No Man’s Sky reaches the final frontier: Nintendo Switch

By Andrew Zucosky Published March 23, 2022

No Man’s Sky was announced for the Switch during today’s Nintendo Direct livestream. Hello Games’ expansive space exploration game will be coming to the console in summer 2022.

No Man’s Sky, released in 2016, lets players explore a galaxy with more than 18 quintillion planets. Since its release, No Man’s Sky has seen a steady stream of content updates which includes base building, animal companions, and a new campaign.

No Man’s Sky was originally published by Sony as a PlayStation exclusive. The game was released on the PlayStation 4 in 2016. Eventually, No Man’s Sky was released on the Xbox One in 2018, and then the current generation of consoles got their own release in 2020.

After almost six years since its release, No Man’s Sky is finally coming to the Nintendo Switch. This could be considered the final frontier for the game, now that it will be released on all major systems and consoles.

Little information about the game was revealed during the Nintendo Direct trailer, so it is unknown if there will be additional content added specifically for the Nintendo Switch version. The trailer did show off gameplay from the game that featured space freighters, expansive planets, and some of the alien races found in the galaxy. The trailer during the Nintendo Direct did not confirm whether or not No Man’s Sky will be a standard game or a cloud version.

Topics

Andrew has been playing video games since he was a small boy, and he finally got good at them like a week ago. He has been in…

Gaming

Nintendo Switch 2: release date rumors, features we want, and more

Prime Day Nintendo Switch Deals

Rumors of a Nintendo Switch 2 (or Switch Pro) have been circulating for years. Whispers of the next-gen Nintendo console first started when The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was initially teased in 2019, gained steam when the Switch OLED launched in 2021, and are increasing now that the standard Switch has been out for six years.

There's no doubt that the Nintendo Switch is a fantastic console -- it has a unique and impressive game library (with more upcoming games slated for this year), the number of features included with Nintendo Switch Online is constantly improving, and it's still our favorite portable console -- but it isn't without its flaws. There's enough room for improvement to warrant an entirely new console in the near future. Nintendo recently announced that we wouldn't see a Switch upgrade in the next fiscal year, meaning the absolute earliest we get a look at a new Nintendo console would be in late 2024.

Gaming

Nintendo confirms that Switch 2 and a June Direct are coming

A Nintendo Switch Red and Blue system.

Nintendo has finally confirmed two important things that people were speculating about. First off, we learned that another Nintendo Direct showcase will be taking place this June. More importantly, Nintendo finally confirmed that it is working on a Nintendo Switch successor and said we'd learn more about it within this fiscal year.

This all came from a statement by President Shuntaro Furukawa on Nintendo's corporate X (formerly Twitter) account. "We will make an announcement about the successor to Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year. It will have been over nine years since we announced the existence of Nintendo Switch back in March 2015," the post confirms. "We will be holding a Nintendo Direct this June regarding the Nintendo Switch software lineup for the latter half of 2024, but please be aware that there will be no mention of the Nintendo Switch successor during that presentation."

Gaming

Hades 2 shows the Steam Deck’s biggest advantage over the Nintendo Switch

A Steam Deck sits next to a Switch OLED.

It's always an exciting week when the sequel to one of the greatest games of all time surprise releases on a Monday. That's what happened on May 6 when Hades 2 surprise launched into early access. Players are already diving into the surprisingly robust roguelike, testing their might in its new biomes. I've been enjoying it myself from the comfort of my couch -- and not on my Nintendo Switch, where I played the first Hades. Instead, I'm curled up with my Steam Deck.

The PC-only launch means that Hades 2 is a Steam Deck "exclusive" for the time being (or at least exclusive to portable PCs like it and the Asus ROG Ally). It'll likely come to Nintendo's system -- or its predecessor -- once it hits 1.0, but developer Supergiant doesn't expect its game to leave early access until at least the end of 2024. Until then, you'll need a device like the Steam Deck to play it on the go. That's a reminder that Valve has beaten the Switch at its own game, and Nintendo will have to get creative again with its next system to regain its throne.
Early access on the go
Based on my time with it so far, Hades 2 is a phenomenal match for the Steam Deck. It's already Verified for the platform, and for good reason. It looks fantastic (especially on an OLED screen) and runs smoothly. I've already taken it on the go and found that it's not a huge drain on the Steam Deck's battery. At this point, I don't imagine I'll need to play it any other way.