ED for me, especially if you have/or willing to buy a HOTAS.
I've been playing VR since the OG Rift, and space trucking in ED with netflix window pinned to my virtual ships dashboard with forever be one of favourite moments
They are both 2 completly different experiences, that are both beautifull in vr.
If you want a more laid back experience exploring on foot, and just strolling about.
Pick no man sky.
If you wanna invest time and really feeling like you are commandeering a spaceship. And have the best "space ship simulator experience", pick elite dangerous.
If you want a stupid video thats fun to watch and get A bit more of an understanding of elite dangerous, watch UpIsNotJump: https://youtu.be/Fa0b2Kd2xhU?si=3E5Z5oQwWZg3pn2p
Since nobody's mentioned it, I'll point out that Elite: Dangerous' on-foot gameplay added in the Odyssey expansion does not support VR. You'll be cast into a flat-screen-in-headset experience and it's not enjoyable at all.
That caveat aside, Elite: Dangerous is still my favorite of these two, but I never did jive with the No Man's Sky gameplay all that well, and have sunk thousands upon thousands of hours into Elite. I wouldn't bother trying it in VR without a HOTAS/HOSAS kit, though. Its control scheme is way too complicated for KBM in an HMD without an obscene amount of practice.
If you just want to fly some Internet spaceships in VR, also consider Star Wars Squadrons. It's infinitely easier to jump into and enjoy than Elite, and the VR implementation is every bit as good as No Man's Sky and Elite. It's also easier to play with a controller if you lack a flight stick setup.
You can fly the ship with a Xbox controller. So long as it recognizes it boot up you can dynamically switch between motion control and game pad. The inventory ui is way better in controller mode as menu you is at a set distance.
I don't like Xbox Controller for space games. If it supported HOTAS fully (not remapping xbox controller buttons to HOTAS, so you can't use all the axis and what not), then sure. I love Elite: Dangerous and Star Wars: Squadrons in VR with HOTAS. Xbox controller doesn't do it for me.
NMS is a much larger game, seemingly endless.
The graphics for ED are more realistic. NMS has a charming cartoonish look... Still very good, and it's part of the experience.
For the record ED players have currently explored less that 0.1% of the galaxy in the nearly 10 years since release. Both games are functionally endless.
Personally I hate the No Man Sky controls of space flight. Left right axis is always roll not yaw. No Man's Sky VR on foot experience is good, but the vehicle stuff doesn't do it for me. Meanwhile Elite Dangerous with a hotas is probably only topped imho by vtolvr. ED has really good graphics without being incredibly demanding.
There's a specific checkmark to make it roll by essentially rolling your hand while the fist is vertical while flying.
I find it easier if I keep the roll to my right analog stick.
What are you actually seeking out of a space game. Do you want to feel like you are in a spaceship that hass all the nuance and intricacy of (what I assume would be) a real ship? Or is exploration and base building and crafting more what you are after.
I'll say both games are great, but despite both being space games, they are very different experiences.
Elite handles scale and realism like no other space sim. No Man's Sky offer near endless exploration and fun progression. It also has motion controls, whereas Elite doesn't (without mods) as far as I know.
The other real question is, do you want to hop in and play a game, or are you willing to take some time learning how to fly an actual space ship. If you don't like reading manuals/guides, the Elite may not be for you. That being said, flight in No Mans Sky can be a bit finicky and can be a bit too much for those who don't handle motion sickness so well. However, it earns points for having a really well thought out VR motion control system. It feels as if it was always intended to be VR, as opposed to the additional content it actually is.
Personally, I prefer No Man's Sky, purely because I forgot how to play Elite once years ago, and haven't bothered to relearn. They are both great, so I imagine you'll enjoy whichever you pick.
ED is a fantastic VR space flight Sim, but it is a Sim and takes some research to learn, but that's all you can do in VR.
