Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room. Despite owning a PS4 and PS5, I’ve never played Insomniac Games’ acclaimed Marvel’s Spider-Man or Miles Morales. While my love for Marvel peaked with X-Men: The Animated Series and Gambit’s fierce Cajun accent, I’ve always had a soft spot for superhero video games. And, as a huge fan of past Insomniac Games endeavors like Sunset Overdrive, I’m not sure why it took me so much to play this former PlayStation exclusive.
Thankfully, one of my major gaming sins was rectified this week when I dove face-first into Spider-Man: Remastered. With a host of visual enhancements and a range of PC customization options, a whole new audience can enjoy this revered open-world experience, including web-slinging on Valve’s excellent handheld game console.
After virtually flying above the streets of New York City for the past few days from the comfort of my restroom, I can say that Spider-Man: Remastered is a serious bull’s-eye on Steam Deck. There are many great games to play on Steam Deck, but Spider-Man is arguably one of the most impressive.
Spider-Man: Remastered – Image and Performance
Like other PC ports of PlayStation Studios titles such as God of War and Horizon: Zero Dawn, Spider-Man: Remastered Steam Deck is Verified. This designation promises solid images and performance without having to tinker with the settings drastically. In my testing of Peter Parker’s superhuman ability, this is definitely the case.
Given the open-world nature of the title, I was very happy with the draw distance and environmental details. New York City’s stunning and enhanced landscapes really shine, and even during chaotic action sequences, the Steam Deck maintains a consistent frame rate. Even without ray tracing activated, the reflections on shiny surfaces such as passing cars or recently waxed floors are undeniably impressive. With defaults registered to medium across the board, there’s not much to complain about the graphical aesthetic of Spider-Man: Remastered on Steam Deck.
Spider-Man also excels in terms of performance. Framerate purists may be slightly disappointed by the initial target of 35-40 FPS. Still, you can powerfully bring the handheld version close to a locked-down 60 FPS with some quick tweaks. Something as simple as enabling FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) from the Steam Deck’s OS increased my average frame rate from less than 40-50FPS. If you’re willing to take a hit in general fidelity, lowering some settings to low or increasing dynamic scaling should get you the 60 FPS you crave.
The Steam Deck cannot compete directly with the visual capabilities of Spider-Man: Remastered on a high-end gaming PC or PS5. However, given the relatively weaker specs of this portable PC, the handheld adaptation of this much-loved action game is worth the concessions. If you want to play Spider-Man: Remastered at 120FPS with ray tracing, use your RTX 3090. If you want to enjoy swinging drug dealers from a Taco Bell parking lot, the Steam Deck is the way to go.
Spider-Man: Remastered – Steam Deck gameplay
As I mentioned in my review, I have come to love Steam Deck’s unconventional gamepad. The left and right trackpads have turned out to be much more functional than I initially expected. From inventory management to precise aiming, the ingenious integration of mouse-like sensitivity with the established design philosophies of traditional console accessories consistently increases control options on Steam Deck. Spider-Man: Remastered takes full advantage of this gamepad flexibility.
Subtly shifting my Steam Deck to gracefully guide Spider-Man over skyscrapers and scenic landmarks feels extremely satisfying.
In many ways, I’ve been spoiled by the robust functionality of the Xbox Elite Series 2 Controller. The rear paddles transformed my expectations of modern hardware, and using stock controllers when playing action-oriented titles hasn’t been the same since. The four buttons on the back of the Steam Deck gamepad allowed me to remap actions like jump, dodge, and special attacks. This deep adjustment allowed my thumb to stay firmly on the right stick.
Gyro checks are another complementary way to fight crime in The Big Apple. I have not been the most prominent proponent of gyroscopic gimmicks in video games. However, my admiration for the technology has grown in regards to handheld gaming. Subtly shifting my Steam Deck to gracefully guide Spider-Man over skyscrapers and scenic landmarks feels extremely satisfying. Gyro controls probably won’t be the main way I play Spider-Man: Remastered, but when I recline in bed I really appreciate the choice.
Spider-Man: Remastered – Should You Buy?
Spider-Man: Remastered’s PC release brings a fantastic superhero adventure to even more players. With notable additions like ray tracing and support up to 240Hz, this sprawling urban sandbox is sure to look and perform better than ever if you have a premium gaming rig. As a reissue of a title that launched in 2018, some critics may find the $60 price tag a bit steep. With massive graphical improvements and the addition of the City That Never Sleeps DLC, it’s likely to be an easy buy for Spidey fans and others looking to justify the best PC games.
Compared to the wild possibilities with this PC port, the handheld version offers an objectively inferior experience to its desktop counterparts. That said, I had limited interest in installing Spider-Man: Remastered on my gaming PC because of the great running on Valve’s small PC that could. I plan to play the entirety of this open-world epic on Steam Deck.
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