The Destiny 2 PC beta is out now so now players across all platforms have had a chance to get their hands on Bungie’s new title. Although the game is the exact same in terms of content across both PC and console, there are still some key differences between the two.
The most glaring change between PC and console is the fact that the PC version has the option of an uncapped framerate while the console version is locked at 30 frames-per-second. This isn’t a huge change for some players but PC players will certainly expect and welcome the change. This doesn’t make the console version bad by any means but the game will definitely feel much more fluid on PC, provided you have the hardware to push higher framerates. The PC version also have the ability to be locked at both 30 and 60 FPS as well.
The console version and PC version both have the ability to render in 4K if you have the right hardware. A PS4 Pro will get you there and we’d like to assume the Xbox One X will get you there once it comes out and Destiny 2 receives an update. We can argue all day about the differences between native 4K and checkerboard 4K but it still boils down to better graphics in either situation and it’s still impressive looking. PC players have the option of tweaking their graphics settings while maintaining a high framerate to go with their 4K resolution so that does give the PC a slight edge here.
A couple of PC exclusive changes is the fact that the guns have little to no recoil on them and PC players have access to text chat. You can test this out for yourself if you’d like but it just doesn’t seem like you have to aim down your sights very often for this game. That can be said for a lot of PC shooters though such as Overwatch and Counter Strike. Destiny 2 project lead Mark Noseworthy spoke about the change in an interview with Finder.
Yeah, we’ve thought about that quite a bit. Ultimately, we have one design for the game. And so, if you’re playing the Raid on PC or you’re playing it on PlayStation [4], it’s the same Raid. It’s the same experience. And we’re going to try and keep them as similar as possible, because hopefully we want this to be the best experience. We may look in a few places where weapons need to be handled differently, and we’ll treat them slightly differently.
For instance, there’s no recoil on guns on PC because recoil on the controller feels really good. ‘I’m firing, I’m firing, I’m firing, oh, I’m losing control of my gun a little bit.’ That feels great, especially with magnetism and all the magic in the controller that makes you feel it. With a mouse and keyboard, you don’t want the mouse moving without you moving it, so recoil doesn’t feel good, so there is no recoil on PC.
There are a couple of key ways we’re going to try and change it, make it so it feels native to that platform, because we want people to feel like Destiny 2 is built for PC.
There has always been a debate about mouse and keyboard and controllers but the general consensus usually comes out to be that mouse and keyboard is easier to aim and play with. Of course that is assuming the player has experience with both playing styles. Consoles players have the benefit of aim assist which makes targeting and tracking enemies easier to do on controllers. Destiny 2 gives players the option to use controllers on the PC version and you’ll probably just do fine in PvE content – we can’t say the same about PvP.
One big draw to the PlayStation 4 version is the timed exclusive content. Like Destiny 1, Sony has a deal with Destiny 2 where exclusive content will come to the PS4 before any other platform. This means if you want the most complete Destiny experience the quickest way possible then you should probably check out the PS4 version. The content is supposed to make it over to the other platforms in a timely fashion but Xbox One players are still waiting on some PS4 Destiny 1 content.
For many players, it will boil down to down to where their friends are playing. Since Destiny originated on consoles, that could mean many players are just going to stick with the console iteration. With the PC version being an option now we could see many players jumping ship to that platform. If you are deciding to jump ship to the PC version, make sure to check out the Razer line of products for Destiny 2 including a mouse, headset and keyboard.
Destiny 2 releases September 6 for PS4 and Xbox One. PC players will have to wait until October 24 for their day in the sun.