One of the parts I really enjoy about Kerbal Space Program is the actual spaceflight - looking out a window and seeing a planet, plotting a course and pulling off orbital manoeuvres to tour the solar system. I like how "hands-on" it is - I have to manually turn things on and off, and it really feels like I'm running a machine. Some space games just feel like an FPS where you can go up and down - you control things a bit too directly.

However, I'd like to be able to get the feeling of really flying a spaceship, but without having to worry quite so much about thrust-to-weight ratios and ship design. I want to explore the galaxy, without having to quite being so worried about running out of RCS fuel.

What's a game that gives a really immersive feel to piloting a spaceship? I hear that Elite: Dangerous is good for that, but that the actual gameplay is pretty flawed otherwise. What else is there?

Edit: I have a low-end acer laptop and a ps3, but we're probably going to get a ps4 or xbone sometime in the next year.