Microsoft Flight Simulator will receive a new world update focused on the US. The game also announced an upcoming closed beta for its VR users this year.
Microsoft Flight Simulator is enjoying success at the moment, even with common complaints around its spec requirements. Jorg Neumann, Head of MS Flight Sim, revealed their upcoming plans for the game.
Among these plans is an update centered around the United States. He also noted that world updates would come every two to three months.
The United States is the center of the next update
In this month’s Q&A on Twitch, Neumann and Asobo CEO Sebastian Wloch answered a few questions. During the stream, they announced the upcoming focus on the USA for the next update. The first update came out last Tuesday, focusing on Japan.
“I would like to announce that our world update two will feature the United States, and we will launch this later this year,” Neumann said.
The first free update on Japan added a ton of new improvements. These include upgraded digital elevation maps for the game, which is crucial for immersion. There’s also hi-res 3D photogrammetry for six Japanese cities, together with handcrafted local airports.
The devs also reported that they would add more improvements to smooth out some problems. The game still has issues here and there, like chasms coming out of nowhere in Brazil.
Closed beta for VR will start this October
Neumann also announced that players can now sign up for the game’s closed beta. Microsoft Flight Simulator will have testing ready by the end of October or early November.
“We are planning to do a closed beta for Microsoft Flight Sim VR starting in late October, early November, somewhere around that time,” he further noted.
VR support is one of the most hardcore requests that players are asking for MS Flight Sim. So far, the game already has TrackIR support that allows head movements. MSFS also has a ton of HOTAS support for immersive gaming.
VR will release alongside the upcoming HP Reverb G2 headset. This VR headset came from a collaboration between Microsoft and Valve. It’s also the much-awaited VR headset now that fans are moving away from the Oculus.
“The VR experience on Flight Sim, to me, is the single most immersive experience I’ve ever had in making these types of products,” said Neumann.
The HP Reverb G2 is a premium piece of gaming hardware. It will retail at US$599, on top of other joysticks and flight yokes will set players back a pretty penny. Microsoft Flight Simulator is available on Xbox and PC and will have more updates soon.
Featured image courtesy of Microsoft Flight Simulator/Youtube Screenshot