'Elite: Dangerous' Now Available On PlayStation 4, With Pro Support

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By Rexly Peñaflorida
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Frontier Developments has releasedElite: Dangerous on the PlayStation 4. With today’s release, the game is now available on all major platforms, as well as VR HMDs such as the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

Most PS4 users will utilize the DualShock 4 controller for the game, and the developers modified Elite: Dangerous to take advantage of the controller’s touchpad. For instance, you can use the touchpad like a mouse trackpad when you’re viewing the massive galaxy map, and assign four hotkeys to the pad. You can also use the peripheral’s Sixaxis motion controls for “Fast Headlook” in order to keep your enemies in sight during combat. For a slightly more realistic experience, you can also use a hands-on-throttle-and-stick device (HOTAS). The game supports the Thrustmaster T. Flight HOTAS 4 device on the PlayStation 4.

If you own a PlayStation 4 Pro, you’ll also see some performance improvements with the game. You can pick from two graphics options when you play: Quality, which is “favoring visual fidelity,” or Performance with its higher framerate. Support for 4K resolution isn't available at launch, however, according to the studio's livestream of the PS4 version of the game yesterday.

As far as PSVR support is concerned, it seems that the studio is considering the idea of implementing it at some point in the future. In an AMA session on Reddit, Frontier Developments CEO David Braben addressed the issue with more detail.

“I'm a huge fan of VR, and have been carefully following it from day one. The most important thing is it is a good experience, and we're not there yet in terms of the quality. It's certainly something we'd like to consider, but quality is vital.”

In terms of content updates, Elite: Dangerous will be on par with its Xbox One and PC counterparts to offer players on all platforms a similar experience. At the moment, Frontier Developments is working on an upcoming conflict with the Thargoids as part of its “The Return” update.

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NameElite: Dangerous
TypeSci-fi, Space simulator
DeveloperFrontier Developments
PublisherFrontier Developments
PlatformsPC, Xbox One, PS4
Where To BuyFrontier StoreSteamXbox StorePlayStation StoreAmazonBest BuyTargetGameStop
Release DateDecember 16, 2015 (PC)June 3, 2016 (Xbox One)
Rexly Peñaflorida
2 Comments Comment from the forums
  • JimmiG
    Have they done anything to improve the game or is it still a mindless grind for credits?
    Reply
  • Weps
    19873291 said:
    Have they done anything to improve the game or is it still a mindless grind for credits?

    There have been numerous improvements and additions in the past 2 years or so, and some of them have been great, others not so much.

    If you are talking strictly credits, the game has seen a fair share of methods for acquiring them rapidly, ranging from simply running high paying missions, to borderline exploiting mission allocation to get lots and lots of the same type of missions which you can just complete in one go. Either way, it's much easier now to get the credits to buy one of the end-game ships than it was in 2015.

    However the new Engineers update means that instead of credits, you have to focus on acquiring materials (these can't be bought) and then go though different layers of RNG to use them. Some find that to be a grind, others are cool with it. What is certain though is that these mechanics are absolutely necessary if you want to PvP, with ships becoming something like 300% stronger after their upgrade. And if you don't have the expansion, you don't have access to upgrades, period.

    If you are talking content in general, my personal opinion is that the game takes one step forward and one step back. There have been many, many small cool features coming with each update, to name a recent few: new station types, passenger mechanics, ship launched fighters, new modules with certain functions, interface improvements, a character creator and many more.

    On the flipside, the major gameplay additions which were supposed to add meat to the game have been disappointing. The crafting mechanic turned out to be imbalanced, and actually more of a random scavenger hunt, as I explained above. The multicrew mechanic proved to be nothing more than a gunner mode, sometimes with technical problems. The lore of the game took a beating, being unable to accommodate these simplistic additions within its original low-tech vibe. And there are important areas which have seen very little improvement, or none at all, such as criminality and PvP, or some professions being underdeveloped, or cheating players.

    All in all, the game has evolved since its launch, but for me at least, it has not gone in the direction I was hoping it would.

    Reply