MSFS available for preorders. Releasing August 18th!

[B777ER 2,486]

57 minutes ago, Gadget FPV said:

Any idea if VATSIM or IVAO are going to be compatible, if at all?  I don't like flying all by myself...

I've asked that numerous times and zero answers. They mention their proprietary online system and that's it.

[TomPi 28]

3 hours ago, severniae said:

But, what is the point of a pre-order? There is no benefit whatsoever. 

 

I still fail to understand why grown adults are so hyped they would throw their money on an over-hyped product instead of doing what we usually do - let the casuals eat the early bugs, wait for reviews and then make a purchasing decision based on impartial discussion and review, instead of hype-centric marketing tactics.

Come on man, what is your problem. If you don't want to preorder, then don't. What is the point of getting all riled up about what others do?

[Christopher Low 5,353]

I decided to make a full order.......of popcorn.

Edited July 14, 2020 by Christopher Low

[RandyGiles 16]

1 hour ago, edpatino said:

Ok, thanks. MS mentioned they'll make the product available in as many platforms as possible. Aerosoft and SimMarket are already receiving orders (pre-orders) for the physical editions, so I could assume they'll also be entitled to sell the digital editions too, when they're available (and really hope so...). So, if that's the case, how they'll pack the product?.

Cheers, Ed

 

Both SimMarket and Aerosoft have a direct link to download the game from the Microsoft Store so I assume that this was part of their deal with Microsoft, they can sell a physical version as long as they include links to the Microsoft Store on the product page too.

[terpsnation 22]

31 minutes ago, Wobbie said:

Definition - What does Platform mean?

A platform is a group of technologies that are used as a base upon which other applications, processes or technologies are developed.

It made complete sense to me when I read it, but I think perhaps the release of MSFS will be a learning experience for many members of this forum.  Even the disk version of the game will likely require an installation of the Xbox Game Store in order to execute the full install of the game, thats just how many big games are delivered to customers nowadays.  MS has been very vocal in their movement of Xbox to a "platform" to deliver game content, beyond their Xbox hardware to not only PC, but also mobile gaming.

Edited July 14, 2020 by 188AHC
Pruned quote

[regis9 4,014]

Preload to me would be the key benefit of pre-ordering, but then there’s no need to do that until a day or so before release.

I wonder if they have yet another surprise up their sleeve, those who have pre-ordered are admitted to the beta (if they’re both already in the alpha)?  Total speculation on my part.

 

[kokoran 2]

Phil Spencer: Microsoft Flight Simulator Will Be Jaw-Dropping On Xbox Series X
 

 

"

 

Quote

"I will say a game that just every time I see it is so stunning, is Microsoft Flight Simulator. And for us at Xbox and Microsoft Gaming, Flight Sim has a long history inside the company.

The studio at Asobo is doing amazing work on that - it's such a technology powerhouse that game with what it's using in terms of cloud compute to deliver the experiences they have, and I think that game on Series X is going to just be jaw-dropping and I can't wait to experience that on the next-gen."

https://www.purexbox.com/news/2020/07/phil_spencer_microsoft_flight_simulator_will_be_jaw-dropping_on_xbox_series_x

[bonchie 2,305]

This answers some questions about the Alpha, namely why we weren't testing all the different planes announced. As many in the alpha forum suspected, we've been on a nerfed version of the game, mainly to test server loads if I had to guess.

Edited July 14, 2020 by bonchie

[Chock 17,769]

4 hours ago, severniae said:

But, what is the point of a pre-order? There is no benefit whatsoever. 

Not quite. If you pre-order it, you're basically good to go when it unlocks, since you can install the mechanism for it to get working on your system right after you purchase it (just did so). Thus if there is a heavy server load on the MS store on release day preventing you from proceeding with purchasing it (this might be the case, it always is when a new version of P3D is released), you would avoid that issue and be merrily D/L ing the actual files, instead of battling with having your credit card accepted on a site which may be bogged down with similar transactions.

The other reason (purely psychological, admittedly) is that forking out 109 quid for the super-duper version, as I just did, I'll probably be over the fact that it cost me over a ton by the time it's ready to mess around with. 🤣

Of course I could have gone with the bog standard version for 60 quid, which compares quite favourably with the cost of the Academic version of P3D and is quite a decent price in my opinion, but in my experience with MS sims, it's usually better to get the Deluxe super-duper full on versions, since there have been occasions in the past where standard versions of MS flight sims have not been capable of running the fancier add-ons. An example of that was the A2A Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, which would not function on a standard copy of FSX as it stood when released, since it needed the extra engine management functions which were part of the Acceleration and Deluxe versions of FSX.

Anyhow, there is no need to get concerned if you don't want to pre-order it. Just don't pre-order it. Simple. 🙂

[vcarlo 529]

1 hour ago, Gadget FPV said:

Any idea if VATSIM or IVAO are going to be compatible, if at all?  I don't like flying all by myself...

I have also been searching the VATSIM forums and as of today this is all I can find.  Hopefully the wonderful guys at VATSIM will figure this out. 

Quote

There is a new SimConnect client coming out with it and the SDK for the sim and the client has been made available to developers. They are all under NDAs though, so that's about all we know.

 

[goates 576]

1 hour ago, terpsnation said:

By "platforms" MS is referring to digital game selling platforms, I.E. Steam, Epic Games Store etc etc.  Of course, these platforms all charge a fee for each game sold, so this might just be lip service from MS about it appearing outside of the MS Game Store/Xbox Store ecosystem.  With this being the case, it seems unlikely that you would be able to purchase a digital version through Aerosoft etc., as MS would likely just give them referral links (that point to MS's website) and then Aerosoft etc. get paid out per click.

Microsoft has been releasing some of their top first party titles, such as Halo and Gears of War, on Steam, so it is very possible the sim will show up there at some point.

[bonchie 2,305]

I'll say this. Looking at some of the screenshots, it's obvious the alpha is not the same version they are looking to release in August. I see some very distinct differences. I'll leave it there.

And that's not to say the alpha is bad. But it's a good thing that they are ahead of the curve. I've always suspected alpha testing was primarily for hardware configs and server load testing. In fact, they kind of hinted at that several times.

[goates 576]

57 minutes ago, Wobbie said:

So, for PC & Console platforms, that's 2 so far. plus DVD's & digital downloads for the PC platform..

But then, a bit of confusion then with the definition?

Platform in the context being discussed refers to the online distribution platform, not the computing platform.

[terpsnation 22]

5 minutes ago, goates said:

Microsoft has been releasing some of their top first party titles, such as Halo and Gears of War, on Steam, so it is very possible the sim will show up there at some point.

This is a very good point, and still somewhat surprises me to be honest.  I think MS clearly sees that we are heading towards game streaming becoming the preferred method of game delivery in the near future, so them controlling the entire ecosystem makes a lot of sense.  Perhaps they know that they aren't in a position to compete with the big platforms at the moment, so will take all revenue streams they can access.

[David Roch 1,982]

15 hours ago, vcarlo said:

I also stated the sim has RW weather by default, and I cannot believe a 2020 simulator would not show SNOW when you are flying in conditions reporting SNOW 😉

You are right.
But you will NEVER see snow covering the landscape while it snows or melting from the roofs when the temp rises!
... Even in 2020 😉