The latest No Man’s Sky update, Fractal, has just been revealed by Hello Games, and as well as loads of new content there’s a “huge VR overhaul” for the exploration game to coincide with the launch of PSVR 2.
With the release of some shiny new VR tech from Sony – which we thought was mighty impressive in our PSVR 2 review – No Man’s Sky is improving its virtual reality experience massively in Fractal.
There is a new VR-compatible Galaxy Map which will make navigating the stars less of a hassle. Plus, “it is now possible to travel through the centre of the galaxy in VR”, according to the Fractal update’s patch notes. If you’re using the PSVR 2’s two controllers, you can now have your Forcefield equipped in your non-dominant hand to make for seamless shooting and blocking while in combat. On top of this, there are more VR-related options and settings, “more intuitive” VR base building, and some enhanced visuals for those on the PSVR 2. Hello Games has really gone all in.
Aside from virtual reality though, there’s still plenty of new content.
While teasers from Hello Games were hinting at an icy adventure for this update, the big attraction seems to actually be the new Utopia Expedition – a community questline that requires all players to chip in to help rebuild the decaying solar system Bakkin. As well as cosmetic rewards, you can earn a rather rapid ship for helping rebuild Bakkin called the Utopia Speeder.
Another reward you can earn during the Utopia Expedition is a small, floating robot companion (which is definitely nothing like Destiny 2’s Ghosts) called the Robo-Warden.
With this No Man’s Sky update, you can also store more ships in your fleet – which is good news if you do earn that Utopia Speeder. Your fleet capacity is increasing from nine to 12. While not quite the enormous garage GTA Online recently offered to players, that’s still a decent increase to the size of your starship collection.
With all of this content and those virtual reality improvements, this No Man’s Sky update certainly puts it right up there as one of the best PSVR 2 games at launch alongside the likes of Gran Turismo 7 and Horizon Call of the Mountain.