Perfect answer from @lkowgli !!!
I like to fly them both + the Leonardo MD82/83/88
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Thank you so much for the comprehensive answer @lkowgli ! I understand that the Fenix is simulated more in depth, what is the impact on FPS compared to PMDG? My computer is not top level, but I fly very well with the PMDG.
Yes, Leonardo’s MD82 also appeals to me a lot, but I think it’s a bit too expensive.
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Because neither the Fenix nor the FBW are available on Xbox, so there is a demand for a higher fidelity A320 there.
Fenix might be a bit slower, but it’s not a massive difference.
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Probably, but I still don’t get it. First of all, I don’t really think most of the Xbox players are really interested in high fidelity. It’s simply not the right platform for that.
Secondly, why not do something that’s not there already. Maybe because of licensing that Jorg mentions all the time?
I feel especially bad for the FBW guys, who spent thousands of hours of their personal time on improving the original A320, just for it to become abandonware.
No I agree with you, just saying what the probable reason is.
I however started simming on the Xbox myself and I would have welcomed a higher-fidelity A320 than the default Asobo version (or LVFR’s versions), so I don’t think Xboxers should automatically be categorized as “casual players”, just like not all PC simmers are hardcore.
The Xbox simmers is a big crowd and important to MS, and so they want to cater to their needs which I think is great. But yeah, they could at least have made A321 to have some difference to the current offering. Myself, I have switched to PC and I am perfectly happy with the FBW.
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You’d be surprised. Not all of us can afford (time and/or money) a complex PC setup to run the sim on but still want high fidelity aircraft. LVFR is the best modern airbus on the sim for us Xbox users and it’s really very poor. A good modern high fidelity airbus is desperately needed for Xbox and it’s finally happening which I am chuffed to bits about
PMDG 737s run great on a functional Xbox Series X and I say functional because not everyone has the same Xbox lol! That said, it is study level so it helps immersion and playability/flyability to have a yoke and quadrant set-up as well as keyboard and mouse. Those of us who do are flying a different Xbox than those with other controller options, another reason the Xbox users are not a homogeneous group that is easy to discuss in contrast to PC pilots. Lower spec PC and PC users with less hardware than I have on Series X are certainly out there too, so the old console vs desktop distinctions are mostly meaningless nowdays except at the high-end segment, and you folks know who you are. We do too lol!
Anyway I used to have the gaming PC flight deck thing going many years ago and it was on that that I learned “Boeing” as a language for flying heavy metal. When 2020 came out for the Box, I tried to learn/like the default A320 and flew it a lot for a while, then PMDG came to Xbox and I was once again “at home.” With these study level airliners is it more about which language(s) you know and/or prefer than the products themselves, really? A320neo coming around again soon, this time from InI will give me a chance to learn “Airbus” again, and I will probably give it a go. The “console’ has grown up folks, time to drop the perjorative mindset about console flight simmers as less than. Cheers!
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I have the A320, the 737 and the 738. The PMDGs are awesome as one would expect, but the Fenix is just on a whole other level, especially now after the latest update.
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Fenix has better GSX integration than PMDG but is also more fps heavy. The former has built-in PA announcements and openable doors to the cabin :). Also, no cargo or business variants for Airbus, don’t know if they even exist in real life. The rest are just the differences between a Boeing and an Airbus.
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737 has excellent gsx integration works really well and fully working save and restore to continue flights practice landings etc . Can’t recommend enough Fenix will not touch without panel save and restore.
In the end, convinced by the good reviews on the forum, I decided to buy the Fenix A320 even though I already own the PMDG B737-800. I flew it for several hours but I have to say, though, that I was a little disappointed. It’s certainly a nice airplane, but there are some bugs and some shortcomings that I didn’t expect from a “study level” airplane.
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First of all, in terms of FPS, it is heavier than PMDG. I knew this, but in my case (I7-7700K - GTX 1080) the difference is very noticeable, especially on the ground and from the external view.
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Sometimes, unpredictably, it is not possible to engage the autopilot. Trying various solutions I saw that, in my case, the only way to do it was to pause the plane via the MCDU, click on the autopilot and then unpause the plane. In this way the autopilot turned on.
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During flight, with the throttle in CLB, if I press ESC to go to the menu and then return to flight, the throttle goes to IDLE by itself.
