Peter Parker is used to getting the short end of the stick. But even so, it’s surprising to see a huge, high-profile game like Spider-Man 2 get taken down a peg. While Sony’s system-seller was “Steam Deck Verified” when it got its PC launch back in late January, it’s now marked as just “Playable” on its official store page.
The change was noted by KitGuru, which notes that the “Playable” downgrade means that Steam Deck users might need to make some adjustments and compromises to get a game running smoothly on the laptop-based hardware. That’s backed up by the warning on the Steam page itself, which says, “This game requires manual configuration of graphics settings to perform well on the Steam Deck.” Other possible pitfalls, like console-style controls and user interface icons, are clear.
The Steam Deck Compatibility program is a certification process run by Valve itself, with ratings ranging from “Verified” (no issues, good performance at default or automatic visual settings) to “Playable” (some small interface issues, possible manual tweaks to settings required) to “Unsupported” (simply not possible, because of graphical requirements or input limitations like full keyboard or VR games, or can’t run on Linux-based SteamOS). Another category, “Unknown,” means Valve hasn’t evaluated that particular game.
Steam Deck compatibility—and the visibility thereof—is important to both Valve and Steam Deck owners. The “Great on Deck” category is the default Steam store view for the device. Most major new releases, including Spider-Man 2, are evaluated by Valve’s review team at launch. Valve states openly that the compatibility rating for a game can change over time… but the example it gives is that the rating can go up as a developer improves game compatibility. It’s strange to see a rating go down, apparently with some adjustment coming from Valve itself.
It’s worth noting that Spider-Man 2 received a major patch just five days ago, with allegedly improved visual performance and a fix for some AMD systems. It’s possible that Valve tested the game after the patch and adjusted the rating… or simply re-evaluated with a more critical eye. The original PC release of Spider-Man Remastered and the Miles Morales semi-sequel, both of which were originally released on the PS4, remain Steam Deck Verified at the time of writing.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.