Does No Man's Sky support HOTAS controllers?

PSVR Hotas
PSVR Hotas (Image credit: Android Central)

Best answer: HOTAS controllers are not supported in No Man's Sky even with the new update. There are just too many control systems to contend with and you would need to swap them over constantly.

As cool as it sounds, it's a no

No Man's Sky has a few key components that make it a spectacular game to play. There are huge worlds to explore, you can drive around in cars and build huge bases, and, of course, there are spaceships. The spaceships are a huge part of the game and let you fly between worlds; you can even jump to different solar systems if you want. The controls, however, still only use the DualShock Controller.

As much as we would like to use a HOTAS for those sections of the game, there is just too much going on for the HOTAS to be your only control method. Sure, you can use it when you're in a space battle, and maybe at a pinch in the buggies you drive around on the ground, but for exploring on foot or building bases, the HOTAS system is just not viable.

What about the Beyond update?

With the release of the latest update to No Man's Sky, called Beyond, the game is adding a whole range of new features and one of the biggest is the inclusion of VR compatibility. While not actually HOTAS, the flight system when using VR feels more realistic and potentially more immersive for some.

You use the Move controllers much like you would with HOTAS — one of them is held like a joystick, the other like a throttle — so although you won't have the sturdy base of a HOTAS controller, you'll get much closer to that feeling this way compared to just a gamepad. We think this is likely the best way to experience No Man's Sky Moving forward.

James Bricknell
Since the days of the HTC Hero James has had two or three Android phones stuffed into pockets. James is always on hand to offer advice on phones, apps and most recently, PlayStation, especially VR, It's now something of an obsession. Find him @keridel wherever Media Socials itself.