The experience - flying a virtual plane and a real one back-to-back in the exact same airspace - proved to me the power and accuracy of the technology powering Microsoft Flight Simulator.īut Microsoft Flight Simulator is far from perfect. Not only did Microsoft let me loose inside the game to fly a single-engine plane anywhere in the world, I also flew a real Cessna 172 over Seattle. This was not your average demo day, however. The final product is due out some time in 2020 for both Windows PC and Xbox One.Įarlier this month I traveled to the Pacific Northwest for a hands-on demonstration of an early version of the game. But, Microsoft surprised everyone at this year’s E3 by announcing a brand-new version of the classic, simply titled Microsoft Flight Simulator. That’s the same year as Gears of War and The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, both titles launched at the beginning of the last console generation. Microsoft Flight Simulator X was released over a decade ago, way back in 2006. And, for the last few years at least, I was pretty sure that franchise was dead. It’s Microsoft Flight Simulator, a game that has roots that go all the way back to 1979. Believe it or not, Windows isn’t Microsoft’s longest-running franchise.

Microsoft flight simulator 2015 demo