Engadget Logo Engadget Japanese version MS Flight Simulator, significantly faster and lighter in the next update. Optimized for Xbox version to improve FPS by 30%

We found that Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is about to support Xbox Series X | S on July 27, will make a significant performance improvement on PCs with the same day's update.

In the example released in the developer Q & A session, the low-flying flight near Manhattan Island, which was about 30 to 35 fps on the development PC, became smooth to nearly 60 fps after applying Sim Update 5, and the RAM usage was reduced by nearly 10 GB. I am.

"Microsoft Flight SImulator" (MSFS) is the latest in Microsoft's longest-lived game series since 1982. Released as a new work for the first time in 14 years in the summer of 2020, about 2 trillion trees and about 1.5 billion buildings around the world are processed by AI processing such as satellite images, aerial photographs, and Bing map map data. We will reproduce the building, about 37,000 airports, etc.

Furthermore, it is an ambitious project aiming for "another earth" by combining many data sources such as real-time weather data and actual flight status data.

For that reason, the required specifications for PCs are also high, and in addition to a high-performance GPU to fly at high resolution and high frame rate, high-end CPU and RAM are required for simulation of aircraft behavior and generation and deployment of terrain data. was.

Asobo Studio, the developer, revealed in its 9th annual developer Q & A session that Update 5 (Sim Update 5), scheduled for release on July 27, is optimal for Xbox Series X | S support. It is expected that the CPU usage and RAM usage will be reduced and the drawing frame rate will be improved even on a PC.

Since the improvement in performance varies depending on the configuration of the PC to be moved, the graphic settings, the place to fly and the situation, it is just an example, but especially in the scene of Manhattan Island where there are many buildings and the CPU is heavy, the current Sim Update 4 While it was about 35fps (rewritten 35 times per second), Sim Update 5 showed a significant performance improvement such as approaching 60fps.

(PC configuration is Core i7-9700K with 32GB RAM, RTX 2060 SUPER. Graphic setting ULTRA, resolution 4K, render scaling 40 setting. Actual rendering resolution is full HD or less)

Furthermore, before the update, the CPU usage rate was 100% and the RAM was about 27GB, but after the update, the CPU usage is 75% and the RAM is about 14.5GB, which is much lighter.

This is because the CPU processing, which was a conventional bottleneck, has been optimized. On the contrary, the GPU usage rate has changed from 75% to 99% due to the offload to the GPU.

In addition, the main points mentioned in the developer Q & A are

The Xbox version of Microsoft Flight Simulator will be delivered on July 27th. Xbox Game Pass Same Day Delivery

The standard version of Microsoft Flight Simulator is 7450 yen at the Microsoft Store. It is also sold on Steam.

It's included in Microsoft's flat-rate gaming service, the Xbox Game Pass, so subscribers can play at no additional cost. The Xbox version can also be played from the first day of release.

How to sign up for less than half the price of all Xbox Game Pass.Approximately 8,000 yen off annually, chance is only once before joining

The Xbox Game Pass PC plan and the all-in-one plan Xbox Game Pass Ultimate can be subscribed for 100 yen for the first month. The Xbox Series X | S is scarce and hard to come by, but for the time being, you can play the PC version for 100 yen for a month.

Once you buy it, you can play it on Windows 10 or Xbox, so you don't have to worry about whether to buy it on your PC or Xbox Series X | S.

(However, Play Anywhere is only valid if you bought it from the Microsoft store on your PC or Xbox. Please note that if you bought the Steam version, you won't be able to get the Xbox version for free later.)

If you tried it immediately after the release of the PC version and it was too heavy due to lack of power, you may be able to fly more comfortably if you try again after the update on July 27th.

Interview with the developer of Microsoft Flight Simulator. Aiming for "another earth" with many plans such as VR and Xbox support

The following digression.

The bug building, commonly known as "Melbourne Citadel," which became a hot topic as a 212-story tower that does not exist, has been fixed. The "Brazil's Great Hole", which was also talked about in a realistic and surrealistic scene, has also been corrected.

A non-existent tower with 212 floors above ground appears in MS Flight Simulator due to incorrect data.Making it a virtual tourist attraction

Melbourne's tower was simply ridiculously tall and had only a mess of visual flight, but Brazil's big hole was inconsistent in the data, and when I tried to fly to the bottom, the simulation broke and the graphics were strange. It was a serious bug.

It was fun to fly nearby, so I hope they will be revived as a virtual tourist destination or a fantasy earth.

For those who are about to make their debut in Microsoft Flight Simulator and those who haven't played for a long time, the recently added aircraft "Solo 103" (Solo 103 Ultra Light made by Top Ladder Aircraft) is recommended.

As an ultra-lightweight aircraft equipped with a paraglider engine, in addition to the fun of operation that you can directly feel the influence of the wind and the aerodynamic model, you can enjoy the sightseeing flight from a subjective point of view from the skeleton cockpit with no walls or floor like never before. increase.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 1 Month Online Code (Amazon)

Microsoft Flight Simulator Premium Deluxe Edition (Amazon)

How to sign up for less than half the price of all Xbox Game Pass.Approximately 8,000 yen off annually, chance is only once before joining