MSFS obviously is a continuing series, with fans spanning decades. They only just dared ventured into the console world. They have always been at ends of neither being a typical AAA PC game company(I DARE YOU to buy enough hardware to play our game-and you just run around it for countless hours looking at a FPS counter) nor an absolute annual edition like sports titles or even F1(oh, tire dynamics are changed for 2025!) and limited to mostly rosters and rule changes with a slight tweak in candy-but they’ve already found a happy enough place.
But the console demonstrator kings have always been Forza vs GT, and Forza has flopped and floundered, badly. Typically built around the new architecture developing years before the console is finalized, these two are the ones that utilize more of the tech available on day one than any other title. Other developers not tied directly into the consoles have become masters themselves. Rock Star Games, Forza Horizon in particular, etc that can punt new totally viable vastly improved titles into the same platform with an amazing amount of utilization that leaves no question of ‘must buy’. Many of us have more than one disc in the same format for the same generation console from these types of developers in the pile.
40 year old MSFS is now thrown into that mix, and Sony has zero answers for it. currently they’re still trying to force 2020 down XBSX’s throat-but it’s still just three bites of peanut butter in the middle of the sammich. 2024 making a return may see that ‘Forza Horizon 2/GTA4’ optimization massive leap in the same box. Which of course translates well for PC. Having to do it again on the same console likely will see a top PC build not leaving more resources idle than active while running it. And with the next console generation apparently targeted to be more cloud based, finding even more ways to fully optimize hardware while unloading more of it to the cloud bode well for one of those situations where what you have now can end up being more than what you need. They could push for Horizon to continue and move resources over the MSFS for the ‘release champion’ for consoles, whatever they may be. Kill off Forza and just keep titles like F1 versions, maybe iRacing on console… I can see a ‘New XB Series Z with MSFS 2028 bundle’…
Now that XB has moved to more of a streamlined gaming PC, that should work out quite well for any modern PC built with any gaming intent. There’s plenty to work with already sitting idle. When you’ve spent hours trying to break 40FPS in FS then fire up another title that runs at 300+, it will be interesting to see how far they go to optimize this game. I definitely wouldn’t upgrade anything you’re currently OK with just yet.
Are you saying that with FS2024 Asobo will be concentrating on releasing titles that are strictly optimized for console, and that it will be up to 3rd party developers to develop assets for more powerful PC’s? And with a move away from a workstation model to a SaaS model, that hardware will become less important, reducing the advantage in performance that higher-end PC’s has now, and that the sole benefit of running the sim on a PC (3rd party products like aircraft, scenery, and utilities aside) will be the peripherals that can be added?
No, I’m saying the continuing optimization for console will allow for a long life with a current PC, where performance is explored to it’s true potential. So a CPU can use all 8 or 12 cores and GPUs can fully push with their full might. What does it use now, about 2.5 cores? There’s a whole lot being left on the table in 2020.
Think of how two versions of Forza horizon work on the same console generation, where game 2 plays in a much larger world with more cars, higher fidelity, and even faster frame rates with zero hardware changes. And in the same vain, where an xb pushes it at 60, a decent PC will push it at 200fps.
The current FSX workover in 2020 still shows it’s roots in old code, and XBSX has already hit it’s breaking point. They keep reworking it for better optimization and open up modern multicore ability, and a mid level PC can become a hero. Right now we’re just using hardware to bully it through. AAA titles that are designed around multicore coding are the ones that run at 200+ fps on anything that can run MSFS 4k at 40+ fps.
With consoles looking to go to cloud in the future, it allows for even more headspace on a PC. With Forza falling into a bit of a shambles, MS may put MSFS as it’s main gaming priority. Kind of cracking the knuckles and finally knocking the dust off of this old bird.
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As much as the hardcore simmer and PC gamer in me fights against this statement:
Bringing the sim to consoles was for the best of the genrem after nearly 3 decades nobody cared about us simmers nor did anybody know we existed. Opening it up to the masses lead to the fact that for the first time there’s not only unprecedented interest, but finally is there competition in the hardware market!
Welcome xboxers (but the full potential of the platform can still only be unleashed on PC😉)
I just went to a PC 2 weeks ago. Albeit I never bought the XBSX for MSFS, didn’t even know that was going to be a thing. I had stopped playing FS 12 years ago and had stopped building gaming rigs(kids). I just unloaded 400gb off the X today and started putting back all the games I was juggling… Although it looks like I’m moving the (wheel) racing games over too. At least I can keep horizon 4/5 on the 'box at one time again.