Elite Dangerous VR: From Brilliance to Heartbreaking Disappointment

[@cockneygamer]

Elite Dangerous VR is a sad tale of what could've been, and Frontier has no clue what they've squandered. Still, even in this state, it's THE best VR game money can buy, even after all of these years. A side note too: please read the description if you are curious by the recording choices for the video today! Love to you all, Reggie xxx

[@davidmi58A]

Totally agree! I started playing Elite Dangerous in alpha on the Oculus Dev Kit 1 back in 2013 when there were only a few systems to explore. I was floored! When the Dev Kit 2 came out, almost wept. It was a dream come true. I could travel the Milky Way in my own spaceship! Sadly, I have not played since Odyssey. VR got tossed for a bad FPS shooter mode that nobody ever liked. Frontier killed their own game. What a shame!

[@brentonclark6247]

Yes, I dropped Elite when they announced Odyssey was not going to support VR. Up until then, it was one of my favourite games but lack of support going forward for VR was not going to work for me. Now it’s MSFS and Il2, I love them both. I do look back on the Elite days with a mix of the fun I had but mixed with great disappointment at what could or should have been.

[@sYd6point7]

100%

[@IKvASS]

Vtol vr is pretty cool

[@cockneygamer]

@@IKvASS it’s like you read my mind friend good sir! VTOL VR in 2024 - Just How Good Is It? kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqO2ZZ5ojJV6a8U

[@birdwaveracing9]

What disappoints me the most is that you can open the camera suite which switches you straight back into VR, mount it to where your head should be, then take over control and enjoy complete, immersive, high-performance on-foot VR. This, of course, means you have to sacrifice the HUD and any interaction, but it demonstrates that the engine can fully support it and the integration work would be minimal. That is infuriating. What I do want to congratulate Frontier on is the integration of 128-input controls recently. In some sense Frontier do still care about immersive simmers. I really want to see that glint of hope nurtured into something that revitalises the game and prompts some more VR development

[@dariustaefreeman2171]

I do this as well and it's... pretty damn great. It is confusing why adding the functionality would be much more difficult.

[@Qichar]

I'm wiling to bet there was a deadline involved, they looked at the amount of work they needed to do to get it RIGHT (for example, allowing you to actually old the various weapons in your hands in VR) and it broke the bank. They probably compared that to the known size of their VR user base and thought, "not worth it."

[@josemartins-game]

The only reason I play ED its because of VR.

[@Smj6990]

Me as well

[@sYd6point7]

same

[@thomashuang9230]

same

[@davmo72]

Yes!

[@mathiaskluba]

The reason I bought TrackIR, then a VR headset, and now a good GPU…

[@treschlet]

When Odyssey came out, and they announced they were ditching VR, if you searched for Elite Dangerous on youtube and sorted by number of views, 7 of the top 10 videos were all featuring or specifically highlighting VR. Even if it was a minority of players, the VR community provided the majority of viral marketing for the game. Odyssey was an insult for those of us who hyped the game up and spent hundreds of dollars on content over the years. I just couldn't play after that. It felt like going back to an abusive partner.

[@preludelinux]

When it comes to Odyssey they botched the performance without VR many that had high end systems barely hitting 60+ with jarring dips on foot, under VR this would be even worse so did they exclude it because they knew the performance was low when it first came out?

[@Theaxolotl46]

Hundreds of dollars 😂😂 on what skins?

[@marcusdeangelis4143]

​@@Theaxolotl46 Lifetime pass

[@honeybadger9425]

@@preludelinuxNot sure but it’s a bit weird not fixing it because the camera already has 99% of the work done for them on foot just a case of pinning that into head position really isn’t it 😂 it’s probably because they didn’t want to do the hole VR gun body tracking movement mechanics.

[@treschlet]

@@honeybadger9425 yeah but they don't need to. I've played a number of FPSs in VR with mouse and keyboard. It's still plenty immersive. In fact, I wouldn't even want to use hand-presence in Elite, because I was always playing in a cockpit. I just didn't want that context switch of going from stereoscopic head tracked 3d to a flat screen.

[@awesome_by_default]

"Landing become a thrilling and rewarding experience." Me boosting my eagle at 400 m/s through the mail slot

[@cockneygamer]

Haha… well it’s definitely thrilling!

[@awesome_by_default]

@@cockneygamer Indeed. First vid I've seen from you and I love it. Don't need someone idiot on the internet to tell you but keep it up.

[@cockneygamer]

You’re no idiot my good man, in fact it’s wonderful folks like you that make it worthwhile and push me to keep going. Still in my infancy here going on two years but growth is happening thankfully. Really appreciate you commenting and your kind words too. Cheers 🍻

[@awesome_by_default]

@@cockneygamer I appreciate it and I'm glad to help. Cheers. 🍻

[@DankManlet]

I boost and then flight assist off spin backwards and slam through it reverse

[@xXShowGameXx]

This VR game was the first to make me realize the impact VR could have, making me feel completely immersed in space and experience a wide range of emotions. It was one of my first true VR experiences back in 2017, and I remember my friend and I making a delivery to a distant system. During the journey, I truly felt the immensity of space and a growing fear as I realized how vast the universe is and how small we are. The surrounding void was terrifying, with the silence weighing more and more heavily. At least my buddy and I were on a voice chat, which made it a tad more comforting. I will forever remember this moment.

