During last week’s Xbox Showcase Extended, I found myself to be incredibly captivated by one title in particular, a title that I never would have expected myself to be interested in: Microsoft Flight Simulator.
My eyes were glued to the trailer that preceded the interview with Jorg Neumann, Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator. In fact, after the interview, I watched the trailer about five more times – my excitement only increasing with each additional view.
I’m no stranger to flight sims, but I’ve never played a Microsoft Flight Simulator game despite the franchise having been around since 1982. I’m not sure why I was never interested in playing the game before, but I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that the next iteration in the series is making its way to Xbox Series X and S… which is weird considering that I don’t have either console.
I have Game Pass and a capable enough gaming PC to be able to play Microsoft Flight Simulator, but the appeal of being able to play the game on a console is pretty significant for me. I’m primarily a console player at heart, so that has to be the main reason Microsoft Flight Simulator is finally catching my interest.
What might be most interesting is the fact that I may finally be talked into buying an Xbox Series X BECAUSE of Microsoft Flight Simulator. How the hell does a flight simulator beat out Halo Infinite in making me want to finally pull the trigger on an Xbox console – something that I haven’t had since my Xbox 360 rode off into the sunset with its red ring of death when I was in college? Whatever the reason, speaking as a major PlayStation fan, it’s clear to me that Microsoft and the Xbox team are doing something right.
It’s Microsoft Flight Simulator that shows off the technology of the console, finally making it worthwhile enough for me to invest in another Xbox. The accessibility factors that open up the franchise to an entirely new audience (which includes me) also shows the work that the Xbox team is doing to expand its reach. And let’s be real, the game looks mind-blowingly gorgeous. I’ve never been a stickler for wanting incredible graphics, but even I can appreciate how incredible Microsoft Flight Simulator looks.
The release of the next Microsoft Flight Simulator will come at a great time as the father of a two-year-old who is absolutely infatuated with airplanes right now. He was captivated by the trailer as much as I was. If it means being able to play a video game that he and I can both be interested in (for the first time ever), that’s really all the reason I need to pick up Microsoft Flight Simulator and an Xbox Series X.