This week, the license Flight Simulator will make its grand debut on our consoles after nearly four decades spent exclusively on PC. But from this Tuesday, July 27, 2021, players Xbox Series X|S will be able to survey the skies while piloting the most beautiful planes.
History to prepare us for the big jump, Jorg Neumann, the boss of the Flight Simulator brand at Microsoft, gave us a last interview to come back to the specificities of this console version.
A real beauty on Xbox Series
First of all, Jorg Neumann made a point of specifying that the teams of Asobo Studio worked hard to make Microsoft Flight Simulator on Xbox a version equivalent to that released on PC last year. On Xbox Series X, the game runs in native 4K with a minimum of 30 fps and the possibility of reaching a higher framerate on certain displays compatible with VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) technology. As for the Xbox Series S, it will have to settle for an upscaled 4K definition, all at 30 fps.
From what we were able to see briefly on a preview version provided by Microsoft, the game is rather fluid and extremely beautiful on Xbox Series X. Some more or less significant slowdowns are still to be noted above very detailed cities like New York for example. It also happens that textures appear at the last moment but overall, the overall rendering is really impressive.
The novelties not to be missed
“We also added new elements because we realized that on Xbox, players probably have never tried a Flight Simulator game before since there has never been one on consoles[...]. So we said to ourselves that there were going to be newcomers who might be interested in the experience but without really knowing what to do”.
Following this observation, Jorg Neumann and his teams added different modes and optimizations to promote a more immediate handling. In this, the 22 tutorials (compared to eight on PC) are shorter and reward the player with a rating. A series of exercises dwell on the basic commands, then others instill very specific manipulations such as landing and take-off. Here too we were able to test several of these activities and it must be recognized that the instructions are clear. It will clearly be a necessary step to start on a good basis.
On the other hand, the Discovery Flight section invites budding pilots to fly over emblematic places on our planet (the pyramids of Giza, New York, Everest, Rio, etc.) without worrying too much about the controls. It's a nice way to start gently and admire the most beautiful landscapes that the Earth has to offer. As for the flight assistant, it is used to go to a specific place without constraints and the Land Anywhere functionality allows, as its name suggests, to land anywhere (water, snow, etc.) without having to maneuver on an airport runway. Finally, icons are appearing directly on the decor in order to promote on-sight piloting by identifying the monuments and cities on the horizon.
“All of these elements make the game less intimidating. Some people see airplanes and think it's too hard to fly, like a spaceship, but now it's more like a car. It's something that everyone can control."
The Importance of the Cloud in Flight Simulator
If Jorg Neumann did not fail to emphasize the power of the new Xboxes which he goes so far as to qualify as "high-end PCs", this is quite logically not enough to run a game requiring 2,5 petabytes of storage to store all of its data. And that's when the Cloud takes over as is currently the case on PC.
“The product would not be in the same state (without the cloud) as it is today and this same streaming technology is used on Xbox. The whole world is streamed. So we don't have to wonder whether to simplify the world, use less polygons... None of this is relevant thanks to streaming. And it's the same for the weather in real time thanks to very intelligent algorithms. This is not a sacrificial port. We simply optimized some elements because there is always the possibility to optimize things better. But our goal was always to make it look like the PC version and we did that.”
This is also why there is not an abysmal difference between Microsoft Flight Simulator on Xbox Series X and S. Only the definition of the image is modified, but with the help of the Cloud, the rendering changes little. As for a better optimization of the space occupied by the game (at least 100 GB will be necessary at launch), it is not on the program since a large part of the work in this area has already been done. Neumann thinks, however, that more data could be managed via the cloud to relieve the console's SSD a bit. But with the many World Updates already available and those that will arrive in the near future, the gigabytes are unfortunately likely to accumulate.
Finally, to close this chapter dedicated to the Cloud, Microsoft has not yet announced a date for the arrival of Flight Simulator on our smartphones and tablets via Xbox Cloud Gaming. However, Jorg Neumann has confirmed that such a version is indeed in development and that he is currently playing it on his mobile. Unfortunately, there are some difficulties related to the store integrated into the game. Indeed, if a user has purchased add-ons on this space from another medium (PC or console), the Cloud version must also incorporate them on its servers… which is not easy. As for an Xbox One release, it has already been confirmed and Asobo will use the Cloud exclusively since the console is obviously not powerful enough to run Flight Simulator.
PC and console gamers in the same boat
On the good news side, it should be noted that the game on Xbox will receive its DLCs, but also its updates at the same time as the PC version.
“There are not two projects (Flight Simulator) but only one. All the updates we make, since the game is compatible with cross-play and cross-save, will be available on all media. It cannot deviate in more than one direction. So when we create something, like for example the next World Update with Germany, Austria and Switzerland in August, it will be released on the same day on each version”.
Like PC players, those on Xbox will also have their part to play in providing feedback to the development team. Requests and other corrections massively requested by the console community will also appear in the Feedback Snapshot table which compiles these complaints on a weekly basis while giving a release period for each item requested. This is for example the case for the helicopters which will be deployed in the game in 2022.
“The interesting thing about helicopters is that they are very different […]. Neither Asobo nor Microsoft have the necessary expertise. So we're going to partner with another team. Several partners have come forward to help us and we made this choice in order to make the game an incredible simulation of helicopter piloting. And we believe that we can achieve this goal before the end of 2022”.
JVFR
Finally, a quick word on the Top Gun: Maverick expansion announced at E3 2021. We couldn't learn much about its content since the communication will be intrinsically linked to that of the film which will be released in november.
“It's a dream come true. All the team members grew up with Top Gun and it was already amazing to learn that there would be a new movie. But the fact that we are working alongside this feature film is really a dream come true […]. We are obviously not allowed to talk about it since the production has its own communication schedule but the good news is that it is already the end of July. So we are getting closer to the release and you will hear more and more about it. What I can say is that it's super cool and perfectly in the spirit of what Top Gun is.
While waiting for this free DLC and future World Updates (including Italy next year), Microsoft Flight Simulator is coming to Xbox Series X|S this Tuesday, July 27, 2021. The game is included in the Xbox Game Pass.
