Destiny's Xbox One Beta Doesn't Run at 1080p, But Remains the Target for Final Version

When Xbox One owners finally get access to the Destiny beta next week, they'll find it won't run at 1080p. However, that remains the target resolution for the full game when it launches on September 9.

This was revealed during an IGN livestream with Bungie staff (via Eurogamer), who indicated the beta does not hit the vaunted 1080p resolution. However, as we've heard before, this is a real beta, not an early peek at the finalized game. According to Bungie community manager David "Deej" Dague, this means "there is always room for improvement."

"This beta is where we are in development right now," he said during the stream. "The fact you are playing in the beta is of enormous help to us because it teaches us what this thing is, it teaches us how we can perfect it and make it better before launch."

"We are aiming for 1080p on all platforms," he continued, reaffirming what we heard following E3. Destiny was originally scheduled to run at a sub-1080p resolution on Xbox One (compared with 1080p on PlayStation 4), but thanks to improvements introduced to the system by Microsoft, Bungie found itself able to bump up the game's resolution. As those changes to the system's software development kit were introduced in June, it's possible there wasn't time to put the extra power to use in the beta version of the game. We've contacted Activision to find out more and will report back with anything we learn.

Of course, whether the increase in resolution ultimately makes much of a difference in terms of visual quality remains to be seen.

The Destiny beta doesn't kick off on Xbox One (or Xbox 360) until July 23, while PS4 and PlayStation 3 owners are able to begin playing the beta today. An alpha test was held last month for the game, but as it was for PS4 owners only, the upcoming beta--which runs through July 27--will represent many gamers' first opportunity to play the game for themselves. Bungie has not yet decided whether any progress from the beta will carry over to the final game.

The best way to guarantee yourself access is to preorder one of the game's many versions. While you wait for the beta to launch, you can check out the new Destiny companion app for iOS and Android which lets you manage your character, read up on Destiny lore, and more.