[@precisionleadthrowing4628]

it wasn't VR game - it was PC space sim that got hijacked, perverted and ruined by VR crap. It was never meant to be VR anything. VR just hollowed Elite until nothing left. You can have either fun, sucessfull and good game or you can have "VR" game - those things are mutually exclusive

[@CptJistuce]

​@@precisionleadthrowing4628Can you show me on the doll where the VR goggles touched you?

[@TheScottShepard]

@@precisionleadthrowing4628this is one of the strangest takes I have ever seen regarding VR in ED. Maybe you’re just being silly.

[@ctrlallterrors]

​@@precisionleadthrowing4628licking the lead before throwing it maybe?

[@eavdmeer]

I'm a player of the original Elite. I had a look at ED, but I didn't immediately get captivated. Then my Oculus CV arrived and I tried it. It was astonishingly good. It kept me playing elite for thousands of hours, *all* of them in VR. Then the lies of oddysey started. Their: "VR won't be available at release", slowly turned into an admission that there were zero plans to ever develop it. That's when I logged out for the last time I've never bought oddysey and I've never played it again. If I'm playing in pancake mode, I'm playing something that looks good with ship interiors. A.K.A. Star Citizen. ED was only good because of VR. The engine was pretty dated, but VR makes you feel you're flying a damn spaceship instead of playing a game

[@TheScottShepard]

Exactly my experience. I found ED was totally engaging in VR even when doing nothing. I would spend hours just flying around and through stations with FA-off and feeling the physics around me. Just being in the game was worth the price.

[@Skychaser67]

Vr makes everything worth doing in Elite, like laser mining or space trucking between two stations. Piloting a fully loaded T9 though the mailslot never gets old. Core mining in VR is just a nerdgasm every time. And Thargoids are truly terrifying in VR. Elite is a great game but VR makes it Epic.

[@sixtheninth]

and yet they ditched it, can someone explain this logic?

[@precisionleadthrowing4628]

it might be great for selfish simpletons VR parasites but for everybody else it ruined the game.

[@precisionleadthrowing4628]

@@sixtheninth because maintaining it costs a fortune, it adds NOTHING to the game for most people and it adds annoying constraints to the game play and it limits to what you can do. On top of it you receive never ending whining from small but very noisy crowd that spends most of the time masturbating with the goggles rather than playing the actual game (the games are just an excuse to own the masturbation goggles). And if you try to say the primary reason for owning "VR" goggles is not wanking then you are either lying to me or to yourself (or both) ;-)

[@dmenace8411]

Bruv,you said that Perfectly about this game. The VR is EPIC! Bar None. Peace

[@allisterburdett7341]

Spot on Reggie. It really does have to be seen. planetary sunsets get me every time.

[@cockneygamer]

It’s very hard to convey in a video. Those who have played it get it! Thanks for the comment.

[@cdcastro2503]

I actually won a free Quest 2 a few years back and completely agree with all your comments. Doing station evacuations, and fuel scooping specifically was just a real sight. after showing it off to show the wife (who only plays mobile games on her phone) a few times i actually came back from work to find her wearing my headset trying to do the game tutorials for a couple hours at a time

[@dmenace8411]

...wish i had a wife like yours🙏❤

[@Exiler652]

This is the bold truth Frontier Developments needs to see. I promise everyone, if Frontier fixes VR in Elite by giving it the time and effort it deserves, the community will be revived immediately. Not to mention that the gameplay is coming along again, it was nearly baron prior to Odessey and on release of Odessey, but I would've looked passed it if VR was still fully supported. Instead, they rushed to complete the game and scrapped the VR Project because it presented too many issues that would've delayed the release. Going after immediate income rather than a sustainable income and revenue. if the past 10 years of game releases has taught us anything, it's that gamers want a polished and working game. It Baffles me, that many game companies fail to see this over greed.

[@hodge6664]

When they said that walking around wasn’t going to be in VR I made up my mind. I never spent money on the update and never will until they change it. I have only played ED in VR on pc. Once you have you just can’t go back

[@brandongarrett2309]

Looking back, when Frontier announced no VR in Odyssey, for me that was the day I realised ED was never going to realise its full potential. After backing the game from day one it felt like a real betrayal. I have never really forgiven Mr Braben for that tbh.

[@BreezzersGaming]

Like they kicked us in the teeth

[@darthkek1953]

Spam the forums, "Ian Bell would have given us proper VR."

[@alex2665]

IMHO ED VR was never a Frontier work, it was one of the developers who did it privately (after feeling that Frontier failed their KS campain promise to have VR from day one) and when he left the company, VR development was stopped altohether unfortunately. I don't expect Frontier to do any good VR game let alone ED...

[@sluxi]

That's a pretty common story. Euro/American Truck Simulator's VR support has also been single-handledly built and kept in the game by a lone developer who gets it. Dirt Rally got the VR support in a similar way and Codemasters neglected VR support in several other of their racing games.

