Spider-Man 2 launches on PC this week as Sony drops PSN sign-in requirement

[Daniel Sims]

Highly anticipated: Sony's silence regarding the PC port of Spider-Man 2 just days before its release raised concerns among fans. Now, only hours before launch, PC conversion studio Nixxes has released the system requirements, coinciding with Sony's reversal of its policy that mandated PlayStation Network logins for certain PC titles.

Sony and Nixxes have published the PC system requirements for Marvel's Spider-Man 2. Users will be pleased to discover that PlayStation Network logins for Insomniac's superhero sequel and three other Sony titles are now optional.

The PC version of Spider-Man 2 enhances the PlayStation 5 edition's extensive use of ray tracing with higher-quality geometry, more detailed reflections, Nvidia DLSS ray reconstruction, and the option to extend the distance at which objects are ray traced.

Click to enlarge

Additionally, Spider-Man 2 might receive improved image quality from DLSS4's transformer model. Nvidia doesn't list it among the first DLSS4-supported titles, and Nixxes doesn't specifically mention the feature. However, the studio confirms that the game includes an optional improved ray reconstruction model designed for RTX 40 and 50 series GPUs that sounds a lot like DLSS4's transformer update.

Furthermore, gameplay and cutscenes support 21:9, 32:9, and 48:9 ultra-widescreen.

Spider-Man 2 isn't Steam Deck verified, but 720p 30fps gameplay requires at least an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 or AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT and 16GB of system RAM, so it might be playable on handheld gaming PCs. To play at high settings in 1440p at 60fps without ray tracing, Nixxes recommends an RTX 3070 or RX 6800. Setting ray tracing to high at high resolutions requires high-end RTX 40 series or RX 7000 graphics cards. The SSD storage requirement is also quite heavy at 140GB.

As Nixxes outlined its latest PC port, Sony announced that Spider-Man 2, God of War Ragnarök, The Last of Us Part II Remastered, and Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered won't require logging into PlayStation Network. The company's prior decision to require sign-ins for games like Helldivers 2 and Ragnarök drew intense backlash from players in the many countries where PSN isn't available. Logins are now optional, with cosmetic items and free in-game experience points as the primary incentive.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is slated for a January 30 launch on Steam and the Epic Games Store, joining other former PlayStation 5 exclusives receiving PC ports in early 2025. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was released last week, and Rise of the Ronin launches on March 10. Sony's next PC conversion is The Last of Us Part II Remastered, which launches on April 3.

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Spider-Man 2 launches on PC this week as Sony drops PSN sign-in requirement

 

[SirDigby]

Man this game is so f*cking good, I have aspirations of replaying it, might buy it again on PC to 'encourage' the devs to keep making stuff like this, but time and money are things I do not have in abundance....
When I first played this on PS5 I remember playing while my 3month old daughter slept on my lap!

 

[The Talking Tech]

In another words give Sony your personal information and in return you get a character skin.....a high price to pay.

 

[m4a4]

Wow, maybe (enough) PC players did vote with their wallets this time.

But, unless they open up the regions (so non PSN countries can buy again without PSN requirements), I won't believe they've truly learned this lesson...

 

[NumberNine]

I've yet to complete a game using DLSS because I always encounter some kind of issue with it. Sometimes it's latency, popping in and out of menus, hitching, artifacts, or anything else from the long list of reasons not to add more middleware to the graphics pipeline. It's entertaining to realize that by outsourcing the optimization of graphics to another layer, it only creates yet another process that needs to be optimized by a different company. No matter how much technology they add to the stack, ultimately someone, somewhere will be responsible for the tedium required for quality results.

 

[ScottSoapbox]

I've yet to complete a game using DLSS because I always encounter some kind of issue with it. Sometimes it's latency, popping in and out of menus, hitching, artifacts, or anything else from the long list of reasons not to add more middleware to the graphics pipeline. It's entertaining to realize that by outsourcing the optimization of graphics to another layer, it only creates yet another process that needs to be optimized by a different company. No matter how much technology they add to the stack, ultimately someone, somewhere will be responsible for the tedium required for quality results.

DLSS optimized by a different company? Middleware? What are you talking about?

 

[ScottSoapbox]

These are pretty steep requirements. And is this with or without DLSS?

I want to run at least 90 FPS at 1440p with everything on. I look forward to a review of the port to see if I really need a 4090 (or 6080) to pull that off.

 

[ScottSoapbox]

Ouch, reviews of the port are showing that DLSS and a beefy card are required for high frame rates.

So I'll be buying a 5070 TI after the initial frenzy to play this properly. At least the rough edges of the port should be patched out by the time that happens.

 

[GeforcerFX]

With them dropping the sign in mandate maybe some of those will end up on GOG with the other Sony games. Would be nice to get the sequels for God of war and horizon at least.

 

[Durch]

Purchased for my kid with the added dlc for 69.99 and within 90 min of gameplay he came to me and asked for a refund due to the glitchiness and consistent crashes. He was really looking forward to this game after playing the previous games. PC specs are AMD 5600, RX6600, 16 GB Ram, plenty of overhead and we knocked it down to Low graphics just to get the game to load without crashing. The AMD drivers it requests are beta (25.1.1) and that's the only way it will load without creating on startup.

Reddit is full of similar experiences, so if you're looking to purchase, please do your research prior to doing so, it may save you a headache.