Of course it's too early to draw any real conclusions, but given the massive amount of investment in this piece of software (with much more development resources than MS' previous efforts according to PMDG's consultation with them), and the on-going maintenance required to ensure compability of streaming bing data (as well as impossibility to store all offline with current PC HDD limits), is anyone worried that the bubble may burst in a couple of years when MSFS does not take off with a mass market^ as they are projecting? And wondering where will that leave this platform?

^ according to PMDG one of the goals of MSFS is to expand to a wider audience, but I still can't help but think this will prove to be a rather niche market - even when it's on XBOX. 

 

 

Edited August 28, 20205 yr by dolbinau

wider audience means less attention to hardcore simmers. With that being said, I think that most likely the platform has good perspectives for long term survival, but it's not a thing what we, a narrow group of hardcore PMDG/FSL buddies, expect. OR after a couple of years MS would AGAIN sell the engine to LM and it will start all over again 🙂

Meanwhile, the game has been on the market for a shy 10 days. I think that first 6 months would deliver an answer, but for now I'm happily vfr-ing, an activity that I haven't been done for 19 years of my hobby 🙂 

I have some concern about this. Microsoft pulling out kills the simulator since it practically requires streaming. In the old days they could pull out and nothing changes other than no more updates. 

3 minutes ago, micstatic said:

I have some concern about this. Microsoft pulling out kills the simulator since it practically requires streaming. In the old days they could pull out and nothing changes other than no more updates. 

Streaming is a mainstream now everywhere. Don't see an issue.

2 minutes ago, G-YMML1 said:

Streaming is a mainstream now everywhere. Don't see an issue.

The issue would be if they kill the game you no longer have access to the bing maps data because they would turn it off for flight sim.  

Don't think for a second that MS / Bing  or Xbox is going anywhere anytime soon.  They are banking on the long term here. MS putting down huge sums of money for an investment that they want to see a return on. No other Flight Sim yet has had this type of money , technology and man power behind it at the start. Yes Study level aircraft will come too , I mean what day 14 of release.

 

No worries.

I actually can't help thinking that the tech used on this is actually meant for another purpose. A new sim was a way for them to monetize a proof of concept. There will be other products developed off of the tech for the military, disaster response, integrations with Esri products...

For the sim itself, the visual experience is so far beyond anything we have seen so far. Unlike previous sims, the default aircraft are visually appealing enough for people to put in the effort to modify the systems. It sounds like they already are.

 

It's already expanding to a wider audience, no need to wait for Xbox.

Just go around forums, blogs, youtube etc etc. You'll find a lot of people interested in this, even from those who haven't used one before or just did so in 2006 when FSX was released.

If you are worried about a wider audience being a threat, i should remind you of the time in which YOU understood nothing of planes and yet that didn't stop you from trying a plane related software. I should also invite you to stay on your precious P3D/XP11/whatever feeds your in-the-basement-real-pilot ego.

Edited August 28, 20205 yr by Pastaiolo

something something about a plane right now being worked on with a good many real world pilots feed back , something study level .... for MSFS 2020

 

I'll never bash or go onto another forum such as P3D/XP to troll / bash them .  Just keep posting sharing the awesome sauce that is FS 2020 . Sooon maybe not in next week but soon the whole FS community will have a copy of MSFS because it's going to be the best out...

 

The days of your HD size was a big issue with Flight sims is over....

Edited August 28, 20205 yr by SirDan

This is a non-sense post.

Why worry about a "game"! If nothing further develops others will fill the void.

We have other options at the moment that are quite capable.

Hopefully most of us have better things to do then worry about Microsoft's future with this game.

 

They have said all along they want 3rd party's on board, Aerosoft have said there going out there way to get the SDK how developers want it. There in it for the long term and that is 3rd party addons/developers. This is is the future, we are only 2 weeks in and flying the 172 GA VFR is breathtaking. Give it a year or 2 and I cannot see myself using anything else. Until then I will keep and enjoy P3Dv5 for airliners FSL/PMDG. 

Edited August 28, 20205 yr by Nyxx

Considering Microsoft dumped Mixer after a huge amount of investment I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility.

7 minutes ago, Dragonscoils said:

Considering Microsoft dumped Mixer after a huge amount of investment I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility.

Microsoft dumped Mixer because it had a microscopic fraction of Twitch's userbase after years of investment, including tossing tens of millions of dollars at a few big streamers.  They don't have the same problem with Flight Simulator, where they've probably amassed a bigger installed base in a couple of weeks, than XP11 and P3D have over their entire collective lifespans.

56 minutes ago, micstatic said:

I have some concern about this. Microsoft pulling out kills the simulator since it practically requires streaming. In the old days they could pull out and nothing changes other than no more updates. 

You can use MSFS offline and without photogrammetry and the word still looks so great

better then anything before. People allready started to buy airports, Landmarks ect. creating the world how they like.

Edited August 28, 20205 yr by Nedo68

58 minutes ago, duckbilled said:

 

I actually can't help thinking that the tech used on this is actually meant for another purpose. A new sim was a way for them to monetize a proof of concept. There will be other products developed off of the tech for the military, disaster response, integrations with Esri products...

 

That has been my point for a few months now.  MS is testing here technologies which are not yet mature (thinking of MB weather predicting and Blackshark AI 3D mapping) with other long-term projects in mind in the non-aviation or game markets. An overall multi-pronged project with a code name like "Earth Twin" 🌎 🙂.   But I do not draw the same conclusion than you, it is not a guarantee that it will help the flightsim to stay afloat on the long run.

We also have the concept of a wider audience to help the sustainability. 

The Xbox crowd to make it short  ? I do not believe a minute  in this marketing hype. Games have specific audiences for a reason. To enjoy simming  - or rather to say it bluntly to stay a paying customer - you need a long-term intellectual commitment (intellectual might be a strong word but you see what I mean) and skills different from other games. It is a niche and will stay a niche. A larger niche hopefully, but still a niche. A simmer is often a gamer (I am),  a gamer is more rarely a simmer. Furthermore, on a pure profitability level I do not see FS20 be a leader loss for the Gamepass. And after a few months, after the main sale waves have waned, FS20 generated revenue/maintenance cost ratio could be not so very good. Except for ...

 ... Another audience. Few customers, high margin. The pro market of civil and military training (aircraft and drones). That, in the long term could save the sim and make MS think twice before pulling the plug. Money talks.

Edited August 28, 20205 yr by Dominique_K