4.27.2020 by Thud.

Is it becoming obvious that Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 will not be the beautiful VFR/IFR capable high-fidelity simulator we were hoping for in this massive re-do of the classic Flight Simulator family?

MSFS 2020 is without a doubt the most visually stunning representation of the land, sea, air and weather ever depicted in a flying simulation. The beautiful part is spot on.

It is also clear the sim community is somewhat on hold pending the release of this product. Some, including me, surmised the death of the venerable Prepar3D, X-Plane and their add-on product cousins shortly after this stellar product is to be released. I no longer think this will happen. I think they will be around (perhaps in a consolidated form) for some time to come. The recently released P3D v5 with DX12 support is the smoothest VR experience in my Reverb that I have ever had in a flight sim. It is stunning. It doesn’t have the visuals of MSFS 2020, not yet anyway.

What this exercise in game creation really is, will be the beginning of new technologies and ways to create, update, expand a genre in need of a restart. This technology showcases what is truly possible with today’s technology. The individual Azure Cloud-based tools and engines being brought together to create the visually stunning product will be at the heart of the next generation of study level flight simulation.

No, it won’t be “MSFS 2020 Combat Sim”. It will be the next “Eagle Dynamics” type company subscribing to the AI, Graphics Engine, Weather Mapping tools available in the Azure Cloud to create something entirely new. Taking advantage of not needing to create those parts from scratch, adding their own genius in systems design and bringing it all together in ways we hadn’t thought possible.

Subscription is a powerful force in computing. Microsoft stands to make billions of dollars with subscription to the individual technologies by companies creating new products. Far more than the millions they would make selling a high-fidelity flight simulator to a decreasing population of enthusiasts. Well played Microsoft, well played.

Who will be the company that takes that plunge?

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