Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Specs Make Me Optimistic For Steam Deck Playability

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Oddly, PlayStation has been quiet about Marvel's Spider-Man 2 leading up to its release tomorrow, but that break is finally over. Nixxes Software has been posting over the last hour about the PC release, showing off the PC features trailer, which highlights upscaling and ray tracing capabilities and addresses the weirdness of the pre-purchase bonuses. To top it all off, Nixxes has also shown us the minimum hardware requirements to enjoy the game, and it looks like it will be a close one on the Steam Deck.

Looking at the minimum specs, the game is asking a lot. They are asking for an NVIDIA GTX 1650 or AMD Radeon RX 5500XT GPU, Intel i3-8100 or AMD Ryzen 3 3100 CPU, and 16GB RAM to hit 30 FPS at 720p resolution. Now, it may sound like a lot, but I actually feel a bit better about Marvel's Spider-Man 2 being playable on the Steam Deck thanks to the minimum specs.

Specifically, the average performance the minimum specs are aiming for, and GPU requirements are setting me at ease. The fact that the minimum requirements are aiming for 720p at 30 FPS is around what the Steam Deck would be shooting for makes me feel like this may be what Nixxes Software was shooting for on the minimum side.

As for the GPU, the GTX 1650 is not as demanding as other games with higher GPUs than the ones we have played. There are games that ask for an NVIDIA GTX 1060 as their minimum GPU, and they are playable (with compromises). The 1060 is more demanding than the 1650, which means we may not need as much GPU power to run the game as we do for titles like Dynasty Warriors: Origins or Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. On that front, it looks very good.

If I had to be concerned about something, it would be RAM usage. I get worried about any game asking for 16GB RAM due to that being the exact limit the Steam Deck has. Since the device needs to share that onboard RAM with VRAM as well, it could lead to running out of RAM and game crashes. However, the spec sheet doesn't list any VRAM requirements like other games have, so I am feeling hopeful still.

Do I think this is going to be a 40 FPS experience? Probably not. I think 30 FPS is going to be the way to go. I can also see the framerate fluctuating from 30 a bit, which could rule out using frame generation to boost the FPS to 60. For games that fluctuate, I highly advise against using frame generation due to causing extra input lag and stuttering if it can't maintain a solid 60 FPS. Time will tell for sure what we are able to do, but I would say 30 FPS is going to be the best way to experience the game on Deck.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will be releasing tomorrow on January 30th. As for the pre-purchase offer, those will be made available to everyone who purchases on PC for free.

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