Elite Dangerous is one of the most exciting space sims ever made, but for many gamers, trying to play it in VR is a little daunting. Elite Dangerous VR can be an intense experience, and making the most of it requires knowledge! Due to this, we have created this Elite Dangerous VR guide.
Elite Dangerous, too many gamers and space enthusiasts alike, is the most perfect depiction of our future as interstellar explorers. Now, thanks to VR technology, you can explore the Milky Way from your living room couch.
How it works
Elite Dangerous, the open-world space simulation, is one of the most popular titles on Steam. It lets you play as a Commander in a sci-fi universe of aliens, pirates, and traders. The game revolves around exploration and trading through the thousands of star systems available for you to explore.
There are tons of different ships to choose from and thousands of different craftable items (nano forge schematics) that can be made with said ships. In spite of the game being out for more than five years, there is still a lot to be done.
Elite Dangerous VR Requirements
Once Elite Dangerous is installed and running on your PC, your next step is to set up Elite: Dangerous with your VR headset of choice. Your Oculus Rift and HTC Vive are good choices to start with.
Setting up VR VrGameRift When setting up your VR headset, you want to make sure that your keyboard is physically close to your computer and that the on-screen keyboard is not blocking the view of your game or the controls. You can either use a wireless mouse with a dongle or opt for a Jamma joystick/gamepad.
The Xbox 360 wired controller is another good choice as it allows you to plug in other party members’ controllers as well, enabling you to go hands-free when playing with friends!
Since Xbox controllers are wireless, you can plug in a USB hub and use two different controllers for faster response times. For a truly immersive experience, consider plugging in a wired keyboard! Making Sure Your PC Is Capable of VR With VR headsets, high-end PCs are now required to get the most out of them. While you can play Elite Dangerous on older computers, it will be very laggy and not too enjoyable for most owners.
You should get a good video card (Nvidia 10XX series) with a minimum of 4 GBs of RAM and a recent quad-core CPU. We also recommend at least 15 GBs of free disk space on your hard drive to avoid any pesky lag that can ruin your experience.
Keeping your drivers up-to-date will also increase performance in many games and make the whole experience more stable.
How To Play Elite Dangerous VR On Quest 2
There are no special requirements for Quest 2, you can just plug in the headset and go. The setup process is simple as well. Connect your headphones, switch on your headset, and make sure the light on the front side of it is green.
You can easily access all other VR-related stuff from the main menu. The Quest 2 control scheme does not work with a keyboard or X-Box controller. Instead, using your brain requires that you think about pressing buttons on the headset itself with an icon of what button you want to press showing up on the screen.
Using Quest 2, before playing the game you will have a few things to do. First of all, download the game from Frontier Developments by following this link. Once you have applied for an account and gotten your activation code, be sure to make a backup save file just in case anything goes wrong. It helps to make sure you won’t lose anything!
Once that’s done, go ahead and launch the game itself by entering its Steam shortcut right after clicking on Quest 2: The Halls of Valhalla in your library. Choose your language and then click PLAY. Don’t worry if it takes time. Everything is dependent on the internet connection. If it’s working, you will see a screen that says it’s waiting for you to change your profile settings.
Once that’s done, press the VR icon at the top-left corner of the screen (the square with a red sticker on it) and then press PLAY using the icon that appears on the screen. Do not press the close button! You need to get ported over to your VR headset first.
Conclusion
Elite Dangerous is not a simple game to learn. Several tutorials and guides are available to help you get started. First and foremost, it’s crucial for you to have the appropriate hardware. If you already own Elite Dangerous, make sure your PC can handle VR.
You’ll also need some space in front of your PC so that you can move around while wearing the headset. Ideally, this area should be 3-by-3 meters (10-by-10 feet). Finally, you need space to move around your PC and navigate the game’s menus. It’s a good idea to keep your VR headset, your keyboard, and your mouse in the same area.