PMDG 747-800 vs the 777

[joejccva71 2]

Hi guys,

I decided to buy the 747-400 plus the 800 expansion last night instead of the 777.  I could only afford one plane.  I'm big on really nice cockpits that have a deep level of immersion.  I understand that the 747-800 is newer than the 777.

 

Does the 747-800 pretty much have everything the 777 has but more?  Like the EFB, checklists, more switches maybe?  I don't understand what the major differences are (if any) from a cockpit "level of detail" standpoint between the two aircraft?  Does the 777 have things that the 747-800 doesn't?

[rmeier 473]

Andrew,

I can't recall that the 777 has any features that are not included in the 747-8 expansion.

That being said, the 748 is only about a little more than one year old and was developed for the 64 bit platform (with an optional, less functioning 32 bit version for FSX).

The 777 was ported over from 32 bit and is about 9 years old if I recall correctly. (PMDG has committed to an update for the 777, but, the next version will not include the EFB.) The biggest, visual difference is the lack of rain effects in the current 777.

The current 777 VC visuals are also very dated...some may argue "cartoonish" by current standards.

Rather than focus on the flight deck, your preference/type of flying is likely going to make a bigger difference in the enjoyment of either aircraft. The 747-8 is primarily flown by cargo operators (only three carriers fly the passenger 8I: Lufthansa, Korean and Air China I believe) and is a much larger wing span that can only be accommodated by a few airports (easy to modify with GSX2) based on many airport AFCAD files.

For me, it took a while to warm up to the 747-8...now it's one of three favorite aircraft for me.

Enjoy learning your new aircraft!

Rob

[Captain Kevin 586]

On 2/14/2020 at 9:02 AM, rmeier said:

The biggest, visual difference is the lack of rain effects in the current 777.

Only if he's running P3D V4, which he hasn't stated which simulator he's running. The rain effects won't appear on the FSX version of the 747.