Cloud Imperium Games has recently implemented experimental VR support in Star Citizen, and we put a Pimax Crystal Super virtual reality headset to work to see how immersive it can be.
While I have tried a multitude of VR headsets and games at many industry events, my true journey in virtual reality has just started. I tried Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 with PlayStation VR2, and that reignited my interest. After that, we received a Pimax Crystal Super loner unit, and I’ve been putting it through its paces, starting with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.
Today, I take another step on the journey from hardcore flat-screener to (possibly) VR believer by trying Star Citizen and exploring the DefenseCon 2956 event.
It’s worth mentioning that while we’ve been provided the headset (again, as a loaner, we’re not going to keep it), this article and video are not sponsored.
If you get to the end of the article and video below wanting to buy a Pimax Crystal Super headset, great. You can purchase it here by using the promotional code “orbx” for a 2% discount and a $150 accessory bundle if you want. This is an affiliate link, and it will result in a commission. If that’s not the case, we’re still glad that we helped you make an informed choice.
Star Citizen does not yet support virtual reality fully. It supports the headsets themselves very well, enhancing the immersion considerably. Yet, it doesn’t yet support motion controllers and pointers, so we have to either use mouse and keyboard, or our trusted HOSAS, or whatever input methods we normally use on a flat screen.
It’s pretty obvious that, while the experience is already impressive, further implementation of VR dedicated controllers can improve it even further, so hopefully, that’ll come soon.
One thing is for sure: like Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, Star Citizen also has a lot of potential to be a killer application for virtual reality, thanks to its immersion, crazy scale, and mix between FPS combat, exploration, and flight.
You can see what I mean with your own eyes in the video below, although it isn’t quite the same as seeing it in VR. This is the best we can do to convey the feeling.
Of course, we’d appreciate it if you could like it and subscribe to our growing YouTube channel, as that’s always extremely helpful. Comments and feedback are also always welcome, even more so if you have questions and doubts, to which we’ll try to respond ASAP.
If you’re unfamiliar with Star Citizen, it’s a PC exclusive, crowdfunded project directed by Chris Roberts of Wing Commander fame. It’s a multiplayer sandbox space simulator that has been in development for over a decade and in alpha for several years. Update Alpha 4.8 has just been released.
The crowdfunding total for the game just passed $981 million, and it’s currently sitting at $981,380,087. The game currently has 6,516,876 registered accounts, but we know that not all are paying customers.
Some are alt accounts, while others are simply created to enjoy the “Free Fly” periods that fairly often let non-backers enjoy the game at no cost.
It’s notable that Star Citizen’s funding tally for 2025 has beaten all records from previous years by a large margin.
A single-player campaign titled Squadron 42 is also in active development with a recently confirmed 2026 release window, starring an exceptional cast of famous actors, including Mark Hamill, Henry Cavill, Gary Oldman, Liam Cunningham, Gillian Anderson, and more.
Since the project has been in development for over a decade, you can see how Squadron 42 has evolved since its first reveal.
Full disclosure: the author of this article has backed Star Citizen’s crowdfunding campaign.
