These dudes are ready to merge

CCP Games will be hoping nothing explodes when it moves the DUST 514 beta onto a standalone test server with hardcore PC MMO EVE Online later this month. The move – pencilled in for 21st August – will coincide with the beta’s latest update, allowing players of both games to communicate in real-time and exchange messages with each other.

The update will also lay the framework for DUST 514’s incredibly complex Orbital Strike system, which will allow EVE Online players to support ground troops in the PS3 exclusive. That still sounds utterly bonkers as far as we're concerned.

Other improvements will include instant battle matchmaking, new environments, keyboard and mouse support, and various other technical enhancements. The Vita's companion application, DUST 514: Neocom, is also set to release.