Elite Dangerous players will soon be able to co-pilot ships in VR

As virtual reality trickles into the consumer space, developers are finding impressive new ways to make use of the nascent tech. 

One such dev is Elite Dangerous creator Frontier Developments, which will soon give players the ability to co-pilot and inhabit a four-person interstellar freighter from inside virtual reality when the Commanders 2.3 beta update hits. 

Frontier's rugged space-exploration sim is already compatible with the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and a number of eye and head-tracking products, but until now players could only cruise through the universe on their lonesome. 

The new update changes that by letting a group of friends share a bridge and take on different roles -- such as gunner, engineer, tactician, and pilot -- as part of a "multi-crew" experience.

Reddit user ChristianM, who's been gathering information about the feature for some time, has suggested the crew limit of four might be expanded in future updates, and that the Commander Creation slider tool will let players customize their pilot's face and hair (because others will now be able to see them in-game). 

The update will land on February 26, and will be available to everyone with Horizon's beta access.