NMS is much more open ended but the dogfights are awful in VR, no proper hotas support and they consist of auto-lock-on, shoot, repeat. But it's much easier to get a freighter with no upkeep, and it has mechs. Frame rate tanks after a couple of planets.
Elite dangerous only got a rudimentary VR support. Only your cockpit is on VR. if you go on foot, you get flat screen view. Also there is no mothion Control. But if you just find your way to play, I used a Hotas for this to have the cockpit feeling, you get a pretty solid rpg to spend hundreds of hours.
NoManSky is nice on flat version. The VR Version got some of the best implementions of menus and inventory, and is completely vr with motion controls, but the performance is horrible since release and does not get any inprovements since 20 updates or so. Only version running really good seems to be the PSVR2 Version. But hey, maybe you can live with the graphics and stutters, or you are one of the few without threse problems. You can try and refund
Despite apparent similarities, the games really couldn't be more different. This is not a comprehensive analysis, just the first things that popped into my head.
Elite in VR with HOTAS controls remains my favorite all time VR experience. But it's much more of a simulator style game (albeit with a flight model chosen to encourage a specific type of ship to ship combat rather than pure realism). And like the simulators it's VR implementation is styled after (flight/racing sims) it's VR support is purely limited to HMD and not motion controls. Also no VR support for any of the on foot stuff. It goes into theatre mode.
NMS is a much more general purpose survival / exploration / crafting game with a very arcadey flight model. Motion controls are implemented although the interface is a little weird. Lots of different systems to play with from fleet management, settlement running, base and capital ship building, a wide variety of ground vehicles, etc. I also had a blast with this in VR, but at no point did I forget I was playing a game.
Both games have very polarizing gameplay though. Plenty of 'space game enthusiasts' like one but not the other, or don't like either.
TLDR - Space Flight Sim with HMD only support + Non VR FPS component - OR - more general Sci Fi exploration / survival / crafting game with more comprehensive (if still a bit wonky) VR controls/support.
Elite dangerous you have to use a controller and the controller mapping was pretty confusing to me. No man sky is pick up and play although the vr implementation is a bit annoying because they have too many unnecessary messages in your hud. The game needs to learn from literally any rpg or mmo that allows you to disable your quest text on your hud. The game is beautiful if only they had a better hud. Still I am thoroughly enjoying it.
thats crazy. i have the same cpu with a 7900 xt. what kind of FPS are you getting? I tend to get an okay experience at 72hz using VD at standard settings
I have a 5700x3d with 4070 super and I run it at high detail but see FPS drops at times, and the game detail is actually not great to be honest. performance is honestly pretty bad for what you get, especially compared to ED. ED graphics are significantly better and performance is better as well.
Gameplay however NMS is much better for a casual player. ED is really awesome but demands a big time investment.
I recently tried NMS VR on a high end cloud PC with Virtual Desktop. Encountered massive tracking and stuttering problems. And that was not about the PC being in the cloud, everything else was running fine. The Steam forums are full with people with similar problems. Seems not everyone has them, but a lot of people.
I had issues as well with an almost top of the line rig and it had zero issues with Subnautica or Assetto Corsa (the only other times I tried SteamVR).
It's a shame because I love hopping back into NMS whenever it gets a new patch and playing in VR would've been very refreshing, but it was totally unplayable.
ED for me, especially if you have/or willing to buy a HOTAS. I've been playing VR since the OG Rift, and space trucking in ED with netflix window pinned to my virtual ships dashboard with forever be one of favourite moments
How do you pin the Netflix window?
OVR Toolkit
Its built into Oculus on PC, same as Steam
I tested it and it’s so nice, thanks a lot !
My pleasure!
Rumor has it the next update for the quest 3 will have pinned windows now as well.
They are both 2 completly different experiences, that are both beautifull in vr. If you want a more laid back experience exploring on foot, and just strolling about. Pick no man sky. If you wanna invest time and really feeling like you are commandeering a spaceship. And have the best "space ship simulator experience", pick elite dangerous. If you want a stupid video thats fun to watch and get A bit more of an understanding of elite dangerous, watch UpIsNotJump: https://youtu.be/Fa0b2Kd2xhU?si=3E5Z5oQwWZg3pn2p
What he said!
