It’s amazing, of course. There are few games better suited to the full immersion of virtual reality, and I’m delighted to say that, from my short experience playing on a Vive Pro, Hello Games has knocked it out of the park. A sense of immersion has always been a key part of No Man’s Sky’s fantasy, and of course that’s amplified immeasurably when wearing a headset – there’s that thrilling sense of being there, feet planted on some alien planet, scanning the horizons and getting drunk on the endless possibilities out there.
I’m playing seated, with two Vive controllers helping me teleport from point to point – that’s just one of the options when it comes to on-foot movement, though for comfort’s sake it’s the one I opt for – as I explore the surface, and a little beneath it too. Bringing the terrain manipulator to hand with a simple gesture that’s like dipping into a backpack, I sculpt a small cavern and marvel at the sense of presence as I teeter over its depths. Later, while exploring, I come across a more natural cave, gargantuan in size, and feel a sense of isolation and wonder washing over me. Later still, my VR legs back under me, I give a thrust of the jetpack and perform a woozy, stomach-turning leap across a ravine.
This VR update gives No Man’s Sky a tactile edge, too. The inventory, always a bit fussy in the base game, suddenly makes a lot more sense when it’s a 3D presence before you and you’re swiping through screens, picking up items by hand and then dropping them in place. You step out of the ship by gesturing lifting the cockpit shield up, while the cockpits themselves are now fully rendered places more distinct to each ship, the throttle control in one hand while the flight stick is in the other. Naturally, ascending to the heavens and then into the stars beyond feels absolutely majestic.
Source: Eurogamer No Man's Sky is absolutely stellar in VR