Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is out now, and we’ve verified that it has VR support at launch.
However, like many others, we’re unable to get past the loading screen, due to server issues that Microsoft has acknowledged in a public statement:
“We are aware of user reports of long initial loading times into Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. We have many server requests because so many people are starting the sim at once. Our goal is to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. We recommend waiting for the normal loading process to complete. The “digital twin” of Earth is several
petabytes
in size, orders of magnitude larger than what could be stored on a PC or console. The high detail “digital twin” of Earth is several
petabytes
in size, orders of magnitude larger than what could be stored on a PC or console.
Microsoft says this digital twin includes hand-crafted representations of more than 150 airports, 2000 glider airports, 10000 heliports, 2000 points of interest, and 900 oil rigs, while the procedural system generates all 40000 airports, 80000 helipads, 1.5 billion buildings, and nearly 3 trillion trees on Earth.Flight Simulator 2024 now simulates the life of 27 different biomes across all four seasons, with a “vast array” of both wild and domesticated animals, “hundreds” of species of vegetation, and dynamic generation of grass, rocks, and flowers. This new version of the weather simulator includes many different cloud types and auroras, as well as other weather phenomena. And as with previous iterations of the game, it includes simulated air, sea, and land vehicle traffic.Assuming Microsoft’s claims are true, Flight Simulator 2024 represents the most accurate and realistic simulation of planet Earth to date. In fact, the virtual Earth of Flight Simulator 2024 is apparently now so realistic that for the first time, you can exit your aircraft to inspect it for issues, or simply explore the world.
The quality of flight simulation has also apparently been improved. Microsoft claims that the new physics engines can simulate over 10000 rigid body objects, including cloth, ropes and balloons. They also claim to have improved ground simulation (for taxiing), with 4000 times more surface detail, which includes terrain collisions for bumps and stones, as well as water handling (for seaplanes). And it’s not only flying that this applies to, as Microsoft says ground simulation (for taxiing) has been improved too, with 4000 times more surface detail including terrain collisions for bumps and stones, as has water handling (for seaplanes) too.
Further, Flight Simulator 2024 now simulates electrical, pneumatic, fuel and hydraulic systems, payload and passenger systems, “avionics like the Universal UNS-1 FMS and Honeywell Primus Epic 2”, and the physical wear and tear of aircraft exteriors.
We’ll also be investigating the quality of VR support of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, as well as how well it performs in VR, which is significantly harder to render than a 2D flatscreen view.
Have you been able to get Flight Simulator 2024 working today, in VR? Please let us know what you think in the comments section!