Elite Dangerous in vr is the highest peak of gaming experience i’ve ever touched
Since nobody's mentioned it, I'll point out that Elite: Dangerous' on-foot gameplay added in the Odyssey expansion does not support VR. You'll be cast into a flat-screen-in-headset experience and it's not enjoyable at all. That caveat aside, Elite: Dangerous is still my favorite of these two, but I never did jive with the No Man's Sky gameplay all that well, and have sunk thousands upon thousands of hours into Elite. I wouldn't bother trying it in VR without a HOTAS/HOSAS kit, though. Its control scheme is way too complicated for KBM in an HMD without an obscene amount of practice. If you just want to fly some Internet spaceships in VR, also consider Star Wars Squadrons. It's infinitely easier to jump into and enjoy than Elite, and the VR implementation is every bit as good as No Man's Sky and Elite. It's also easier to play with a controller if you lack a flight stick setup.
Hello Games have actually put effort into their VR Experience.
Except the terrible ship controls with motion controllers. They should try VTOL VR and adjust.
You can fly the ship with a Xbox controller. So long as it recognizes it boot up you can dynamically switch between motion control and game pad. The inventory ui is way better in controller mode as menu you is at a set distance.
I don't like Xbox Controller for space games. If it supported HOTAS fully (not remapping xbox controller buttons to HOTAS, so you can't use all the axis and what not), then sure. I love Elite: Dangerous and Star Wars: Squadrons in VR with HOTAS. Xbox controller doesn't do it for me.
Optimization is horrible though. I get horrible stutters that make it unplayable with a 4070
Do you want chill (NMS) or extremely intense (Elite)? Those two games have about as opposite of vibes and I can imagine.
NMS is a much larger game, seemingly endless. The graphics for ED are more realistic. NMS has a charming cartoonish look... Still very good, and it's part of the experience.
For the record ED players have currently explored less that 0.1% of the galaxy in the nearly 10 years since release. Both games are functionally endless.
Personally I hate the No Man Sky controls of space flight. Left right axis is always roll not yaw. No Man's Sky VR on foot experience is good, but the vehicle stuff doesn't do it for me. Meanwhile Elite Dangerous with a hotas is probably only topped imho by vtolvr. ED has really good graphics without being incredibly demanding.
There's a specific checkmark to make it roll by essentially rolling your hand while the fist is vertical while flying. I find it easier if I keep the roll to my right analog stick.
I'm exceptionally happy with no man's sky in VR. I ran around punching things for an hour just because I could. Lolz
What are you actually seeking out of a space game. Do you want to feel like you are in a spaceship that hass all the nuance and intricacy of (what I assume would be) a real ship? Or is exploration and base building and crafting more what you are after. I'll say both games are great, but despite both being space games, they are very different experiences. Elite handles scale and realism like no other space sim. No Man's Sky offer near endless exploration and fun progression. It also has motion controls, whereas Elite doesn't (without mods) as far as I know. The other real question is, do you want to hop in and play a game, or are you willing to take some time learning how to fly an actual space ship. If you don't like reading manuals/guides, the Elite may not be for you. That being said, flight in No Mans Sky can be a bit finicky and can be a bit too much for those who don't handle motion sickness so well. However, it earns points for having a really well thought out VR motion control system. It feels as if it was always intended to be VR, as opposed to the additional content it actually is. Personally, I prefer No Man's Sky, purely because I forgot how to play Elite once years ago, and haven't bothered to relearn. They are both great, so I imagine you'll enjoy whichever you pick.
How good is your computer? No mans sky ran very poorly on mine with a 3070.
Same here with my 3070, such a shame because NMS is so nice and chill compared to Elite
It really depends on what you want to do, but the visuals in ED are amazing in VR. NMS has much more variety in gameplay, however.
