But you never know of course, I'd like to be proven wrong.

 

Microsoft obtained a license for Flight Sim back in 1982. They then produced it until 2006. That's nearly a quarter of a decade.

 

A 24 year production run doesn't happen unless there's something to be gained from it. Even Call of Duty hasn't had that kind of production run yet, in terms of time (though I'm sure it makes a lot more money than FS did).

Well Microsoft making profit from their OS'es but as far as I know Bill Gates was the leading actor for Flight Sim.I hope uncle Steve makes it better lol .(with ACES team for sure)

Congrats on beating the big C!

 

For Microsoft to ever create a new flight sim they'd have to start thinking about more than ROI, which they don't it seems. Management over at Redmond need to take a step back and set talent and creativity free.

 

A good simulator platform could be very profitable if they did it right and marketed it right. Also, it would be a great way to showcase and develop talent at Microsoft. Just look at Google who create many superb apps with no profit motive (devs at Google get paid for doing personal projects alongside the commercial projects).

 

Flight was a disasterous half hearted affair from beginning to end. Sadly I imagine the managers over at Microsoft HQ blaming the market, rather than it being a bad idea executed badly.

 

Future of FSX isn't bright because it fails to attract new simmers and very few of those who bought it never use it. That doesn't prevent anyone from enjoying it now and in the future though. I still have every version of MS FS installed.

Failing to attract new simmers isn't always necessarily a bad thing.

 

Too many businesses try to attract everyone, instead of nailing down a niche. When you start pandering to the whole, you start losing the core interest group.

 

NHL anyone? Coming out of their last lockout, they tried to make it a higher scoring game, because they thought some of the fringe fans would like it. They also made fighting a game misconduct (meaning you got booted from the game). Now, if any of you know die hard NHL fans, you'd know that they love the fights here and there, and they're used to the lower scores. On top of that, they added an "NHL Rules" segment to their broadcasts, so that people could learn the rules as they watch. It really came off like a happy-go-lucky, let's-try-to-pull-in-the-soccer-mom approach. Fighting is back to being a 5-min penalty, NHL Rules is now gone, and scoring is still higher than it has been historically, but it's not as high as it used to be. Why? They irritated the die hard fans by compromising and making it more friendly to everyone, and those die hard fans let them have it.

 

Similarly, if PMDG all the sudden went for the Quality Wings approach*, you'd probably see a whole bunch of people get pretty upset and potentially stop buying.

 

*There is nothing wrong with their approach. It's just not for many of the die hard simming group. They make some cool stuff, but their Complexity Simplified approach can turn the systems depth crowd away. That's all I'm saying.

Niche or no niche, someone has got to pay for the party. PMDG exist because of FS, not the other way around. If it weren't for millions of sales the current FS platform wouldn't exist, and we wouldn't have top of the line addons like the PMDG NGX.

Personally I believe that Microsoft will publish new flight simulator.Because they know they can make a big profit from us(hardcore simmers)

Sorry to sound cruel, but that is the best laugh I have had today. We still get people demanding FS9 versions of most releases because they refuse to pay $30 for FSX. What big profit do you think we can provide?

 

In the early days of PC's, when they doubled in performance every 18 months, a $50 copy of Flight Sim that wouldn't run well on your old hardware would help trigger an upgrade to a new $1500 PC. By '98 ~ 2000, computers were fast enough that doubling performance wasn't really obvious anymore. A 10 minute job that runs in 5 minutes is obvious, a 1 second job that runs in half a second is not. By 2004, they were already running out of momentum and it was only a matter of time before they closed the doors.

 

I do not think we will ever again see a 'new' mainstream Flight Simulator from a big name. The investment in the infrastructure is just too big. Even with Google earth or the likes providing the topology and landscape, you will need to pay people to code each and every airport (just look at x-plane to see the importance of getting this right) and significant point of interest. FSX will continue (in the form of P3D) as it is "good enough" to power most home systems and the lighter commercial simulators. X-Plane will fight over the scraps but I dont think it will pick up serious support unless MS screws up the Windows OS forcing home users to find alternatives.

 

Unless Lockheed-Martin can make a 64bit version of FS that is at least modestly multi-threaded, you probably already have the best simulator and simulations that you are ever going to see.

Paul, sadly I think you are absolutley right! FSX is the flightsim swansong, currently at it's peak, but soon to fade away just like the Apollo program, the Space Shuttle missions and aircraft development in general. All great things come to an end eventually.

 

It's a development I lament, but then again, I am going to enjoy FSX until my current PC kneels. Then no more Microsoft powered PCs - ever (enter crappy Apple computers). They quit Flightsim, I quit all things Microsoft...