[@SoulBrotherB]

Wow i didn't know that. That game in vr with a bunch of peripherals is one of the top vr sim experiences out there. Between that and this game vr wouldve lost a lot of interest from me, I upgrade just to play those two games ​@sluxi

[@lokiss88]

@@sluxi Believe me, i pray for the continual good health of the truck sim guy on a daily basis. You know all that joy and money spent goes away when he leaves the company.

[@eavdmeer]

This has to be what happened. When core mining came out is about the time the 'VR guy' left. It was a complete shit show with images being routed to the wrong eye and lots of image elements only being rendered in one of the two eyes

[@richardneville4255]

As an alpha backer of Elite, at the time I was running Oculus DK2 and I upgraded my VR headset every couple of years since then. You have absolutely hit the nail on the head with this video. I had so much fun with Elite in the early years and loved it.. I will only reconsider reinstalling if they fix the VR pancake mode, if they don't that's fine too, I just probably won't buy another frontier game again.

[@JimmyNuisance]

Space trucking in VR with a podcast or some youtube videos running is seriously one of the coolest things out there. Feels like being a real space trucker just doing the work.

[@rev_dude]

One of the first times I flew elite in vr, I jumped into a system with a bright white star and it was so overwhelmingly bright that I turned away and tried to put my arm it front of my face to shield my eyes without even thinking. I was 100% immersed in that moment, it totally blew my mind and ill never forget it. I haven't been playing much elite lately, and even less in vr because of the extra setup time, but I agree the spaceship portion is one of the best vr experiences period. I seem to remember some tool that would let you have a virtual monitor display in the game, I used to have eddb(rip) and the miners tool to the side. I'm on a rift S, jealous of all you Quest 3 users clarity. maybe it was an oculus thing

[@andrewfox4467]

Absolutely brilliant. Love it. And you're so right on every point. I'm a noob, I've been playing Elite in VR for the past month, and I'm still giggling like a child at the sheer beauty of a planet and star just perfectly aligned. Incredible. I'd love to think it would get more focus as VR grows, but I just don't know if Frontier have the people, the money or the interest to turn this rough diamond into the sparkling gem it deserves to be. Only time will tell.

[@cockneygamer]

Thank you for the kind words mate, and yes, sadly I think this is all we will see from the devs. A real shame too because as you say, VR is just wonderment each and every time.

[@mattstephen7494]

7:50 Had me rolling mate. Awesome video, I've been putting off playing Elite but you have convinced me to jump in. Cheers!

[@cockneygamer]

Haha, you’re welcome mate, it really is a superb game in VR. If on a budget the base version of Elite is plenty to get you moving in VR. And some great channels out there too for tutorials (exiguous is one I used a lot - might have spelt that wrong though!)

[@looking_glass2022]

I've got roughly 2k hours in Elite VR and was raised in San Tu. 3v3 Matches in the belts was the most epic gaming experience I've ever had and I've played just about everything big under the sun since Math Blaster!

[@NozSini]

They were never really forward looking with Elite. Basic VR was easy to implement. Judging by the state of the game and their refusal to even fix things like anti aliasing, it is no wonder that VR was left to rot. I agree that it was one of the best VR experiences out there. Period.

[@Braneloc]

When I first got Elite, I was ill the first couple weeks, and played it in 3-screens mode. Awesome. Then I put on the headset and never went back. It is a natural experience of wearing a helmet to fly a spaceship and every part of it was normal and natural. The only motion sickness was if you take off too quickly inside a space station. It was miles ahead of every other VR experience and most importantly was natural. It was also the only game I played with controllers, again it's a bit hard to type when you can't even tell where the desk is so navigation is very challenging. It was so good I'd show pretty much everyone the inside of a spaceship in VR. Frontier even showed off the VR aspect at events, though strangely they had more screens. I did try walking around when it became available, and not only was it unplayable in VR, it was unplayable without keyboard and mouse.

[@Yuki-rh1ie]

i have ptsd nightmares still from that one time i accidentally went into a neutron star in vr and barely survived

[@davidchandler5432]

Fun video! One underrated element of playing Elite in VR is that you don't actually need to look at the panels to raise them, you can make it so they only come on with a button press (it's a setting you can change in the menu if anyone reading this didn't know; I use the same binding as I'd use in pancake mode to bring the panels up), which means you can interact with the panels while flying without even looking at them (like, requesting docking without ever looking at the panel, and other stuff like that). Plus in VR I am alwayyyss looking all over to enjoy the view, and it bugged me that the panels would blip on because my head turned their direction. This also means you can keep a panel up and still fly like normal, which is nice when waiting for something to pop up on the targeting panel or when messing with synthesis while in a dangerous situation. For the Galaxy Map, I bound all controls to my flightstick and with practice it became as quick and easy as using a mouse in pancake mode (though I obviously agree the VR experience with the Galaxy Map should be a lot better). Basically I just fly the cursor to my destination, and if ya zoom out and then move the cursor then I cover ground quickly (and zoom back in for finer control). Ultimately after 3000 hours playing Elite in VR since 2015 (started on a DK2), I have a love/hate thing going with the game due to all the wasted potential. After all these years, I think the few devs they have working on the game just aren't into space-sims and barely play the game (and with what Frontier pays they might not be getting the cream of the crop), and I have no faith that anything good will ever be added in the future after the debacle of Odyssey. Still, the game is an amazing deal on sale and an awesome VR game, especially if someone sticks to Legacy/Horizons and avoids Odyssey completely (it still amazes me how badly they botched this game with Odyssey). So I recommend the game to new VR users all the time, but I can't see myself ever buying anything from Frontier ever again.

