Barry,I attended both Sat and Sun Microsoft presentations. The message as I read it is that more and more processing will be performed by the GPU leaving the CPU to process other less intense areas like flight data etc.So, providing you have a good graphics card capable of DirectX9 functions the frame rates should stay healthy. I certainly found this when moving from FS2002 to FS2004. Previous versions relied heavily on the CPU - hence the need to keep getting the fastest processors around. You'll still need a fast processor but more and more processing is now being handled by the GPU.Cheers,

I have always found the folks from MS to be a very bright, smart and eminently likeable crowd. I don't envy them trying to meet the demands of the enthusiast market. I really thought the op ed on the other site did a good job of outlining the challenges they face with every new version. New flight models? Well, that would be nice. But what about the, oh, $400 worth of add on aircraft on my hard drive. Imagine the howls if they were not compatible with the next generation. I think that the MS folks focus on the right things. Let the 3rd party folks meet the very exacting demands of the enthusiast market. They will always be able to do it better than MS, whom I think are right to focus on giving us a canvas on which these talented folks paint. Just my thoughts. Colin

Adam,Nothing whatsoever was mentioned about the next version of FS except to say the team are still formulating their plans for a future version.They described the process of how a version of FS develops from conception to publication. It was very instructive.Given that two members of the team have travelled 6,000 miles to speak to a group of FS enthusists I think you can take it as read there will be a future version but no clues at all were given about when it might arrive.Personally, I think it will be around 6-9 months minimum before FS2006 arrives. In the meantime I'll be enjoying FS2004. I'm in no hurry.Cheers,

Yeah, what Colin said.Me personally, I am nowhere near exhausting FS9's capabilities and the experience of flying it. I go between amusement and mild irritation at folks that are already asking what's going to be in the next version 3 months after the current one comes out. Let's enjoy what we have NOW.Dave Blevins

Thanks Ray for the explanation.Adam

<>I think I am more of a "fan" of Microsoft's than the average user but I have never understood the logic of the above statement.From a marketing point of view, they should be doing the exact opposite. They need to remember that the TOTAL INSTALLED BASE of PC's is a VASTLY greater number that the population of the newest cutting edge models.Therefore, FS should be a year or two BEHIND the hardware product cycle in order to offer a product that runs as smoothly as possible on the greatest number of rigs.There is a certain ego-involved mentality which drives MS to introduce the most advanced sim possible but in fact, it only runs optimally on their VERY HIGH END machines and those of a VERY small percentage of their customer base which can afford and which care to be "early adopters" of new hardware.Sure the sim looks fantastic at Blackpool but when 10 is introduced a huge percentage of the first six month's worth of posts here and elsewhere will be....as usual...complaints about poor fps, blurries, stuttering etc. and a bunch of tweaks and workarounds will be proposed and debated.In other words, the current continuum is:1. Introduce a new sim version that is way too demanding for the vast majority of existing rigs.2. In a year or two, customers upgrade their PCs and video cards and get much better performance from the sim.3. A NEW sim version is introduced and we start over at 1 and proceed in a continuous loop.In fact, FS9 should JUST NOW be in its initial introductory phase and in a couple of years, when most users have upgraded to, say, 3.0 rigs and 256 video cards, THEN FS10 should be introduced.It is not as though MS has some big competitor to worry about since they virtually OWN the sim hobby.Let some other company introduce XX2006 and let THEM take flak on these forums for their sim bringing everyone's rigs to their knees.But, at the end of the day, MS is going to continue as it has and we are going to buy their new versions...mostly on the day of introduction if we can aided by posts here regarding which retailers are in stock...and the beat will go on.Such is life.All just IMHO.Regards,Jim

no one is saying you have to buy it when it first comes out. Wait til the next version is discounted due to another new version and then buy it. That way you can have what your looking for.Kiltorm

Ben,Any chance they spoke of using hyper-thread tech. to help out on the CPU load?Kilstorm