Elite Dangerous: Odyssey is looking like a compelling expansion. It’s the second paid DLC from Frontier Developments, which has been in the oven since 2018. It still has a target date of 2021, but the developer hasn’t been shy about sharing important details that fans want to know.
Probably one of the more intriguing aspects of this expansion is the prospect of VR. Elite Dangerous is a beautiful game with incredible environments that warrant in-depth exploration. Having VR experiences on various planets sounds like a dream come true for many.
And it looks like this dream is becoming a reality. In a recent post, lead community manager — Arthur Tolmie — reassured fans that VR support will be available in Odyssey. It’s just that the expansion won’t feature VR support all the way through.
Rather, it will be periods when gamers enter a world’s atmosphere and when they drive the SRV (Surface Recon Vehicle). These sequences will feature VR support, which ups the immersion to another level. It will give Elite Dangerous a different feel that users have longed for ever since this game came out back in 2014.
Then when players start walking around planets on foot, the view will switch back over to a traditional 2D flat screen. However, VR enthusiasts can view it using their headset if they so choose. Or for a more conventional experience, they can take their VR headset off until VR sequences are initiated again.
Although it’s not a full-fledged VR experience just yet, Odyssey still is shining with a lot of potential. The developer won’t be adding any more VR segments until it feels like it’s appropriate. It’s hard to find fault in their logic.
Making even just short sequences of virtual reality requires a lot of time and resources. Frontier Developments wants to make this expansion as good as it can be, even if that means holding off on other VR aspects.
That just means when they’re finally ready to show them off, they could be perfect in all of the right ways. That’s the hope anyway. In the meantime, Elite Dangerous fans can just look forward to an incredible expansion featuring new worlds, new designs, and new experiences.
This is the biggest update yet for the game and it looks like the developer is doing right by fans in that they’re leaving no stone left unturned. That’s always what you want to see from a developer building upon an already great game.