Thought your Switch 2 launch day plans were set in stone? Think again! Hello Games has arrived with yet another surprise for us all, as the studio has today announced that No Man's Sky will be landing a free Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrade on the console's launch day (which is tomorrow, in case you somehow missed that).
In the above video, studio founder Sean Murray runs through what makes the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition so special, describing it as "a huge leap forward" from the Switch 1 version, which, comparatively, he describes as "a bit of a technical miracle."
The Switch 2 version has both a higher resolution and frame rate, pushing 1080p 40fps with DLSS, DRS and VRR in handheld and 1440p 30fps with DLSS and DRS in docked. There's also high-res texture support and increased pixel density, an overhauled UI with support for touch controls, gyro and cross-save, and full multiplayer — a feature that the Switch 1 missed out on.
According to Murray, Hello Games has had access to Switch 2 dev-kits for roughly a year, locked away in a "secret room." That's dev-kits, for those watching the above video with auto-captions on...
And yes, you read the opening paragraph correctly. The Switch 2 Edition arrives tomorrow as a free update for existing players, so there's another one to add to the launch day line-up.
All of this accompanies No Man's Sky's new Beacon update, which will be arriving on all systems, including Switch 1, today — you'll have to wait until tomorrow to play it on Switch 2, obvs. This one takes a fresh approach to the game's settlement system, with huge new towns cropping up across the galaxy. You can become mayor of these settlements, build new attractions and chat with the inhabitants. Oh, and if settling down isn't your vibe, you can rock up and defend the locals from roving pirates, like a proper space cowboy.
Bring on launch day!