The new Microsoft Flight Simulator is fast approaching, and while it is possible to download the game, there's also a physical edition 10 discs strong.
Mathijs Kok, Forum Administrator at Aerosoft, announced that the company will be publishing two separate boxed versions of the game that will distributed across Europe after a deal had been struck with Microsoft. In either case, players will get the game spread across 10 discs.
This is pretty unprecedented, to say the least.
Apparently, the box version was made for the convenience of those with slower internet, according to Kok. Whereas those downloading the game will have to rely on their internet speed to play it as quickly as possible, those who purchase the boxed version can simply install much of the game via the discs. Of course, this doesn't include any updates that come out upon the game's release and beyond, though all content developed before disc manufacturing will be available to install from the start.
Other than the 10 discs, the boxed version of the game also includes the fairly small simulator code, the world and aircraft of Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is about 90 GB, and optional "online streamed content." As with other physical PC games, and current-gen console games, it appears that the discs are no longer necessary once you have installed the content onto your PC. Admittedly, there is a convenience factor here if, as mentioned previously, you don't have access to efficient internet speeds.
Thus far, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 is shaping up quite nicely. The recent pre-order trailer showcases a variety of the game's aircraft across different locales that the game hosts. Everything from a biplane to an airline can be piloted over city skylines and vast bodies of water. Further, the simulator will feature every airport on Earth, which goes to show the level of detail that is being put into Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.
The series' last major release was Microsoft Flight Simulator X in 2006, though before that, Flight Simulator titles were released routinely throughout the 90's and early 2000's.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 releases August 18, 2020 on PC, as well as Xbox Game Pass on PC.
Source: Eurogamer