The results have been generally well received by the flight-sim community, and the trade-off for so much beauty and world detail by default is milder physics realism and fewer customization options than rival PC flight sims like X-Plane 11 or Prepar3D. Since the game's launch on PC, Asobo has been vocal and transparent about its efforts to spruce up and fine-tune its plane physics simulations, which account for air pressure, heat, and other weather variables. Part of that next-gen quality is because this game, unlike other first-party fare, has no 'backwards compatibility' path to the older Xbox One family.įurther Reading The new MS Flight Simulator taught me how to fly an actual plane But Microsoft Flight Simulator is honestly the first true 'next-gen' first-party console game in Xbox's latest era. Since it's roughly eight months out from those consoles' launches, it doesn't count as a 'launch' game.

I think about that strategy now because Microsoft Flight Simulator is launching on Xbox Series X/S this week. Pilotwings games err on the side of minimal challenge and maximum relaxation, arguably to let players calmly absorb the newest 3D-rendering tricks of each era. Nintendo in particular has leveraged the ' Pilotwings' name not once, not twice, but thrice to show off brand-new tech over various generations. When I think of the history of game consoles, I think of flight simulators. Links: Microsoft | Amazon | Official website

Price: $59.99 (standard edition, also included in Xbox Game Pass), $89.99 (deluxe edition), $119.99 (premium deluxe edition)

Platform: Xbox Series X/S (reviewed), Windows 10 (previously covered)

Flight simulator for pc full version