[@Froggo]

been playing ED since 2014, got my hands on vr in 2017 and ive been playing in vr since. Thank you for saying what i've felt for my entire space trucking career.

[@cockneygamer]

You are most welcome and appreciate you giving your comment. Cheers 🍻

[@razalom66]

The day I stopped playing ED is the day they confirmed no VR for Odyssey and havent been back since that day many years ago. I got used to the other stuff but yeah that killed it for me.

[@alexandsimba]

The majority of the community actually wanted Odyssey to be atmospheric planetary exploration (water worlds, earth-like worlds, volcanic worlds, etc) but Frontier wanted to cash in on the battle royal hype without putting in much effort. If they had listened to us back then, Elite Dangerous would have remained the best cockipit style spaceship sim in terms of entertainment. I have no doubt in my mind that the game would have even been able to gather enough funding to even add better on foot gameplay after a few years. Just imagine base restoration where you have to look for and kill a huge thargoid alien in the dark (alien video game). Or base defense (power plant) against a huge swarm of different thargoid drones like starship troopers. So much potential wasted because of bad executive decisions.

[@theblackwhisper]

You’ve just summed up the problem with a lot of modern games. Bad executive decisions. How these numbskulls maintain their jobs is baffling.

[@aquaticborealis4877]

They tried to build a larger gaming company with various titles. They also wanted to publish games for other developers. But that sucked resources away from Elite. Elite is built on an aging in-house game engine. They really needed to update that. They could have also kept expanding Elite with more content like greater variety of ships, more interesting settlements, more types of planetary vehicles, more alien life, more cosmic, phenomena, etc. Too bad.

[@TheScottShepard]

@@aquaticborealis4877yeah, I think they lost focus and the best of the dev team went onto other projects because ED was getting stale.

[@dmenace8411]

Excellent vid👏👏👏. i almost forgot that the VR in this game is 'Jaw Dropping'. If youve ever seen those hubble or James Webb Telescope pictures,ED Horizons in VR puts you in em, NO DOUBT!😎.The Scope of this game is Amazing....but so is the Grind! Peace

[@surfercharliel7928]

VR is so epic in this, you sit on the ship and you can look over and and there’s so much room. Gives you a wild sense of size and scale. I freaking love it. I haven’t picked up this game in a while but I’m thinking about getting back into it on the Microsoft flight in 2024 is freaking broke.

[@PoloMoney]

What I realized watching this video, is this is our space equivalent of Steve Irwin with a side of Gordon Ramsay with the insults 😂

[@cockneygamer]

😂 In my head it sounds like a compliment… haha

[@guilhermopereira3575]

Completely agree! I only played Elite in VR and it was for a couple of years a mind blowing vision of what the future could be: a world where we can literally escape reality and explore other worlds from our own home! But with Odissey I ditched Elite and VR for good… I would gladly pay several times the game price to have a decent VR experiences like that again !! I am patiently waiting for a brave developer to take the bold leap that frontier started - but abandoned - to update my rig and leave Earth once more !!

[@svendtang5432]

I totally agree with your statement.. it’s like a personal experience to be in your behemoth shape landing on a planet. Deploying your sry and know your the first to be on this planet.. watching a sun rise above the geysers or shining through the brain trees

[@flute136]

elite dangerous is the one game that gives me literal goosebumps just even thinking about it or watching people play it like the legendary Isinona. no other game does that so it makes it special to me.

[@surfercharliel7928]

1:50 absolutely so: a whole new ball game. Love it

[@JRo250]

I enjoy the "sad" story every time I can, 4600+ hours of it so far. Yeah they dropped the ball by not having on-foot VR. Want to see how close on-foot is to work in VR? 1. Disembark your ship, 2. Press F11 to launch the external camera, 3. Press the keypad numbers until your PoV is on the avatar's shoulder. You can now walk, run, etc while on-foot, all in full VR. To interact with the world, you need to return to the ugly gray flat window. Good video, thanks!

[@dropk1ck825]

Elite Dangerous has a very beautiful game on the monitor. But in VR, you control a spaceship!

[@TheScottShepard]

In VR, you are IN a space ship!

[@SoulBrotherB]

The first time i looked out from inside an Anaconda and the true size of it suddenly came into view, wow. The stations feel different, landing feels so much more precise and enjoyable.If only the galaxy map was more user friendly i would never play without it. Frontier could do so much with Elite, theres so much meat left on that bone. Would happily purchase an updated Elite VR, imagine it with a hand tracking u.i

[@cockneygamer]

“So much meat left on the bone…” This right here… absolutely spot on observation. There is still so many places they could have gone with VR. They don’t realise what they are sitting on.