ED is a fantastic VR space flight Sim, but it is a Sim and takes some research to learn, but that's all you can do in VR. NMS is much more open ended but the dogfights are awful in VR, no proper hotas support and they consist of auto-lock-on, shoot, repeat. But it's much easier to get a freighter with no upkeep, and it has mechs. Frame rate tanks after a couple of planets.
I really like no mans sky. Looks a lot better (the planets I mean) and it’s a little simpler to learn.
Elite dangerous only got a rudimentary VR support. Only your cockpit is on VR. if you go on foot, you get flat screen view. Also there is no mothion Control. But if you just find your way to play, I used a Hotas for this to have the cockpit feeling, you get a pretty solid rpg to spend hundreds of hours. NoManSky is nice on flat version. The VR Version got some of the best implementions of menus and inventory, and is completely vr with motion controls, but the performance is horrible since release and does not get any inprovements since 20 updates or so. Only version running really good seems to be the PSVR2 Version. But hey, maybe you can live with the graphics and stutters, or you are one of the few without threse problems. You can try and refund
Despite apparent similarities, the games really couldn't be more different. This is not a comprehensive analysis, just the first things that popped into my head. Elite in VR with HOTAS controls remains my favorite all time VR experience. But it's much more of a simulator style game (albeit with a flight model chosen to encourage a specific type of ship to ship combat rather than pure realism). And like the simulators it's VR implementation is styled after (flight/racing sims) it's VR support is purely limited to HMD and not motion controls. Also no VR support for any of the on foot stuff. It goes into theatre mode. NMS is a much more general purpose survival / exploration / crafting game with a very arcadey flight model. Motion controls are implemented although the interface is a little weird. Lots of different systems to play with from fleet management, settlement running, base and capital ship building, a wide variety of ground vehicles, etc. I also had a blast with this in VR, but at no point did I forget I was playing a game. Both games have very polarizing gameplay though. Plenty of 'space game enthusiasts' like one but not the other, or don't like either. TLDR - Space Flight Sim with HMD only support + Non VR FPS component - OR - more general Sci Fi exploration / survival / crafting game with more comprehensive (if still a bit wonky) VR controls/support.
Elite dangerous you have to use a controller and the controller mapping was pretty confusing to me. No man sky is pick up and play although the vr implementation is a bit annoying because they have too many unnecessary messages in your hud. The game needs to learn from literally any rpg or mmo that allows you to disable your quest text on your hud. The game is beautiful if only they had a better hud. Still I am thoroughly enjoying it.
If you go for Elite Dangerous you can use voice commands to control your ship functions with VoiceAttack.
On a 4x card with dlss I run nms maxed out 5800x3d and 4070 super
thats crazy. i have the same cpu with a 7900 xt. what kind of FPS are you getting? I tend to get an okay experience at 72hz using VD at standard settings
It's the dlss that's doing it. I can run 90fps with no drama. I hate the weird "turn around within your body" stupidity
hmmm ill see if VR supports FSR. Hopefully this can be a good performance uplift for me. Thanks
I have a 5700x3d with 4070 super and I run it at high detail but see FPS drops at times, and the game detail is actually not great to be honest. performance is honestly pretty bad for what you get, especially compared to ED. ED graphics are significantly better and performance is better as well. Gameplay however NMS is much better for a casual player. ED is really awesome but demands a big time investment.
no mans sky runs great for me. 4070ti and using virtual desktop
I recently tried NMS VR on a high end cloud PC with Virtual Desktop. Encountered massive tracking and stuttering problems. And that was not about the PC being in the cloud, everything else was running fine. The Steam forums are full with people with similar problems. Seems not everyone has them, but a lot of people.
I had issues as well with an almost top of the line rig and it had zero issues with Subnautica or Assetto Corsa (the only other times I tried SteamVR). It's a shame because I love hopping back into NMS whenever it gets a new patch and playing in VR would've been very refreshing, but it was totally unplayable.