Destiny 2 isn’t really coming out next week. I mean, sure — it’s launching on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 6, but that’s not the real Destiny 2. After playing it on PC, I consider the console versions a cheap imitation of the legitimate article. The problem is that Bungie’s latest sci-fi shooter won’t hit the Blizzard Battle.net platform on PC until October 24. And this means a lot of you are about to make a poor life choice.
Don’t get Destiny 2 on console.
Wait for the PC version. If you’ve already accepted that truth into your heart, then you need to get to work immediately on the mission of convincing your core group of gaming friends to wait with you.
You have seven days to make that conversion, if you include today. I know that seems daunting, but I’m here to help. I’ve put together one argument for each day so that you can relentlessly hammer your crew into submission.
Unlocked framerate
It is almost absurd how much better Destiny 2 is on PC than consoles, and a lot of that comes down to the unlocked framerate. On PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the shooter is locked at 30 frames per second. Even if you upgrade to PS4 Pro or the forthcoming Xbox One X, Bungie has confirmed it is locking the framerate at 30. On PC, however, go nuts! You want 144 frames per second, Destiny 2 can support that.
And it just makes the game such a better experience. It’s smooth and responsive, and it does a lot to make the sequel feel like a meaningful jump over the original, which lives just on the PS4 and Xbox One.
Headshots
I have played console shooters for more than 4,000 hours of my life. I never felt that you had to have a keyboard-and-mouse setup to properly enjoy a shooter franchise — especially if a developer built the game with a gamepad in mind. But geez, it’s nice to use a mouse with Destiny 2. It doesn’t hurt that Bungie builds these games in such a way that headshots are important, and it is so much easier to get those satisfying critical hits when you’re aiming with a pointer instead of a thumbstick.
No, your PC can run it just fine
Bungie has worked closely with Nvidia, which is helping to market Destiny 2, to ensure the shooter is well tuned for PC. I turned on the beta, and it automatically set itself to run at 4K and 60 frames per second at relatively high settings. But people have reported great performance across a variety of machines, so as long as you have a GPU from the last three or four years — like a GTX 970 — you should meet Bungie’s recommended specs.
Battle.net will update quicker
PlayStation Network and Xbox Live (especially Xbox Live) are a lot faster than they were in the past, but Battle.net is still faster than either of them. And with a game like Destiny that will have continual support and updates, having a game that you can patch and play quickly is crucial.
No subscription needed
Even though Xbox Live and PSN are slower than Battle.net, they both require a premium subscription for online multiplayer. That means you’ll need to drop at least $60 a year to play Destiny 2. Battle.net, however, is free to download and use.
C’mon — just look at it!
I know I’ve already talked about how much better it looks thanks to the framerate, but seriously — it’s that big of a leap. I think anyone who tries Destiny 2 on PC is going to have a hard time accepting the console version. This isn’t some “PC master race” thing — I love my consoles. But a big element of Destiny is its environments and atmosphere, and the consoles don’t do it justice.
You’ll probably end up buying both versions anyhow
If you agree with all of that, but you are telling yourself that you don’t want to wait an extra six weeks for the PC version, I have bad news for you: you’re going to end up buying both. Why not just commit to waiting right now, save yourself the money, and enjoy the game’s content for the first time as Bungie intended it?