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Has Destiny truly achieved platform parity between Xbox One and PlayStation 4? Shooting ahead of expectations with a boosted, crisper 1080p output and no immediately apparent frame-rate penalty, first impressions suggest the Xbox One version holds up handsomely compared to its PS4 counterpart. But we wanted to go deeper, requiring a period of extended play to fully address our two outstanding concerns: firstly, are the Xbox One's graphics settings truly a match for those seen on the Sony hardware? And, just as crucially, is 30fps on later, potentially more demanding stages a lock for each platform?Designed to last the course of this generation while still servicing the last, Bungie takes pride in building an adaptable multi-threaded engine. In that sense, it has succeeded in full: both Xbox One and PS4 deliver perceptibly like-for-like visuals across the game's many stages. From our early, furtive steps into Old Russia's expansive Cosmodrome area, to bursting around the rim of a lunar crater in a Sparrow, the scale of Destiny's environments are a real achievement - and to Bungie's credit, no one console loses out on that front.
For comparison purposes, the dynamic time of day means shots with identical lighting need to be plucked fastidiously - with the end results revealed in our head-to-head video below. Outside of the odd, slight variance in shadow placement, broad overviews of Destiny's ruined earth show each version boasting the same levels of terrain detail. Pop-in is a factor when travelling the surface - even at a plodding stroll - where shadow maps on walls and plants are particular culprits. However, it's clear that both PS4 and Xbox One render in these details at the precise same distance.
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