The Next World Update for Microsoft Flight Simulator VI should bring better landscapes to Central Europe. In addition to modified airports in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, more elaborate destinations are also planned. In a Q&A video, project manager at Asobo developer studio Jörg Neumann has already shown the first pictures of the upcoming update.

So-called “points of interest” include the Deutsches Eck near Koblenz, the Giant Ferris Wheel in Vienna and the Chapel Bridge in Lucerne, but also modern buildings such as the Allianz Arena in Munich or the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. There are also plans to adorn Vienna with photogrammetric textures.

picture 1 of 9

So far, 19 German cities have already been modeled in a flight simulator using photogrammetry and therefore look very realistic. The rest of the landscapes were created using AI algorithms from satellite photos from Microsoft’s own map service Bing Maps, and information from OpenStreetMap. In the case of buildings, however, these are often mistaken, causing sports stadiums to look like toilet bowls or a skyscraper suddenly sprung up in a family’s homes.

Bonus plane “Tante Ju”

The World Update is due out on 26 August and, in addition to revised cities and landscapes, also brings a new aircraft alongside the Junkers Ju-52. Flight Simulator is available in three versions 65 Euro (Standard)handjob 80 Euro (Deluxe) and 110 Euro (Premium-Deluxe)Each has more aircraft and more finely reproduced airports. In addition to the versions for sale online through the Windows Store and Steam, standard and premium versions are also available Disc-Version MIT 10 DVD, which is sold by Aerosoft. The standard version of Flight Simulator is included in Xbox Game Pass for PC. On July 27, Flight Simulator will also be released for the Microsoft Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S game consoles (tested).

(chh)