How exactly are you "supposed" to play in VR?

[gussmed]

The addition of VR support was what pushed me over the threshold for buying No Man's Sky. I've just started playing, and have no experience with playing it in 2D.

My initial impression was that it's near-unplayable, which is largely about trying to play it in room scale. There's the constant "you have moved outside your play area" popup, but things like just trying to pick things up weren't working either, and of course there's the issue with the HUD being fixed in one direction.

I know there's a mod for removing that "outside the play area" popup, but I gather there are a host of other issues related to the game not expecting you to move or turn. Like some things assuming you're facing a particular way, and fixed hit boxes for controls. I gather that's why I couldn't pick things up. The fixed HUD makes it feel like you're not even supposed to turn your head.

So, what should I be doing to give this even half a chance of working? Put a chair in middle of my play space? Only use the controller to turn, rather than turning my body or head? How does picking things up work if you don't lean over to pick them up?

[Zeno]

I invested in an entry-level VR setup - a Rift S - in preparation for the Beyond update, and spent a little time getting my VR legs in various roomscale games. I was a little disappointed that NMS VR doesn't really support roomscale, but I've adjusted.

At least with Oculus Touch controllers, I've found it all works really well when I'm seated, facing front, using smooth locomotion and turning.

I hope some future update does introduce a roomscale option but, even then, I'd probably want to sit down when I'm flying my ship; otherwise, I can easily imagine falling over backward!

P.S. As for interacting with things, I tend to sit forward in my chair, so I can lean forward and reach things as needed. You could also play standing, front-facing, if that works better for you.

Also, I turn my head to scan right or left, but return to front-facing - based on alignment with the HUD - for moving forward. This is especially useful in combat, whether on foot or in space. Those biological horrors will always try to flank you, so quick glances to right and left are important!

[holmdt]

I do set in a chair. All of my setting in Steam and the Rift S is set to me setting as if I was standing. I do not have a play area set in Steam or Oculus. All my pick up so far is with a pulling icon so I just move my hand towards me and bend at the elbow. I do not play in room scale as I have a very small room. If you are using a Rift (s) you can change your view or turn around by the two little sticks with out doing so in RL. Let us know what VR system you are using so the right people can answer your questions. It is very playable right out of the box in VR. I do not use any mods and love it.

[bernardb]

I had the same reaction...at first. I only play VR games never flat games so I thought NMS was going to be like other VR games. I started off playing while standing but soon found that to play this game in a satisfying way I have to be seated. I use a swivel chair but almost always try to remain facing "forward". I have gotten used to rotating with the thumbstick and can turn a little by swiveling in my chair when I just need to look around me for stuff. Also I have found flying the star ship much easier when seated because I can rest my right hand on my knee and control the ship much more accurately than just having my hand in mid air.

I am extremely happy I got this game, despite its problems. I have over 120 hours so far with no end in sight. The sensation of jet packing over the surface of planets and the thrill of taking off while sitting in the cockpit of my ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ star ship overcomes all the games drawbacks...for me anyway.

[the_mo101]

It's similar to Elite Dangerous and racing games. It just seems natural to me to play seated facing forward. I don't find NMS that much different from many other VR games. I've limited space so I usually select seated/standing mode and move around with my controllers anyway. I play Skyrim and Fallout that way.

[gussmed]

After some more time in the game, I have to say it's a lot better seated. The mental adjustment for me is that it's mostly like playing a 2D game, in the sense that I'm seated facing a "monitor," but the monitor's very large and displays 3D images. No getting up and moving around, any more than you get up and move around when playing a 2D game.

I didn't really grasp the "grip and pull to pick up" mechanic for a while. I thought I wasn't pressing the right button when I'd try and pick something up and nothing seemed to work.

I'm still pretty unhappy with how turning works. It feels like reverting to the days before mouselook, when you turned with keypresses and it was slow and inaccurate. While I can turn my head, turning around is a bit of a production.

It doesn't help that smooth turning doesn't seem to work, it snaps in roughly 30 degree jumps even with that turned on. Which means often enough I'm sort of walking at an angle, since I can't actually "face" in the direction I'd like to face. My head is turned the right way, but my HUD is locked 15-20 degrees from the direction I'm moving.

On the positive side, the game makes better use of VR for controls than most I've seen. I.e. touching an icon over my wrist to take an action, or using the grip buttons to grasp a handle, throttle, or joystick means the game doesn't need dedicated buttons for those actions.