various PC setups were a mystery until now. Developer Nixxes Software took to the PlayStation Blog to unveil the array of PC-specific features designed to optimize performance and visual fidelity across a wide spectrum of hardware configurations.

Alongside a new trailer, it was revealed that Spider-Man 2 on PC does away with the mandatory PSN requirement for PC players and introduces advanced raytracing capabilities, including DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction. According to Nixxes graphics programmer Menno Bil, "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, with Intel’s XeSS upscaler also available. While DLSS 4’s Multi Frame Generation isn't supported out of the box, users can potentially enhance DLSS 3’s Frame Generation image quality by using the Nvidia app to switch to the newer transformer model.

For those with wider monitors, ultrawide support extends up to a 48:9 aspect ratio, with all cinematics viewable up to 32:9.

The system requirements are categorized into ray-traced and non-ray-traced setups. If you're not keen on fancy reflections, you can run the game at 720p and 30 FPS on a modest older system equipped with an Nvidia GTX 1650, an Intel Core i3 8100, and 16 GB of RAM. For those with higher-end rigs, achieving 4K at 60 FPS with "Ray Tracing Ultimate" settings requires an RTX 4090, an AMD Ryzen 7800X3D, and 32 GB of RAM.

As for running Spider-Man 2 on a Steam Deck, the high RAM requirements and need for a modern graphics card make it a challenging prospect. While it might be possible, don't expect Steam Deck verification anytime soon. Previous titles like Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which were PS4 ports, were more scalable, whereas the PS5-exclusive Spider-Man 2 may push the hardware further.

The detailed hardware requirements have garnered praise online. A Reddit user 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."