[@eavdmeer]

I solved most of the control issues with VoiceAttack. Because of the frontier api integration, you could do lots of great things. I even controlled the galaxy map through the use of bookmarks that allowed me to use a 'navigate to' command. Probably the current galaxy map screwed that all up

[@stealth50541]

I agree with you on what you have stated in this video. I only play games now in VR and really don't enjoy any game in flat screen anymore. I was bummed out when Odyssey came out and you are taken to a flat screen in your headset. It would be awesome to walk on a moon and explore it on foot in VR, what an amazing and imursive thing that would be. Since we can't do that is why I no longer play the game, so sad for some of us.

[@iamlandman]

This vid made me pick up Elite in VR again. It's the only game that I really come back to now and then just to experience the wonders of space.

[@shawnedwards5369]

I have an Eagle that I have kitted out for dogfighting in VR. Great visibility and maneuverability, and you really have to work to take down the big guys. Also, do it in a HIRES and it's _way_ more fun, as you get to use the rocks as part of your fighting strategy.

[@FatCatHQ]

love your writing. great video.

[@cockneygamer]

Very kind of you to say, means a lot! Thank you

[@dosylia3927]

Hello, great video and it really nailed my feeling. Would like to share the experience of my boyfriend and me playing this game. We started instantly in VR as we found the game because it had VR support. And my god, it was one of the most mind blowing experience ever.. Until we wanted to get more and decided to purchase Odyssey and that was easely one of the most disappointed experience ever discovering that flat screen and gray background. In fact, it was so bad we left the game and struggled to comeback to it even after a while, until we decided that space part was so good we would comeback but never do a single on foot experience ever again. Game is great but it could be so much more.

[@cockneygamer]

@@dosylia3927 thank you for sharing this and commenting. It’s a shame that so many of us feel this way about Odyssey when it feels like such an easy fix to make it right.

[@Romanplaystation]

Just got my first ever PC, a 4090, and the PSVR 2 adapter, all for my love of VR. Elite is one of my favourite ever games, but i only played it on Playstation. Cant bloody wait until i've figured it all out, feels like i'm learning a new language right now. And i didnt think i could get more hyped for EDVR, but you managed to turn it up another notch. Its gonna be so sick. ✌️

[@Dolph_Vader]

I still vividly remember the first time i launched Elite in VR just to see if it worked at all. Oh my God did it work. with settings changed, just out of the box. my mind was blown. i didn't even know it supported VR before that.

[@TheTitanFind]

Never played any VR, let alone Elite (though I'm on it 2D every day). Loved the video and the chat was hilarious too. Well presented and very interesting.

[@cockneygamer]

Very kind of you to say, appreciate your feedback. Cheers to you!

[@TheScottShepard]

The galaxy map used to be navigable in VR. In fact, the entire game was accessible in VR. I got it when it was released specifically for VR. I bought a GTX970 and an Oculus Rift. The Rift with OLED was unbelievable when looking at the depth of space against the bright stars. It really felt like space, but the screen door and low pixel density was terrible. Still, OLED is absolutely immersive in Elite where deep blacks make a huge difference.

[@r_firefly4292]

I had a great time in VR with E/D, I even purchased X52 HOTAS for full immersion(As the sticks in the game are actually X52!). I even join Newton's gambit and practiced FA off flying. I strongly agree with your point that FD have the best experience in their hands and they just decided to throw everything out of the window.

[@angrypancake9221]

Flying through an asteroid field in VR is fucking awesome.

[@SandervdBerg-m7h]

Elite has been of the radar for a long time. My first hours on Elite were on the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where my sidewinder was exchanged into my favourite Cobra MK III. At that time the ships looked like white lines on black paper, but who we invested a lot of hours. Then I continued my Journey on the Commodore Amiga. The see through ship had received some paint. A long way after that it appeared on PS4 and wow, what was it great to see that the original ships now were in full detail available. As an extra there was a possibility to land on planets and drive around. Really great ! Then recently I acquired a PS5 and later a PS VR2. The VR was not supported on playstation. A pity. But when I noticed VR was available on PC version, and there was an adapter for PS VR2 to play on PC. It was a good time to buy a new strong gaming laptop. It took me 2 days to have the VR2 installed and the first game on my list was Elite Dangerous, in VR mode. It felt like completing a 30 year journey, to finally really fly the ship that started as only lines. Expectations were very high, heartbeat going up .... and then... I discovered that VR controllers were not supported. How should I play VR with Keyboard and mouse. I do not have X-box controllers, but might think about that. What a disappointment !! Elite is not a first person shooter on a planet, it is the greatest discovery game in space. A simulator that lets you shoot an asteroid with a mining laser, deploy a cargo scoop to pick up the broken off pieces. When I want to play a first person shooter, I will buy something like Arizona Shunshine. Please Frontier leave the first person shooter away and focus on VR on all platforms. No mans sky started bad and is now getting all credits, but Elite Dangerous is a lot better as No Mans Sky, when they are able to use the controls of NMS.

[@anonymous-m9p-c9f]

I'm so glad you released this. Elite was my favorite game from when I first found it in 2018. I dumped $1k into hotas and VR the next year exclusively for this game. I LOVED it to death... then they released Odyssey and their whole dev team seemed to go missing for 4 years. I can't express how betrayed and pissed I was at that. I haven't played since 2021 and I can't bring myself to hop back in knowing they still have no plans to actually listen to their players. They abandoned us VR users with the latest content. NOONE wanted the new first person BS content and EVERYONE has been begging for interiors. They just don't get it.

