Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 PC Launch Faces Early Challenges

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Launch on PC: Issues and Graphics Insights

Recently, Sony debuted Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 for PC, but the release has been met with mixed reactions. The system requirements were disclosed only days before launching, a concerning trend that has left many players disappointed. Given that the port was managed by the reputable Nixxes Software, the lukewarm reception is particularly unexpected.

Player Experience: Crashes and Reviews

A significant factor contributing to the game’s current low rating on Steam (only 55% positive at the time of writing) is the frequent crashing issues. Many players, including myself, have encountered these crashes, often accompanied by an alarming error message:

A problem has occurred with your display driver. This can be caused by out of date drivers, using game settings higher than your GPU can handle, an overheating GPU (current GPU temperature: 70 Celsius), or an error with the game. Please try updating your graphics drivers, or lowering your in-game settings. Current GPU and graphics driver: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, 572.16 (0x887A0006: DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_HUNG).

It’s worth noting that a GPU temperature of 70° Celsius does not typically indicate overheating, especially with the latest NVIDIA drivers released just a day prior. Moreover, given the advanced specifications of the GeForce RTX 5090, it’s clear that graphical settings are unlikely to be the source of the problem. User reports indicate similar issues across various hardware configurations, strongly suggesting that the root cause lies within the game itself.

Exploring Graphics Settings

Despite the technical challenges, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 for PC boasts an impressive array of graphical settings that enthusiasts will appreciate:

Texture Quality: Up to Very High
Texture Filtering: Up to 16x Anisotropic
Shadow Quality: Up to Ultra
Depth of Field: Up to High
Level of Detail: Up to Ultra
Traffic Density: Up to Very High
Crowd Density: Up to Ultra
Hair Quality: Up to Very High
Screen Space Reflections: Up to High
Weather Particle Quality: Up to Very High
Ray Traced Reflections: Up to Very High
Ray Traced Interiors: Up to Very High
Ray Traced Shadows: Up to Very High
Ray Traced Ambient Occlusion: Up to Very High
Raytracing Object Range: Adjustable slider up to 10
DLSS Ray Reconstruction: Legacy options available (CNN or Transformer)

Improvements Through DLSS Ray Reconstruction

A notable enhancement in the release is the integration of NVIDIA’s latest transformer model for DLSS Ray Reconstruction. This advancement significantly elevates the visual quality of ray tracing. Menno Bil, a Graphics Programmer at Nixxes, provided insight into this feature:

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.

This iteration includes both the original DLSS 3.5 model and an improved variant specifically for RTX 40 series GPUs and newer. The result is a notably more stable and visually appealing experience.

Conclusion: Awaiting Fixes

Unfortunately, amidst the crashes and distracting graphical glitches—such as character hair flickering during cutscenes—it’s advisable for potential players to hold off on purchasing the PC version of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 for now. NVIDIA has indicated that features like DLSS Multi Frame Generation will be available in a future update, offering hope for improvements.

For insights into the PlayStation 5 version, which has received acclaim, be sure to check out my original review. The game itself is a compelling experience, making it worth the wait for necessary patches.

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