Every major version update means something significant for NMS. The Next update added multiplayer support, reworked the base building mechanics, and released the game to Xbox. Update 2.0, called Beyond, added VR support and expanded the multiplayer functionality. Version 3.0 essentially doubled the flora and fauna for the game and added new biomes for players to explore. Now, version 4.0 arrives on all platforms. The newest update celebrates the launch of NMS on Switch and adds some much needed quality-of-life updates to all platforms among other things. This major update is launching alongside the port.
Update 4.0
According to Sean Murray, the new update focused “on some of the fundamentals. It’s lovely to sort of dig into that side of things and make the game nice for new players and returning players. Really sort of tidy your house and then bring in visitors.” The newest update does not have much content to add to the game but rather revisits core systems and improves on the existing game mechanics. The update makes it easier for new and returning players to get up to speed with all the changes that were implemented these past few years. Headlining the update is an overhaul of the inventory system, to add more slots, so players can further customize their tools and ships. The inventory slots are seen by Hello Games as something similar to levels in a traditional RPG game. There is also a rework for the save system. The game will make it easier to update a save file, especially during short gameplays when playing on handheld consoles like the Switch or Steam Deck. There will also be a streamlining of the in-game logs to make it easier for players to track their progress.
No Man’s Sky on Switch
The Switch version of No Man’s Sky will be streamlined due to the limitations of the platform. The handheld version will not include the most processor-intensive content which is the addition of the Settlements. The Switch version will also not have multiplayer for the time being. There are also some performance limitations to the handheld, which basically comes down to the fact that the platform isn’t as powerful as a PS4 or Xbox One. The game will be running at 30FPS and at a lower resolution. It is, however, quite an achievement to fit almost the entire game into a device that runs on just 6 watts of power. No Man’s Sky was previously notorious for performance issues, even on the PS4. How the devs at Hello Games managed to fit the game onto a handheld is something to be celebrated. Even Sean Murray himself doubted that the game could ever be ported to the Switch. The major turning point for the port was when the game ran smoothly on the Steam Deck. He calls the Switch port a “technical curiosity.”
The end of No Man’s Sky
Sean Murray and the rest of the team at Hello Games have been working on No Man’s Sky for 11 years now. When asked about the prospect of ending the development, Murray said “the way we’re set up, it only works if people want to work on it, and we have players and they’re enjoying it.” “If either of those two things stop, I don’t think it would be right for us to continue updating it,” Murray continues. “And I’m constantly thinking as that skeptical voice — Surely by next year, everyone will have stopped playing it.” He has been wrong for the past six years and it looks like the devs have much more content to develop in the future as players are still very much into the game. Murray and his team are constantly monitoring how long players are playing No Man’s Sky. He mentions that during the game’s launch, players only played for about 20 to 25 hours. With the current version of No Man’s Sky, players spend three times as long in the game. It looks like No Man’s Sky will continue to be the oddity in a gaming industry full of sequels and remakes. Six years on, it is already a masterpiece but at the same time a work in progress. No Man’s Sky Update 4.0 will arrive on October 7, 2022. The Switch version will also be released on the same day.