[@Smj6990]

I built an entire PC VR rig. Got a HOTAS, bought multiple GPUs and have gone through multiple headsets. Mostly to play ED in VR and I loved it. Then they messed it up with that first person abomination of a flat screen. I still play but do NONE of the on foot actions and probably will not unless they make that VR capable. Sadly I find that it does make me play less

[@TheScottShepard]

Me too. I spent so many $k over the years to play just ED in VR, but Frontier lost the talent and the vision to keep VR a core part of the gameplay.

[@gapper3]

I stopped playing ED after Frontier announced that they stopped supporting VR.

[@emgee44]

Well said me old sun 😉. I've played ED once in VR on the old Oculus Rift a friend bought, it looked fantastic but as I wear glasses, I couldn't wear the thing for too long as it squeezing me nut, plus I missed being able to see my HOTAS and keyboard. So I opted for a head tracker instead. That was years ago, alas I've not played in some time due to RL getting in the way. Nicely put together video.

[@cockneygamer]

Such a nice comment mate, love reading these. And I’m a fellow glasses person, hence why I have to pay silly money to wear contacts (disposable!) just to play VR! Appreciate you typing this up mate, glad you enjoyed. Cheers 🍻

[@dotvision5111]

Thats some damm nice wording good sir! and what a sight!! 4070 and Quest 3? :O I Envy you! I run it with a RIFT S and 1080. not the prettiest but it works at least! 400+m/s thru the mailslot with Flightassist-off, always brings a smile on my face!

[@cockneygamer]

VR mailslot action is the best. Appreciate the comment mate!

[@Ooudal]

what makes VR ED work also is that basically the ships is made so you dont feel the G. So sitting in your chair is what it would feel like in the ship. so it bascially feels completely RIGHT to be in VR

[@hcsvoicepacks]

VR in Elite Dangerous is underrated - It's a glorious experience, and one that is sorely missed by many since the changes. Nevertheless, this is a reminder that VR does have a big place in this game - Yes it is there, however, if it is ever fleshed out even more, the VR community will most definitely embrace it 'fully' once again.

[@stevenstemmler7573]

I still remember the first time I lunched the flight tutorial using my HTC Vive - it was breathtaking - one of the most immersive things I have ever experienced in VR. I was using a gaming laptop at the time that thermal throttled and I upgraded to a desktop because I wanted (and still want) the most amazing VR experience I can get. I love the cockpits - so far as the look goes, and dream of a game where I can interact with the cockpit in VR. I know combat is where most of the focus is for space sims, but I love the exploration. For me, the visuals and the journeys (love that it takes time to get places - space is huge and Elite is the one game that really seems to get that mostly right. It is so close to being a really great game - and then the developers seem to take it in directions that leave me shaking my head and wishing they loved the amazing experience they have created. I do understand one of the lead developers is looking to get the Star Citizen VR working... I am very much hoping that comes along in an update in the smae way and with the success of No Man's Sky VR mode - I have only played NMS in VR and could not play it any other way!

[@thatrandomguycommenting1261]

I love watching Euro dudes explain space games because when you say ships i hear "shit" it makes it 100x better 😂

[@cockneygamer]

You can’t beat a massive ship

[@thatrandomguycommenting1261]

4:50 "controlling your shit to get your angle just right makes you feel like a master jedi" 😂😂😂😂

[@cmac1112]

years ago i was exploring in my anaconda (VR) i didnt check the gravity of a particular planet i was about to land on. there i was boosting towards the surface, ready to pull up and slow my descent when i realised my error. at the time i had built a full simseat to capture all the immersion the game had to offer in horizons, as im watching the horizon rapidly rise the feeling of dread set in. my stomach actually churned the moment i hit the surface, what i was seeing became real and it was only when i removed my headset did my mind and body resync from the experience. ( i didnt go to a rebuy screen). This game is elevated above all others with VR. i couldnt give a damn about space legs. Room scale 1:1 standing off on the flank looking out a window while your ship auto pilots in gives you a sense of command and respect for the sheer size of these mega structures/ ships. thats all the space legs you need. thargoid interdictions... make sure you wear brown pants.

[@CMDRPowwell]

I 100% agree with this review. VR is the best thing about elite dangerous and elite dangerous is the best thing about VR. The implementation drives me bonkers. I actually only play Odyssey in third person camera review over the shoulder of the character. It’s great for walking around Planets and hanging out in stations, but it’s essentially impossible to do any kind of combat. I also use the oculus link dashboard to open PC windows in my ship. I always have a couple of panels up with elite dangerous tools, a music player and a web browser. I usually put the panels on the dashboard to make it look like they’re part of the ship.

[@charlesbenedito423]

fark that is poetry my friend! what a text omfg

[@Fuzzy810]

Thanks for a great video. Had such an amazing time playing this game in VR back in 2018. The immersion and music still haunts me a bit in a good way. I stopped before Odyssey was released then came back briefly a few months back. They had lightning in a bottle and just abandoned the VR community probably due to a numbers game. If they suddenly announced they would add VR support to Odyssey (even without an IK body solution, or motion controller support) I believe it would bring many old players back and certainly attract a few new players. The number of VR headsets out in the world today is probably many times what it was in 2018....

