Spider-Man 2’s GPU-crippling Performance Issues: Is DirectStorage the Real Culprit?
<b-Marvel's Spider-Man 2 PC Port Still Struggling, DirectStorage Debacle Explained
The highly-anticipated PC port of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has taken a bumpy start, facing numerous bugs, performance issues, and mixed reviews on Steam. One significant reason behind this imperfect launch is the use of DirectStorage, an API developed by Microsoft. Introduced to reduce the CPU overhead for transferring compressed assets to VRAM, DirectStorage has taken up all-important GPU resources in this case.
Known for their expert conversions, Nixxes Software, the development team behind Marvel’s Spider-Man, has brought several successful PS5 exclusives to PC. Their portfolio consists of critically-acclaimed titles, including Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, Horizon Forbidden West, and the entire Tomb Raider trilogy reboot.
So what went wrong in Spider-Man 2? Reports suggest that Compusemble, a renowned tech channel on X, highlighted the use of DirectStorage and its negative impact on the game’s performance.
DirectStorage vs. GPU: A New Complication
Spider-Man 2 employs GPU decompression, while most other PC ports use a CPU-based system. GPU decomposition is efficient only when the GPU has plenty of spare resources available. Unfortunately, the GPU already handles the traditional rendering duties.
This explains Nixxes’s decision to discontinue GPU decomposition in Ghost of Tsushima to avoid similar problems. Therefore, it is challenging to comprehend their choice to deploy GPU decomposition in Spider-Man 2, taking into account its demanding nature (ray tracing in an open and fast-paced game).
Will there be a swift fix?
Release a patch simply disabling GPU decomposition might solve this issue. Yet, doing so could result in significant CPU bottlenecking or hindering certain already demanding CPU-specific sections. Fixing the direct storage implementation by handing decompression back to the CPU could ultimately worsen frame rates in less powerful PCs, making the correction a more arduous problem to address than initially expected.
The PS5’s hardware-centric approach handles direct storage tasks; however, computers rely on combining CPU and GPU resources, pushing developers to choose between different methodologies.
Why is Nixxes facing technical challenges?
Should Nixxes Software have distributed their resources adequately, given its recent high-octane load of seven gaming conversions within 2 years. The simultaneous delivery of multiple critically acclaimed games from Sony, all of which went live after Oct 2023, poses concern about Nixxes’ limited capacity.
Consequently, is it likely the company might prioritize projects carefully by declining titles deemed too resource-intense to bring to the community? As games like Spider-Man 2 enter the fray with high expectations for PC versions from Sony, any doubts surrounding developer capacity are significant.
It can be confidently believed that Nixxes will settle this DirectStorage issue. A more pressing challenge lies in accommodating the PS5’s accelerated tempo of big name releases. To ensure PC owners receive an adequate gaming experience in the long haul, Sony or Nixxes might have to reassess commitments and optimize conversion processes, even if this delays the introduction to PC of all their most renowned titles.
Final Thoughts
It isn’t uncommon to encounter bugs upon a game’s release. Sony’s eagerness to see many of its standout titles appear simultaneously on both their PS5 platform and PC undoubtedly adds an interesting layer to an already challenging challenge. The prospect of developers reevaluating how they tackle ambitious projects may change the course for PC gamers; only time and future endeavors by Nixxes will provide clues to their commitment to adapting a demanding lineup like Spider-Man to the world’s most varied machines.
