One thing to look ahead to: Microsoft and Asobo Studio have began offering in-depth particulars on what’s arguably Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024’s most intriguing addition: a profession mode. In a brand new preview, the businesses additionally cowl varied technical upgrades to the sport and reveal some surprisingly affordable system necessities.
Pre-orders at the moment are open for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 on Xbox and the Microsoft Retailer, with a Steam web page prone to comply with quickly. Moreover, the total system necessities at the moment are obtainable, revealing a sport that’s modestly extra demanding than its 2020 predecessor with a considerably diminished SSD footprint.
Throughout a June deep-dive presentation, Asobo mentioned it needed Flight Simulator 2024 to keep up minimal system necessities an identical to the earlier title. Whereas the ultimate spec sheet the corporate shared on Thursday does not fairly hit that mark, it lands pretty shut.
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The advisable specs for Flight Simulator 2020 have now develop into the minimal for the sequel – 16 GB of system reminiscence paired with an AMD Radeon RX 5700 or Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 with 4 GB of video reminiscence.
In the meantime, the “superb” specs for the older sport have shifted to the advisable tier for Flight Simulator 2024 – 32 GB of RAM with a Radeon RX 5700 XT or RTX 2080 and eight GB of VRAM.
For max efficiency within the new entry, Asobo recommends mid-range Zen 4 or Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs, an RX 7900 XT or RTX 4080, 12 GB of VRAM, and 64 GB of system RAM. The brand new tier doubtless displays the addition of ray tracing.
Regardless of the unheard-of advice for 64 GB of RAM, customers will doubtless respect seeing the storage requirement plummet from 150 GB to 50. Asobo confirmed that the preliminary obtain is just 30 GB.
Comparability of the identical location in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 (prime) and 2024 (backside). Picture credit score: FSElite
The catch is that Flight Simulator 2024 will stream content material from the cloud in response to every participant’s in-game location. Because of this, the system necessities embody web bandwidth: a minimal of 10 Mbps is required, whereas Asobo recommends 50 Mbps, and superb circumstances name for 100 Mbps.
Each Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024 require an web connection as a result of they allow gamers to traverse each sq. kilometer of Earth at a life-sized scale. Nonetheless, the brand new title shifts the information burden from customers’ SSDs to the cloud, solely downloading and caching belongings related to the chosen area. Flight Simulator 2024 additionally streams DLC packages and bought content material, which might devour as much as 2 TB within the earlier model.
All surroundings belongings have been up to date with elevated element and a extra superior terrain era system. Moreover, various kinds of terrain can have an effect on a aircraft’s touchdown gear, leaving grime and impacting controls by way of a brand new physics system.
Microsoft and Asobo have additionally detailed the brand new profession mode. Gamers can begin from any airport on the planet, the place they’ll obtain preliminary flight classes and earn cash by way of varied jobs. After buying and passing sufficient exams, gamers can ultimately run their very own airways and handle fleets.
Flying additionally incorporates a brand new preflight examine system involving on-foot inspections, climate planning, and mission briefings. A brand new competitors mode will characteristic weekly challenges, whereas a world pictures mode permits gamers to snap photos of landmarks and wildlife throughout the planet, from the air or on the bottom.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 shall be obtainable on Xbox Sequence consoles, the Microsoft Retailer, and Steam on November 19. Microsoft and Asobo will proceed to assist the 2020 version, and nearly all purchases will carry over to the sequel.