[@industrawrex2588]

ED in VR for years was my go to escapism tool. Flying in VR in this game was more like a meditation on vast space. All I wanted extra from it was ability to walk around the ship and perform some additional tasks and maybe have a mini game for hyperjump instead of seeing the same animation every time. It would be perfect spaceship experience for me. Because since the Oddysey was introduced, I have not came back to play the game, I decided to uninstall it.

[@kj1st26]

But you still can't walk around the ship like in S.C. game!

[@VilleKois]

I'm still recovering from P.O.D. (Post Odyssey Depression). This game was everything for me.

[@cockneygamer]

Ah mate, I feel ya. I actually uninstalled Elite after making this video. I realised that it just doesn't capture my heart like it once use to. Welp.

[@Swidhelm]

It's funny, driving around planetside in VR makes me nauseous as hell, but fling around in my ship does not.

[@cockneygamer]

It’s possible you have a slight frame rate drop on planets as they are more graphics intensive. Other than that I’m at a loss!

[@Swidhelm]

@@cockneygamer I think it's having the ground so close and my brain not computing the quick movement of the ground outside my canopy, and not feeling the Gs, vs in space less up close reference points. Heh. Don't know.

[@rogerwilcojr]

For normal driving, set Vehicle Maintain Horizon Camera to on.

[@golem_videomaking]

@@rogerwilcojr the only way for any driving game

[@nithilin9289]

i play only in VR this is the way xD

[@KammaKhazi]

Great video. I left ED when frontier abandoned VR support. They are clueless muppets who wouldn’t know decent gameplay if it bit them on the ass.

[@gopherchucksgamingnstuff2263]

My zen is floating on an ice rine just looking at it

[@sinisadovijanic]

ED in VR and HOTAS with Voice attack with some HSC voices or ED copilot is the best space game or maybe best of all. real space commmander. o7

[@eVkiquTVxMXpkDhqsVbbswEU]

I agree 100%. Frontier had (still has) gold in their hands with EDVR. When they tossed VR for Odyssey I stopped playing. What a shame.

[@AbsurdShark]

It's crazy to see a studio abandon their flagship game. I mean they were famous for the Elite games, but nowadays i guess the management games is what carrying the torch.

[@logoleaf5766]

Thank you for the video, you expressed my feelings about elite vr very well - I agree it was the best vr experience around, and I completely stopped playing when Odyssey released. Such a shame!

[@cockneygamer]

You are more than welcome, glad it struck a chord! I’m not sure I’ll be going back into it much after this video as I’m starting to get into Star Citizen more. That too has it faults but you also feel it has more of a future than Elite :-(

[@adrenlynl7339]

Great vid. It is so good in vr, so much so that I would/ could never play it again flat, period.

[@ishikawasadventures6359]

Elite in VR was an experience. Fully kitted out with hosas and a bass shaker, I experienced things as if I lived through them. 5 fully upgraded railguns created an electric, magnetic hum that grew louder and louder until there was an eruption of rumbling as the slug left the ship. I thought I blew a circuit. I shook the entire house it was so loud. My only solace is that SOMEDAY, another studio will pick up where Frontier left off and create a game on the same scale but succeed where Frontier failed. Because dammit I want something to do in retirement and I want my daughter to experience all this. Gawd. And I didn't even manage to kit out a ship to fight the Thargoids. That woulda been the best.

[@codecombustion7878]

I've used the TrackIR experience... and the VR experience still blows it away.

[@TENGILL]

There are VR tools from third party that helps with in game browsing of websites. There is even a tool that can cut out a part of the game to show the real world, like your joystick.

[@goodandtasty1998]

>ron jeremy stiff OMFG YOU ARE A CERTIFIED WORDSMITH

[@cockneygamer]

Haha… he actually comes up (that’s what she said) a lot in my videos.

[@lanceobe6801]

I've been playing in VR only since 2015. It is the best VR game I own. That being said, when Odyssey dropped the disappointment was so great. I abandoned the game for a while but I've since come back and I almost never leave my ship anymore. They could easily fix this problem with just giving us head look VR with a UI instead of that gray room with a 2d theater box in the middle. Using the camera sweep on foot just gives you an example of how awesome it could be, but for some reason these clowns are unable to do what most single developers do over a weekend.

[@RH-mk3rp]

The best and fastest way to dock is to max shields, full thrusters boost into the mail slot wall, then boost into your landing pad before manuvering your landing gear into place. If you have a bigger ship, your shields won't even be dented. No need for fancy skills.

[@jasondeutubez703]

It's sad, so much promise. I stopped playing years ago after I lost hope they would update the VR Galaxy Map

[@JadeChest]

I just got this game today, in the game menu it displays 360 in vr, but when I play the game, it only shows in a big flat screen?

[@cockneygamer]

Are you on foot in 1sr person?

[@JadeChest]

@@cockneygamer yes, I guess it is normal, so this game is in 360 vr only when we are driving the spaceship?

[@cockneygamer]

@JadeChest sadly mate… anytime you are on foot in VR it goes to a flat screen. You have Odyssey to thank for that absolute nonsense.

