Mod Edit: Title changed to reflect release state and Master Thread status (might as well keep the convo here).
Well everyone, have our prayers finally been answered?? 
http://hifisimtech.com/asfs/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR38Yn4DwrWV9EEkc56eE7leuYVXHt5W0-ccOWBgWWxJdGysz1-U7pUxOp4_aem_AYFxVUw5d-DSicXlCS7zOxW1pmkN8VkyFnB4kgKWkjk2iAMBboOAnejWAWO3pXNRoFNHP1WmcyMB-AvBMm1XSoQs
Active Sky FS has finally been announced. No price or release date information yet, but itās already in final beta testing and is expected to be launched very soon.
Source: Active Sky FS | HiFi Simulation Technologies
Direct MSFS Integration
Using a combination of techniques for weather lookup and control, ASFS integrates directly with MSFS 2020 (v1.35 and later). MSFS2024 support is planned.
ASFS Preset weather and Passive weather depiction modes
Using Preset weather depiction from ASFS or Passive weather depiction (from MSFS live weather), a variety of weather visuals and depiction methods, offering various levels of realism, control and visual quality are available depending on your needs. Transition control and configurable smoothing is also provided in ASFS Preset mode.
Active Air Effects
Customizable clear air turbulence, thermals, drafts and wake turbulence effects work in tandem with existing MSFS effects to provide and enhance realism. Air effects are provided in any depiction mode.
Advanced Historical Weather
In addition to including Live and Custom weather modes, we also offer Historical mode with comprehensive global weather data in hourly archives. Dynamic historical playback provides realistic changing weather as per the archived historical timeline. Optionally lock the historical time to your configured simulator time for easy date/time synchronization and control through MSFS.
Enhanced Cloudscape and Thunderstorm Depiction
Using ASFS Preset weather depiction, enhanced sky condition and thunderstorm handling works to increase the visual realism and overall experience of various weather conditions including thunderstorms.
Active Sky Weather Engine
24 years of active development of weather simulation for MSFS and other platforms culminates in a mature and refined weather engine system that natively includes advanced weather data analysis, lookup, mapping, planning, briefing and more.
Advanced Data Collection, Synthesis, Modeling and Interpretation
Active Sky constantly downloads and analyzes conditions, providing world-wide high-fidelity weather conditions and effects, utilizing surface airport conditions (METARs), Forecasts (TAFs), Upper air data (GRIB), Significant Weather information (Sigmets/Airmets), Tropical storm data and more. Weather data is offered in live real-time or historical modes, with a dynamic historical weather playback feature.
Ground Snow Simulation
Using actual global ground snow depth data, ground snow cover is controlled and smoothed at all times in AS Preset depiction mode.
Comprehensive Custom Weather
Easily create multiple custom weather areas using the map screen, customizing by METAR text or through our weather setting wizard. Custom weather is supplemented by the previously loaded weather, enabling precise, variable and realistic saved weather scenarios that can be recalled at any time.
Scenarios
Fly different weather-based scenarios, or create your own.
Voice Features
Get Voice weather briefings and in-flight weather updates on your radio via our simulated ATIS/ASOS and Flight Watch simulation.
3rd-Party Integration Features
SimBrief flight plan integration, PMDG wind data export and our universal common data export features provides integration with multiple popular 3rd-party add-ons.
Active Sky API
Advanced API features are available to everyone to integrate directly with AS features including weather lookup, effects, mode control and weather conditions control.
Well this is enough to get a guy excited.
Hope this means that thereās finally a cure to this WXR impasse thatās bugged devs ever since MSFS first came out.
Will it be on Xbox too? And is it more physics based or will the eye candy visuals of weather be a nice improvement?
As stated on the Hifisim website, no xbox support just yetā¦ only steam/msstore version support.
Looking very forwards to seeing Hifisim back in flightsim again, especially the historic weather. Welcome home Hifi-sim!
Nice, Iāll be in line when that is released!
Looks like another āmust-haveā purchase.
I only hope it doesnāt hammer my PC too hard.
Lame. Xbox users are consistently left out.
Yes please!
Hello @RancidViper6904
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The problem is Xboxās closed architectureā¦. It makes it difficult for devs to create add-ons which may need external accessā¦. If devs could, they wouldā¦
As for me, I am soooooo looking forward to this, I used ActiveSky in FSX for years, if itās as good as it was thenā¦. :). Plus being able to tune my radio to an actual ATIS/AWOSā¦. Sign me up
Will it have live weather?
Yes 100% it will
Nice! Thank you
I will wait for 2024, there is no logic getting this for the current sim when there is no weather API that this software could use.
Well, the reason for that should be quite obvious by nowā¦
I was a big supporter of HiFi Sim (ActiveSky) in my FSX/P3D days, and especially their historic weather feature. I am cautiously optimistic that they have solved some of the difficult challenges with weather in MSFS. Looking forward to checking it out, and hopefully soon.
Used AS in FSX, P3D and eventually in X-Plane 11.
Back then this software was the best one available, nothing could ever come close.
The question is, except for support for historic weather, which is great, and maybe, more high-res weather data compared to native sim, is ASFS API enough for 3rd party devs to finally implement functioning weather radars?
Besides it will be interesting to compare this to the āimprovementsā (and I use quotation marks cautiously) that a native weather engine is supposed to undergo in MSFS2024ā¦
I was a huge supporter and user of Active Sky back in FSX/P3D days, but their talents are still too constrained within MSFS and the lack of API.
It sounds like youāll have either two options, active sky will work with current live weather but not influence visuals or depiction and only add turbulence. Or you can use their full depiction mode, which will inject weather āthemesā or āpresetsā with their obvious limitations, the biggest one for me being you see visual ātransitionsā as the weather depiction changes from one state to another as you fly and changes the entire visual weather depiction injected, of course meaning you donāt have regional weather differences and can go from overcast one minute to clear skies the next.
These guys at HIFI are talented for sure, but I fear still too restricted in MSFS to truly create a programme like their previous renditions.