Is the new PMDG 737NGXu worth the 99$ as an update to my 737NGX?

[Patco Lch 1,465]

2 hours ago, Shomron said:

I saw a FB post where Bryan stated it won't be long prob. end of Nov.

That's good news. Thanks.

[Benjamin J 751]

I believe I posted earlier in this thread and said that the upgrade was worth it for me. It still is after some more flying! Let me put that up front. I love the improvements to the modeling, which really give the vc a much better feel. I do love the upgrades textures and dynamic lighting. I’ll add that, as I said before, the enhanced clarity of the textures is major to me as I always had trouble reading the NGX vc. I also am a huge fan of auto-cruise, which has literally opened up a world of possibilities for me.

 However, I do feel that in the systems department some things remain off. Initially I didn’t pay much attention to the flight directors behavior, but after some flights in the Leonardo Maddog I do find the  737NGXu FD a little alarming. It really does not do horizontal deviations very well, at least not for me. I’ve also noticed that changed horizontal navigation modes still causes an abrupt jerk on autopilot. I remember asking PMDG about this back when the NGX was released and they said it was a limitation in their code of the time - I suppose they never fixed it? Which is puzzling, given that I don’t remember this jerkiness in the 747 or, for what it’s worth, any other airplane adding I own or have owned.

So while I still feel the update is worth it, I also feel that it’s value, to me, stems more from the fact that I treat it as prepay for the NG3 that allows me to already get my hands dirty with it now rather than later. I do hope, however, that the NG3 will fix the FD and the AP and smoother some of the behavior out a little... those that are fine with the NGX’s modeling and texturing are probably best advised sticking with it.

[cparrott73 24]

I took the plunge this week.  Overall, I really like the NGXu, although there are a few things that bug me about it.  I bought it mainly to take advantage of their offer of a credit toward the purchase of the NG3 for MSFS, whenever it becomes available.  There are also a few new features I was really looking forward to.

Things I like:

• Additional modeling of the split-scimitar winglets.
• External PBR-compatible textures - the thing is beautiful in direct sun.
• Additional 737-900ER model that wasn't present in the old NGX series.
• EFB modeled in the cockpit.
• Ground handling seems to be more realistic (?) - the plane bounces around a lot more when you are taxiing now.

Things I didn't like:

• The 3D VC is fine, but the 2D convenience panels for things like the FMS look...off.  It almost looks like something that was included for a beta and never got polished for the final release.  Kind of a minor nitpick, as you don't have to use the 2D panels to fly the plane.
• Similarly, the PMDG Control Center 2.0, while apparently fully functional, looks like a step back from the old version in some ways.  GUI is a lot less slick and polished in this one.  I can't tell if they were rushing it, or if this is simply the new normal now.

To answer the OP, I think you have to decide if the $99 is worth the cost of the new features and the credit toward the purchase of the NG3 for the upcoming MSFS.  I can understand why people would balk at the price of something that appears to be a fairly incremental upgrade, but I have to say for me personally, I am glad I got it.

[perohijo 2]

On 11/9/2019 at 5:00 PM, GSalden said:

99 now and 40 when you want to fly it in MSFS ?

MSFS is entertainment, so why the high price ? When P3D came out they said that it had to be more expensive because it was training ...

So with the game MSFS it had to be less expensive.... But it is the other way round.

I only use the Prosim 737 which is superior to PMDG regarding all systems and they will deliver a MSFS compatible version for free ....

I don't think $100.00 is expensive in comparison to Prosim at $1.500.00 

[NickBo 102]

On 11/16/2019 at 6:10 PM, cparrott73 said:

The 3D VC is fine, but the 2D convenience panels for things like the FMS look...off.  It almost looks like something that was included for a beta and never got polished for the final release.  Kind of a minor nitpick, as you don't have to use the 2D panels to fly the plane.

For cockpit builders it's the other way around, i.e. the VC is totally irrelevant and the 2d panels are really important.

This means that the NGXu "upgrade" is really a forced $99 downgrade.

 

 

[chapstick 2,757]

This thread is from November.

[GSalden 4,657]

1 hour ago, perohijo said:

I don't think $100.00 is expensive in comparison to Prosim at $1.500.00 

You cannot compare Prosim to PMDG or FsLabs etc.....

Prosim is a cockpit suite + Flightmodel with a hardware interface for many hardware developers and it has an Instructor Station.

Prosim is used in Certified Level D flightsimulators.

There is nothing to compare .

- And this thread is from November 2019

 

 

Edited May 8, 2020 by GSalden