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Sometimes passengers do not deboard and there is no command that can be used to deboard them.
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But the thing that disappointed me the most and that I don’t consider worthy of a “study level” airplane is the lack of save state. This way there is no point in following the checklists for preparing the cockpit and securing the plane, since next time you will find everything set correctly. What distinguishes a “study level” airplane from others, in my opinion, is the fact that your mistakes should have consequences, but it doesn’t make much sense that way.
For now the only things in which I find it superior to the PMDG are the cabin announcements, the company ACARS system and the EFB. Maybe even failures, but I haven’t experienced those yet.
It seems that the developers are working on an update, so I hope that things can improve, especially regarding the save state.
My two cents.
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Really depends on what you are really after. Both are excellent airplanes with excellent range and payload capabilities however their philosophies are quite different.
Airbus is simpler for pilots in terms of flight deck layouts/switches and operate on no white light concept. which means you turn off any white light switches which in turn would activate the appropriate systems. Flying A320 is also a lot easier in my opinion - fly by wire computer does most of the flying for you. New sim pilots also struggle with concept of trimming - this eliminates in A320 as it auto trims for speed and maintains desired attitude provided all of the computers are functioning properly. All of this is simulated perfectly in fenix A320. Fenix is bit heavy in terms of system (CPU) usage so having a higher end CPU is must to run this thing smoothly.
Boeing 737 on other hand follows more hands on approach. A lot of systems are still automated but requires pilots to manage/monitor them. Flying B737 is also a lot different to airbus, there is no fly by wire computer - Instead controls are connected to PCU (Power control unit) which then uses hydraulics actuators to move flight controls. There is no auto trim function so if flying manually, A pilot will have to adjust trim accordingly for changes of airspeed or config. So if you want full hands on approach to flying then 737 is way to go. PMDG has done fantastic job with it.
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I have been flying the PMDG 736 and the Fenix 320 quite extensively to test both them and me 
Sumburgh (EGPB) to Vagar (EKVG) is both long and short enough to trial your skills and the complexities of the simulation. Do it a few times each way in different conditions, usually live weather offers enough variation to make it interesting.
Overall for me the Boeing brings the most enjoyment from a sim pilot perspective.
ORBX Sumburgh
Superspud Vagar
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If anyone is still considering between these two, based on my personal experience on both products I definately choose PMDG. In sim it’s just more enjoyment.
Might be unpopular opinion but I think Fenix is overhyped. Sure, it’s study level and every knob works and has details that I’m not even aware of. BUT: It’s one thing to add as much details as you can and other thing to make well optimized, good looking and complicated addon at the same time. In this sense PMDG has done extremely good job. Fenix is detailed but I have to tune down my sim settings if I play with it, as a result I’m loosing a bit pf this wow factor…
Also PMDG doesn’t require additional background software running all the time while Fenix’s EFB is running in a separate program. Sure, I understand that this way they can achieve the incredible study level but still this makes me a bot uncomfortable. Yet one more server I have to trust working.
Interesting to see how Inibuilds will make the a320neo working without additional software.
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The A320 is completely worth the low price Fenix is charging for it. Systems modeled as accurately as that of the PMDG NGs. Others have mentioned the differences in flight characteristics between the two as well as the overall philosophical differences between the two. So I’m not going to go into all that.
I can just say that I have to pretty much flip a coin to decide which one I want to use when I want to replicate a real-world flight in VR.
And, here’s the fun part - switching between the two every other flight keeps things fun - you don’t get so comfortable as you would just flying the same 737-800 every single time you fire up the sim. Keeps you on your toes and makes you sweat a bit. 
Fenix is a little more taxing on the system, but I solved that by building a new PC with a 4090 and 14900k, so they are pretty equal now on performance for me.
Both are absolutely amazing in VR. Fenix cabin is a bit more polished and when I am in cruise, I’ll just pop down in a seat with a nice view and marvel at how amazing it is to be able to virtually fly these things in VR.
A bit more? PMDG cabin looks like it was modelled for FSX.
I was trying to be nice
Some of the liveries on flightsim.to do a pretty good job with the PMDG cabin… but yeah you aren’t wrong.
Does the Fenix A320 still have the co-pilot disabled?
Thanks.