Destiny gets Xbox One GPU boost following Kinect relegation

Bungie has been able to increase the resolution of Destiny on Xbox One thanks to the dropping of Kinect.

Microsoft confirmed last week that its recent move to make Kinect non-mandatory means that developers will now have the option of utilising GPU resources that were formally reserved for the peripheral in any manner they see fit.

For Destiny, that means a measurable increase in visual fidelity.

"Our friends at Bungie – I’ve been spending a lot of time down there,” Xbox boss Phil Spencer told the Major Nelson podcast, as reported by OXM. They’re going to pick up the June SDK update for Destiny, and they’re going to up the resolution of Destiny based on this change.”

There was similar – albeit less specific – news regarding Sunset Overdrive, too.

"Sunset Overdrive, that’s going to take advantage of the June [software development kit]," Spencer added. "And they’re going to use the increased capability that lowering the reserve will have to actually make a more vibrant and alive gameplay space, so that’s where they’re going to invest.

Microsoft specified last week that users will not be required to unplug their Kinect to take advantage of the GPU boost. In fact, the current PR line is that users should most definitely not disconnect their camera.

It has nothing to do with Kinect being plugged in,” Spncer asserted. In fact everyone should leave Kinect plugged in, because as soon as the game isn’t running anymore, you quit the game, you go back to the dash, you are going to have all the great Kinect functionality that you ever had, and you can boot a Kinect game and the Kinect will continue to work.

It’ll have no impact on the game that decides off the back end that it’s going to lower the reserve that’s set in."