I really think that Mr Bill Gates can be our saviour! After all we have to keep in mind that he brought the joy for us with FSX. He's doing allot of marvellous charity work nowadays, so why not combine a new development of FSX with charity? I wouldn't mind paying double the price of a new FSX if I new a degree of the revenue would go to charity.

Sure our problem isn't the greatest in the world, but I'm sure there are more people with similar storeys as Pablo's, through where FSX have made their hard times a "little" more enjoyable.

I have tweeted Mr Gates referring to this thread. Let's hope he answers :rolleyes:

Siomebody said something that struct me. Is the younger generation into Flight Sim?

I am late 40's, an engineer and a wanna-be piliot from 4 years old - so I am hooked.

My daughter is 12 and can put down that Ipod "thingy". The kids stare at their damn phones and don't seem to be interested in anything else. Will PC flight simulation end with out generation becasue the new generation are not into this?

 

I wonder how many 15-22 year olds fly FSX? Remember when PC games rtook over the whole store at EB, Babbages etc, now PC games are impossible to find - they went out with the VCR.

I wonder how many 15-22 year olds fly FSX?

 

I'm 21. But I don't see me doing this for the next 40+ years. Hobbies change just like life changes.

I wonder how many 15-22 year olds fly FSX?

 

Hi Paul! I'll strike you again then! I am currently 18 (19 this Friday) And part of the VATSIM network. Aviation is my passion, everytime I am out I will look to the sky one way or another.

As I said, I'm part of VATSIM-UK (I live in Belgium myself) and I know LOADS of young people aged all the way from 15 up to 30, and ofcourse much, much older!

How absurd it may sound, but this network gave me some real friends. I live in BE, but I have friends in London, Manchester, Newcastle, USA, France, the Netherlands, etc., not many people can say such things!

 

IMO, FSX, and aviation in total, brings people with the same passion together, and this is what makes this hobby totally worth it. You start to respect other people, for example just by reading they are cancer-free for 3 years. (By the way, congrats! Enjoy your life, you will know yourself it's going to be way too short!)

 

Anyway, I'll stop now. Goodnight!

Sorry to sound cruel, but that is the best laugh I have had today. We still get people demanding FS9 versions of most releases because they refuse to pay $30 for FSX. What big profit do you think we can provide?

 

In the early days of PC's, when they doubled in performance every 18 months, a $50 copy of Flight Sim that wouldn't run well on your old hardware would help trigger an upgrade to a new $1500 PC. By '98 ~ 2000, computers were fast enough that doubling performance wasn't really obvious anymore. A 10 minute job that runs in 5 minutes is obvious, a 1 second job that runs in half a second is not. By 2004, they were already running out of momentum and it was only a matter of time before they closed the doors.

 

I do not think we will ever again see a 'new' mainstream Flight Simulator from a big name. The investment in the infrastructure is just too big. Even with Google earth or the likes providing the topology and landscape, you will need to pay people to code each and every airport (just look at x-plane to see the importance of getting this right) and significant point of interest. FSX will continue (in the form of P3D) as it is "good enough" to power most home systems and the lighter commercial simulators. X-Plane will fight over the scraps but I dont think it will pick up serious support unless MS screws up the Windows OS forcing home users to find alternatives.

 

Unless Lockheed-Martin can make a 64bit version of FS that is at least modestly multi-threaded, you probably already have the best simulator and simulations that you are ever going to see.

 

Well said.

Siomebody said something that struct me. Is the younger generation into Flight Sim?

I am late 40's, an engineer and a wanna-be piliot from 4 years old - so I am hooked.

My daughter is 12 and can put down that Ipod "thingy". The kids stare at their damn phones and don't seem to be interested in anything else. Will PC flight simulation end with out generation becasue the new generation are not into this?

 

I wonder how many 15-22 year olds fly FSX? Remember when PC games rtook over the whole store at EB, Babbages etc, now PC games are impossible to find - they went out with the VCR.

I think simming interrest comes from the fascination of aviation in general.

And im sure people will be fascinated by aviation for another era.

 

Ofc none new is gonna sit down and install some old OS to play an faulty simulator..

i am under 20 and i fly fsx so i think there are many hard core simmers and there will be a future Gen. And i don't have a phone i don't need one.

"I really think that Mr Bill Gates can be our saviour! After all we have to keep in mind that he brought the joy for us with FSX. He's doing allot of marvellous charity work nowadays, so why not combine a new development of FSX with charity? I wouldn't mind paying double the price of a new FSX if I new a degree of the revenue would go to charity.

Sure our problem isn't the greatest in the world, but I'm sure there are more people with similar storeys as Pablo's, through where FSX have made their hard times a "little" more enjoyable.

I have tweeted Mr Gates referring to this thread. Let's hope he answers :rolleyes:"

 

Great idea Robert well said nice idea.