5 Key Differences Between Destiny 2 on PC and Console

Unlocked Framerate

Key Differences Between Destiny 2 on PC and Console

Unlike its predecessor, Destiny 2 is PC-bound, due to launch on the platform Oct. 24. For those that skipped the console version, there are several key differences in comparison to the PS4 and Xbox One equivalent that you should be aware of. Most of these changes are positive, allowing for a greater degree of customization and a few PC-specific tweaks that suggest this version of Destiny 2 has indeed been well tailored to take advantage of the platform. Without further ado, let’s review the major differences between PC and console versions:

Perhaps the biggest boon for PC owners is that Destiny 2 is able to be run at an unlocked framerate. Where console versions are restricted to 30 frames-per-second – even on the boosted PS4 Pro and forthcoming Xbox One X – PC players will be able to run the game at a buttery smooth 60 frames-per-second or higher, provided your rig can handle it. Destiny 2 looks far better when played at this higher frame rate and will feel like a much grander graphical improvement over its predecessor to anyone that has played the previous game. Destiny 2 plays smoothly and responsively at this higher frame rate, which is exactly what you want from a fast-paced first-person shooter.

We’ve listed the recommended specs below for PC owners wanting to achieve 60+ frames-per-second:

CPU

• Intel: Core i5-2400 3.4 GHz or i5 7400 3.5 GHz
• AMD: Ryzen R5 1600X 3.6 GHz

GPU

• Nvidia: GeForce GTX 970 4GB or GTX 1060 6GB
• AMD: Radeon R9 390 8GB
• RAM: 8GB

Operating System

• Windows 7 64-bit or Windows 8.1 64-bit or Windows 10 64-bit (Recommended)

Hard drive space

• 68GB available hard drive space

Plenty of Graphical Options to Tweak

Key Differences Between Destiny 2 on PC and Console

Quite apart from improvements to resolution and framerate that can be achieved on the PC version of Destiny 2, you’ll also be able to play around with a huge amount of different graphical options to achieve the optimum setup for your computer. The full list of texture and effects that you can play with is as follows:

• Anti-aliasing (FXAA, SMAA, MSAA)
• Ambient Occlusion (HDAO, 3D)
• Texture Quality
• Shadow Quality
• Depth of Field
• Environmental Detail Distance
• Character Detail Distance
• Foliage Detail Distance
• Foliage Shadow Distance
• Light Shafts
• Motion Blur
• Wind Impulse
• Render Resolution
• High Dynamic Range (HDR)
• Chromatic Aberration
• Film Grain

Another huge plus for PC owners is the ability to alter the field of view (FOV) between 55 to 105. The added degree of peripheral vision will be welcome during raids when you’re trying to keep track of teammates and enemies.

Aiming and Shooting

Key Differences Between Destiny 2 on PC and Console

Aiming and shooting weapons in the PC version of Destiny 2 works differently because recoil has been completely removed. The reason for this, as stated by the developers, is due to their belief that “with a mouse and keyboard, you don’t want the mouse moving without you moving it, so recoil doesn’t feel good.” Ultimately, that means less aiming down the iron sights in comparison to console versions, which boils down to a much faster pace of shooting, more akin to twitch-shooters than what is typically fairly measured combat on console.

Of course, there’s no aim assist while using a mouse and keyboard as there is on console, but most gamers would agree that mouse and keyboard is a more precise method of aiming than a gamepad. As such you can expect your teammates and opponents to have a more accurate shot on PC in PvP. Strangely, though, when using a gamepad on PC, aim assist does automatically switch on, which means you’ll be playing PvP versus players that may well have the feature switched on. This could prove a potential sticking point given that players running XIM are able to use mouse and keyboard via the controller port, thereby giving them a huge advantage. Bungie suggests that using XIM comes with its own set of issues, though, which makes it less accurate than a native mouse and keyboard setup.

Timed Content not on PC Either

Key Differences Between Destiny 2 on PC and Console

Sony’s marketing arrangement with Activision means that PC players will unfortunately not be getting the full game at launch. Just as Xbox One players were denied the package in its entirety, so too will PC players have to wait for timed exclusive content such as the extra Strike, Crucible map, and various items.

The additional content will not be available on other platforms for at least one year. There’s no precise date for it yet, but Bungie has confirmed the content will certainly be available by the end of 2018. Still, that’s a long time to wait and still means the PS4 boasts a big advantage over other versions of the game.

Online is Free and on Blizzard Battle.net

Key Differences Between Destiny 2 on PC and Console

One major surprise with the PC version of the game is that it will run on Blizzard Battle.net as opposed to mainstream clients, such as Steam, GoG, or Origin. This actually makes Destiny 2 the first non-Blizzard game to run on the online network, joining the likes of Hearthstone, Overwatch, and World of Warcraft. Unfortunately, just as on console versions, the game still doesn’t run on dedicated servers, using peer-to-peer servers instead, but Bungie has assured that won’t cause any host migration issues, stating in a blog post that “Every activity in Destiny 2 is hosted by one of our servers. That means you will never again suffer a host migration during your Raid attempt or Trials match… This differs from Destiny 1, where these hosting duties were performed by player consoles and only script and mission logic ran in the data center. ”

It’s worth noting that Blizzard Battle.net is a free online service, so there’s no payment required to play Destiny 2 online. Sony’s PSN and Microsoft’s Xbox Live require users to pay a subscription fee before using the network, which technically means all online games cost money. No such payment is required for blizzard.net (nor is there for Steam, GoG, or Origin for that matter).