Microsoft Flight Simulator gets VR support before Christmas

Microsoft Flight Simulator’s much-anticipated virtual reality mode will launch on 23 December, developer Asobo Studios has revealed.

The news was confirmed on Twitch and the new mode will go live as part of the Sim Update 2 expansion.

The game’s executive producer, Martial Bossard, said he was going to “open VR for everyone”.

“It’s not only the sim experience in VR, but also all the menus, so you won’t have to put it on and off as we did for the alpha,” said Bossard. “So everybody gets access to VR now – for free! It will also be open to all devices, to the Oculus family, Valve family, really every family of headset is going to be supported.”

The news that a variety of devices will be compatible comes despite the first wave of beta testing focussing only on Windows Mixed Reality Devices.

Some spectators have already raised concerns at the prospect of this new virtual reality mode, thanks to the fact that the Microsoft Flight Simulator, in its current form, already requires an immensely powerful computer to keep up with the sheer scale of its breathtaking graphics.

And yet, many are excited at the prospect of bringing the already immensely life-like design of the game up to the next level through virtual reality.

The game allows players access to 37,000 airports around the globe, and gives players the option to fly essentially anywhere in the world using one of up to 30 aircraft, from an A320neo to a Cessna 152 and Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental.

All planes feature accurate cockpits with realistic controls and instrumentation.

The entire simulated world is hyper-realistic – apart from a number of notable flaws that players have already pointed out – thanks to the use of Microsoft’s Bing Maps, which was utilised to re-create every corner of the earth in as much detail as the developers could achieve.

As time goes on, external developers now have the capability of designing add-ons to improve the geography of certain cities or regions, meaning the possibilities are endless.

Additional reporting by Hannah Dowling