[@LaepsynPaepsyn]

"I bet my virginity" :) Thanks for the chuckle!

[@cockneygamer]

I’m still waiting!

[@japp3playzz]

Yep, i play ED for the vr experience and that on foot is a shame. I only hope some modders can create something for the foot vr cuz Frontier its not interested on his customers or his promises. We paid for some product they did not finish in some aspects and they walk away like nothing happened, come on, hire some guy from the UEVR tool and fullfill your responsabilities as a business and developer. Dont shoot at the guys that give you the money. Great video, nice editing and agree in the majority of the story :) , sir.

[@Nwolf5555]

Elite Dangerous is amazing in VR but its equaled by IL-2 Sturmovik in immersion (both for WWII and Great War planes). I also wish they did more with Elite. :)

[@johnb4467]

In Unreal I literally coded my own rudimentary mission-generator that stitches elements of that particular instance quite nicely...and I'm a relative novice. Obviously online makes it more complicated, I don't see why they couldn't add something similar into ED for long-term appeal. To me, that would make the game worth investing a lot of time into, instead of it being an overall grind. I would be wholeheartedly happy playing ED in VR or even 2D...if they would spend some time on making actual meaningful, story-based missions. I had kind of hoped that's what Odyssey would introduce, though there were never any indications that's what they were wanting to do. I kind of get a decent amount of the reasons they didn't do full VR for Odyssey (first-person motion sickness, performance due to higher poly-counts for architecture & areas, etc) -- but it did hurt the game as far as it continuing to receive praise and expansion buys.

[@samgau2]

Use ovr toolkit to put your api webpage somewhere in your cockpit. Or yt when on a long travel.. I did stop using vr when odyssey release. And when to the next best thing. Tobii. The scariest think I did in vr was supercruising to a planet and land on it.

[@danfinge]

I really loved it before Odyssey. I had it running with EDDiscovery and Voice Commander on my Rift 2. With a Saitek X52 Pro and total voice control I travelled with the Distant World Expedition plotted a Neutron Route, but it in EDDiscovery, which automatically put the next Waypoint in my clipboard, a voice command inserted it in my map. I had some other windows (or just netflix) with the occulus software mapped into my cockpit. That was immersive and really fun!

[@Riendbfbwoz]

Beautiful video ❤🎉🎉🎉

[@codecombustion7878]

For the best experience, I recommend adding AI to voice attack, getting a ButtKicker for your chair and killer headphones and a VR headset. It's phenomenal. You can feel the slightly shake or movement, and smashing into a space station or another craft is a jolting experience.

[@unsaved6]

This game in VR scrambles your pickle proper.

[@BL1P]

Elite VR is by far the best VR game I have played. Odyssey was a massive downgrade to the VR system. Not only with the on foot mess they gave us, but also the very poor lighting and antialias that was introduced with Odyssey. Such a shame :( Great Video m8.

[@protossevolution3361]

I'm in the middle of your video and just bought the game. Hope it's not nausea inducing, and it really seems like it is haha!

[@darthkek1953]

Jokes on you, pal. I'm an actual Space Bounty Hunter on earth to chill out for a couple of years to play video games.

[@GBennie]

I will never match my deep space diamond mining in Elite VR, experience never got old and was pure gold and they destroyed both elements of it, greatest self harm to an amazing franchise I've ever witnessed.

[@NWGJulian]

10:42 my pimax crystal light should arrvive very soon, i am super excited to try it out in ED! coming from a reverb g2, this should be so much better

[@thebagfather4633]

played elite in vr love it i wish they would get sorted and put the on foot stuff in odyssey in vr that would be amazing great vid

[@tosspot1305]

I love elite on my index. Odyssey was a kick in the shins when they dumped it

[@christophercox4437]

The idiots are killing the goose that layed the golden egg.

[@cockneygamer]

Lovely way of putting it, spot on mate.

[@ChrisM541]

Excellent upload, cheers. Can't get away from the fact that ED is still, today, THE premiere VR experience. Absolutely stunning. On the subject of headsets, I went from Oculus Rift to Reverb G2. It's a great upgrade and with Revive, I can play most/all my old Oculus purchases (with some controller remapping). With the Pimax Light now available for order, and the Quest 3 as an option, which of these two would you choose and why? Are both able to play SteamVR and Oculus purchases?

[@cockneygamer]

So full disclosure, i can't comment on the Pixmax so I'm coming from a biased standpoint here. However, one of the major reasons for moving to the Quest 3, other than the Pancake lenses which is great when looking at instrument panels, was its ability to do wifi 6e and I had just recently upgraded my wifi set up. It means now that I can play totally wirelessly using virtual desktop without even a hitch in quality or frames. It's honestly a great feeling to have that level of quality coming through wirelessly. I also factored in the types of games I'd play with others, even things like walkabout mini golf with friends etc, which is what made me go with the Quest 3. For simulators exclusively, I still liked my Reverb G2 though based on the amazing colours. I cant comment on Pixmax but I can confirm the Quest 3 plays Steam VR no problem at all, as well as the Oculus purchases either online or on the headset itself. I do recommend the BoBo VR headset for the quest 3 too. Much cheaper than the elite strap and comes with a battery to give it a little boost. Glad you enjoyed the video! Cheers