The Elite: Dangerous beta now "only" costs £50

£50 is a fair wad of cash, yes. But it's significantly less than the £200 Frontier Developments used to ask for.

Elite: Dangerous has moved into regular beta testing, after a period of "premium" beta for those who shelled out to get in first.

Well, I say "first" - they were actually second, following the breathtakingly expensive alpha test.

Called Beta 1, the new test build can be yours for £50/$75. It's a major milestone in development of the sci-fi sim, and the trailer below runs down its major features.

If you did check out the premium beta (cue "Last of the Big Spenders"), here's what's new: the number of star systems has been increased by a factor of ten to 55. The map now consists of a 38,000 cubic light-year volume.

"The greater volume of Beta 1 space has an increased variety of celestial bodies, trading economies and star ports, and plays host to a large number of additional features and enhancements which together provide a richer gameplay experience over the whole expanded volume of space," Frontier Developments wrote.

Thanks, Blue's News.