From PMDG this morning.
PMDG 737 in Marketplace:
We have various 737 products in various stages of preparation for Marketplace. Microsoft has recently announced changes to the way in which products will be ingested to the Marketplace environment and this will dramatically speed the process, in our opinion. We are still learning how best to manage marketplace builds and updates and thus it I hesitate to speak authoritatively on release timelines and the like.
Obviously, our updates and releases through our own system are fastest, but we are committed to fully supporting releases through Marketplace for those customers who wish to use that portal. We are “learning the ropes” with 737 as it were and we anticipate being able to offer smarter feedback once we have been through the process a few times.
PMDG 737 on XBox:
Many users have been asking when we will release the 737 on the XBox platform and the answer here is similar to above; we aren’t entirely sure, but we are working in that direction.
Keeping in mind that we have no experience with the XBox process and that the testing process was just returned to developers by Microsoft, we are in the process of developing our testing and validation process which involves acquiring specific XBox consoles as approved devices for testing internally. We are also doing some look-forward to how such things as navdata updates and the like will be handled, as well as ensuring the Universal Flight Tablet will be operable properly on the XBox console.
We are taking our time with XBox as this is an entirely new arena for us and want to be sure we fully understand what limitations (if any) may exist so that we can properly communicate them to users as well as working to minimize any platform differences that must be attended in the process.
We expect to take our time with this process- and we’ll update you on this process as we get closer to kicking off a few of the 737s for Xbox. Ultimately our goal is to have all PMDG products appear on both the PC/Xbox because it is good for us and helps to increase our market exposure to new customers. For those in the PC simming environment it gives you additional flexibility for where you wish to do your simming also.