How to Play No Man’s Sky in VR on Oculus Rift & HTC Vive

Since the initial unveiling of the PlayStation VR and the gaining of hype for the recently released No Man’s Sky, there’s been a great debate as to whether or not the videogame would see a virtual reality (VR) compatible release. Rumours fuelled by developer Hello Games’ own public interest in the medium didn’t help with the expectation, but the launch has come-and-gone without even a whisper of VR compatibility. However, that hasn’t prevented third-parties jumping on the bandwagon.

Though the expectation was that the PlayStation 4 version of No Man’s Sky would be VR compatible through PlayStation VR, it’s actually the PC release that is first to benefit from the technology. A word of caution however, as Hello Games did not design No Man’s Sky with the intention of being played in VR (for a comfortable experience a number of design changes would need to be implemented) and as such the below information is intended for experienced VR gamers only.

In order to enable No Man’s Sky for VR gameplay you will need an external third-party application that provides stereo-driver injection, headlook adaptation and more. Most widely recommended is VorpX, and so this is what VRFocus will use for the below example.

1. Download and install VorpX.
2. Launch No Man’s Sky and adjust the in-game settings. Recommended are setting the ‘On-Foot Field of View’ to 100 degrees, the ‘Flight Field of View’ to 100 degrees and the ‘Max FPS’ to 60.
3. Close No Man’s Sky to apply these changes. Do not Reboot.
4. Launch VorpX.
5. Launch No Man’s Sky, but do not enter the videogame. Instead, immediately hit the Del key to access the configuration options for VorpX.
6. Access ‘Image Settings’ and adjust the ‘Aspect Ratio Correction’ to ‘Letterbox 2’.
7. For additional comfort further options can be tailored to suit the individuals’ needs. For example, you may wish to adjust the ‘Separation Value’ and ‘Image Zoom’ properties.
8. Exit VorpX’s configuration menu, No Man’s Sky and VorpX.
9. Reboot VorpX and No Man’s Sky, now fully playable as an external application with the Oculus Rift.

Additional Note: These instructions will also make No Man’s Sky playable on HTC Vive, though additional steps are required. When booting SteamVR, ensure that ‘Steam Overlay’ and ‘Use Desktop Theater’ options are disabled.

Whether or not No Man’s Sky will receive native VR support down the line is anyone’s guess at present, but for now this is your opportunity to experience the videogame as many have desired. VRFocus will keep you updated with the future potential of an official release for VR support with Hello Games’ No Man’s Sky.