No Man's Sky's update introduces billions of new stars, planets, and more

Planet Count vs. Actual Variety

• Many argue the “billions/trillions of planets” marketing remains meaningless: after dozens of worlds everything feels samey.
• The real improvement is seen as new biomes, terrain generators, and visual variety; some wish they’d cut planet count drastically and focus on richer worlds.
• Several would prefer tens or hundreds of semi‑handcrafted planets over a near-infinite number of lightly varied procedural ones.

Gameplay Loop, Depth, and Sandbox Design

• Fans describe the current game as a solid ambient exploration sandbox: relaxing travel, survival-to-self-sufficiency progression, base building, events/expeditions, derelict freighters, and especially strong in VR and multiplayer.
• Critics call it a grindy “walking simulator” or “the chores half of a game”: collect arbitrary resources to build gear that just lets you collect more resources, with little sense of purpose, opposition, or impactful story.
• Procedural content is widely seen as technically impressive but emotionally flat: same few factions, stations, structures and encounters everywhere, sentinels on nearly all planets, little sense of true discovery or history.
• Comparisons to Minecraft, Terraria, Factorio, Elite Dangerous, and Mass Effect highlight a perceived lack of narrative, challenge, or long-term goals.

Technical Quality and Platform Performance

• Some report huge stability improvements vs. launch and generally smooth play, praising the engine as a technical marvel.
• Others say later updates introduced more bugs and crashes, and that PS4/Xbox One performance has degraded badly (low FPS, severe pop‑in, long terrain generation).
• Switch performance is described as surprisingly good, likely due to more aggressive optimization, though visuals are obviously reduced.
• Base building is frequently criticized as glitchy, awkward, and underpowered relative to its potential.

Launch Controversy, Trust, and “Redemption”

• A strong contingent sees No Man’s Sky as the definitive comeback story: years of substantial, free updates, no paid DLC, and sustained support well beyond expectations.
• Others think the “redemption arc” is overhyped: they feel most added systems are shallow, the core problems (meaningful discovery, depth) remain, and the game still doesn’t match pre‑launch promises.
• There is ongoing debate over whether early marketing crossed into intentional deception, whether sufficient apology was ever made, and whether it’s reasonable to still distrust or “hold a grudge” nine years later.

Economics and Future Tech

• Commenters wonder how free updates remain viable; answers cite new waves of purchases, presence on Game Pass/PS+, and steady sales charts.
• Some view ongoing work as investment in a procedural engine for future titles (e.g., a fantasy game on an Earth‑scale world), with No Man’s Sky as both product and R&D platform.