The next-generation of Microsoft Flight Simulator has been airborne for almost 2 weeks now. If running the MSFS on high-end system hardware with Ultra settings you can get quite high graphics which are even fully compared to real-life views. With Bing Maps the worldwide scenery is based on the satellite image filled with AI auto-generated 3D objects. The new weather engine makes volumetric clouds look as good as real ones in the sky with the touch of sunlight from different angles. A combination of these technologies makes the Earth look nothing we have yet seen on flight simulation.
The official ideal system specification by Microsoft, to get the most of the MSFS is:
AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 2700X Radeon VII 8 GB 32 GB RAM 150 GB SSD 50 Mbps bandwidth | Intel Intel i7-9800X NVIDIA RTX 2080 8 GB 32 GB RAM 150 GB SSD 50 Mbps bandwidth |
MSFS will run stutter-free on these but for even higher overall texture resolution without the impact on performance, more powerful hardware is always recommended. We are starting to see more and more of “MSFS vs Real Life” video comparisons and here some of them for you to enjoy. The first video contains different views around the world, followed by landing footage from both passenger and pilot views.
Microsoft Flight Simulator is available as a digital purchase from Microsoft Store and Steam as well as DVD-box from Aerosoft. Prices are for Standard 69.99 EUR, Deluxe 89.99 EUR, and Premium Deluxe 119.99 EUR. Standard Edition is also included in Xbox Game Pass for PC monthly subscription.