I must say, I could almost overlook the poor LOD (Level of Detail) scaling when using an airliner if it were at least possible to complete a flight from A to B without having to expect a bug to disrupt the experience at some point. Additionally, the EFB (Electronic Flight Bag) is essentially unusable on Xbox. You cannot search for anything, as the on-screen keyboard resets every time it is closed, causing the search results to disappear.
Filing a flight plan with ATC presents its own set of issues. Either the option to request IFR isn’t provided, or if it is, ATC assigns a cruising altitude of 1,600 feet for an airliner. I’ve ensured the altitude is correctly configured before filing the flight plan, so this is clearly a flaw in the system.
As for the much-publicized live boat traffic, wildlife, and ground enhancements, these features are effectively pointless on Xbox. Boats, for example, only render properly when you’re within 2–3 meters, at which point they stop resembling LEGO-style objects.
It’s frustrating because, as others have noted, when everything aligns, and the sim functions as intended, it can be breathtaking. Flying smaller planes, like the Cessna 172, truly showcases the visual improvements over 2020. However, some of the most memorable experiences in 2020 came from the stunning approaches into airports, which are noticeably absent in 2024. For me, this is due to a combination of wrangling AI co-pilot issues or arriving at airports that resemble “Legoland” or a Minecraft-inspired design, completely undermining the purpose of these touted upgrades.
I understand it’s still early days for 2024, but I sincerely hope these Xbox issues are neither overlooked nor deprioritized, as the PC user base tends to be far more vocal. This is just my perspective—rant over.