Microsoft Flight Simulator has finally added snow to its real-time weather generator.
The update means users opting for mirror conditions in the sim to real life will now see snow in areas of the globe deep in winter.
The start of the new trailer – which you can view below – shows off a blanketed Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany.
Its launch comes shortly after the sim began a program of rapidly adding new adds-ons and innovations.
In November, its second World Update upgraded much of the United States while, most significantly, on 23 December, the much-anticipated virtual reality mode was added.
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 focusing only on Windows Mixed Reality Devices.
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
