Microsoft Flight Simulator is now available Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles, reaching the current generation consoles following a PC launch last year. During the run up to that PC debut, Microsoft was discussing Flight Simulator coming to the Xbox One. However, with the release on Xbox Series consoles, it seems like the Xbox One has been left behind just as Microsoft is making the PC version better than ever.
So, is Microsoft Flight Simulator now a Microsoft Series X|S exclusive? Remember, that is something Microsoft said would not happen this early in the lifecycle of the new consoles. It seems so, which is a problem considering tens of millions of users are still on Xbox One.
Of course, Microsoft Flight Simulator is one of the most demanding games ever created. It is a one-for-one recreation of the whole world on a map that is completely open. Microsoft worked on creating a world that is as photo-realistic as possible and is continuing to develop the game to further improve it.
In fact, Flight Sim pushes the best gaming PCs to their limits, requiring even the best GPUs and CPUs to run at maximum settings for 4K gameplay. In other words, major compromises are needed to even get it running on the bleeding edge Xbox Series X. Going down to the Xbox One is possible, but require Microsoft to change many aspects of the experience.
Microsoft has not been forthcoming regarding its reasons for changing its mind on an Xbox One version, but hardware limitations seem to be the deciding factor.
This goes against the company's plans to avoid delivering games that are exclusive to Xbox Series consoles, at least for a few years. Microsoft has consistently talked up its idea of an Xbox ecosystem, whether it is through Game Pass, the Xbox Network, and Backward Compatibility. For the most part, the company has been trying to keep Xbox One users as part of the next generation.
It now seems that is not the case.
New Update
However, over on the PC side of Microsoft Flight Simulator, players are being treated to updates that continue to push the boundaries of gaming technology. Over the last year, Microsoft has regularly updated the game with some massive feature upgrades. However, this week PC users are getting the biggest patch ever.
This time, instead of focusing on features like new aircraft, Microsoft is improving the look and feel of the game. For example, major performance gains and improvements to how Flight Sim uses memory on GPUs and CPUs.
Early signs are the changes Microsoft has made are astounding. Reports of drastically better graphics performance on all types of hardware. Let's not forget Microsoft Slight Simulator is already a graphical marvel. Users are reporting they are now able to max out settings and not see as much slowdown or system resource issues.
Users on PC can expect a smoother gameplay experience with fewer FPS drops.
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