Flight Simulator: What follows in Update 8?

There are new updates for Flight Simulator, which is still running well in March.

Flight Simulator is always busy. Sim Update 8, also known as Patch 1.23.12.0, was recently released, and Xbox One gamers can now withdraw using the Cloud Gaming Service or the premium Game Pass. But what comes next?

The upcoming World Update 8 for Flight Simulator has no set release date. "End of March" remains on the official schedule. This only lasts until the end of the month; for the second quarter of the year, from April to June, it will only get more solid as the month progresses.

Microsoft, on the other hand, may be expected to stay on track. World Update 8 is focused on the Iberian Peninsula, which includes Spain and Portugal, thus towns, airports, and attractions should reflect this. The third Local Legend should also arrive at that time.

Top Gun: Maverick's free expansion pack is set to arrive in May, with gliders and helicopters following in the fall. Several unexpected extras are also expected during the year. Support for multiple screens is one of the features that may be expected, with the business claiming that the low-level implementation has already taken place.

A replay capability appears to be well developed as well. The Sim-Update 10 should focus on a more in-depth use of Direct-X-12-Features. "Further optimizations and stability enhancements" are mentioned. So far, neither ray tracing nor direct storage has been mentioned.

It is also obvious that the announced DLSS for RTX graphics cards will not be available in Flight Simulator until at least a few months, specifically with Sim Update 10 or later. Microsoft and Asobo still have a lot on the horizon for PC gamers that seek cutting-edge technology.

Microsoft Flight Simulator comes to Xbox Cloud

Microsoft Flight Simulator has been available for almost a year and a half, following a several-year hiatus following Microsoft's announcement that it would be retiring their classic flight simulator. Those of us who have been fans of Flight Simulator for a long time were profoundly disappointed by that announcement, and we were overjoyed to learn that Redmond had changed its mind and that a new installment was already in the works.

There isn't much to say about the release of the new Flight Simulator installment that hasn't already been said. The critics unanimously agreed that it was an amazing job from the start. And, while it is true that there are many elements that could be improved, we must remember that the effort began from scratch and that multiple upgrades have already been released that, while adding new material, improve the old one, and optimize the game significantly.

Although the studio's optimization work was fantastic news for many fans, we can't mislead ourselves: Flight Simulator is still quite resource-demanding, especially if you want to enjoy its outstanding graphics. This is not a negative thing to be concerned about; rather, it serves an important purpose, as we previously stated. But that's little comfort for those who want to see it in all its glory but are unable to do so owing to technological restrictions.

Microsoft has announced that Microsoft Flight Simulator can now be played on Xbox Cloud, the Redmond cloud gaming service included in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate that delegated all workload to the company's servers, allowing players to enjoy next-generation titles on computers with technical specifications far below the minimum requirements for those games.