We are but a few short days away from the Switch release of No Man's Sky on October 7th and it is fair to say that we have been nervous to see how this frankly massive game would run on Nintendo's little console.
Following a huge update to the game as we currently find it out in the wild, it seemed unlikely that the Switch would be able to handle the large amount of interstellar content required to keep No Man's Sky the experience that people have come to love since it launched back in August 2016. When we discovered that it would be coming to Switch, our curiosity about the project's scope and the inevitable compromises to get it running on Nintendo's hardware grew further.
Now, we have had the opportunity to visit Hello Games and get our hands on an early version of the game to find out whether our fears were ever justified. The answer: well, we wouldn't tell you that here, now would we! You will have to watch the above video to find out, but we will say we were pleasantly surprised at what the developer has managed to accomplish.
If that isn't enough No Man's Sky content for your eyeballs, then be sure to check out our short b-roll gameplay showcase below, too, plus our interview with Hello Games' Sean Murray.
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Comments 29
I remember all the hubbub when it came out and that can only have been a few months ago, definitely not 2016.
While NMS isn't for me (tried on PS4, PSVR and PS5), im glad to see it looks like a decent version on Switch. I'm actually surprised how well some high-end games can run on Switch when the effort is put into it.
Is Hello Games doing the Switch port themselves?
@Royalblues multiplayer honestly doesn't effect the game much. Very rarely you'll run into a human in deep space; it's cool but that's it. At least, that was my experience. I haven't played it for a good few updates now so perhaps they enhanced how it works. Either way, it's a single player game first IMO.
The first version of the game came bundled with my PS4 back in the day. Later, after some update (NEXT, maybe?) I hopped back in and ended with a platinum trophy. I hardly recognise the game now.
I absolutely can't wait to dive into this!!!
Looks a little choppy, i remember the same amount of praise when talking about doom eternal or witcher 3... apex legends... Looks similar to how outer worlds looks and plays on switch... A little barren and ugly but looks decent.... Hopefully its not too bad because I've been thinking about jumping in for a couple years now, switch feels like a good home for a game like this
I've been wanting to play this game for years! As long as the review is good, I can see myself putting 100+ hours into it.
THIS is the preview I've been waiting for. As Alex said above, if you want to know ABOUT No Man's Sky, there's plenty of resources to go to. But the Switch specific technicalities? Things have been silent since its reveal. To watch the video above and see that things are looking REALLY good for the Switch port, both in docked AND handheld, is some very good news indeed! Now the only thing I'm interested in (after getting this great news today) is seeing some NMS current players giving it a go on Switch, like in a YouTube/Twitch preview or something. I'm already going to get it, but that would help with the final decision. The Switch is turning into quite the powerhouse games library, with something for everybody!
It’s quite impressive that they were able to port this title to Switch, given how expansive it is. That said, I’ve gone back to the game yearly since release and just can never get into it, but it’s an incredible title regardless of my feelings. The scope of the game is fantastic.
Shouldn't make us fast readers watch the video. Only so much time in a day.
Will the final review be similar to this video in that you’ll suggest we look elsewhere for how the game works and instead just cover how it runs on the switch?
Or will you go into details about the game as well. I never played it and now with all the updates I don’t even know what the best review to check out would be to get a fair understanding of the game.
Right. That's settled then. Hello No Man's Sky. Welcome to my collection
Will soon become the best space related game available on the Switch. Very much looking forward to playing it again after having not played it since launch on PS4. And I thought it was fun back then.
@FatWormBlowsASparky
We are getting old, right?
I don't want multiplayer. Im not getting NSO anyway.
If the only real “downgrade” is no multiplayer and the usual Switch level port specs [that are still within acceptable playing level for the platform] then this is another game to add to the “good port” list.
October is looking to be a really stacked month.
Outer Worlds on Switch could learn a thing or two
@Ashunera84
Completely agree. I’d rather read or skim-read an article to get the information I want. YouTube will destroy the written word one day.
I’ll get this news elsewhere.
I had on launch day on PS4, to be honest I think a lot of the online rage was from people who didn't even have the game. I found it pretty relaxing to play, like wandering around in a Roger Dean painting, if a bit lacking in direction. I've lost track of all the updates to be honest, but am considering picking up on Switch, its where I do most of my gaming these days and may be a good time to revisit.
@Ashunera84 It's all about getting those sweet, sweet YouTube views and ad revenue. But I agree, I hate when I'm prompted to watch a video because someone was too lazy to write a proper article.
Come on guys. Don't be harsh. Poor Alex wanted to (almost) gush about how great the game was. And to be fair, it's sold me on the game Also it has to be said @alexolney, great job on touting gyro, It's ace!
Would’ve rather had an article to read considering I can’t watch video at work but the comments seem to say it runs well so that’s good.
Amazing. Can't wait for the in-depth reviews so I can finally make a decision on this.
🤔I wonder if this will knock 'The Outer Worlds' off as my favourite Switch Game...
Definitely sold from the video. Can’t wait to read the reviews.
Switch punching above its weight yet again. impressive
I don’t have time to watch the video, why can’t you guys type up a short paragraph summarizing your thoughts for us readers who don’t watch the videos. Like seriously, just say how it runs and if you thought it was a good game. That is all.
@blindsquarel I guess we need to wait for the review then
It seems the Switch is able to run ps4 games. We've had stuff like Doom Eternal, Nier Automata and dragon quest xi with just slightly worse image quality.
I think people have underrestimated the Switche's capabilities. All it requires is a bunch of good developers for good conversions.
@Cia slightly is a subjective term.. but sure you can get almost any ps4 game to run with enough sacrifices.
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