Xbox simmer here, about ready to give up (Or: Should I Just Break Down and Buy a PC?)

It’s just a game, no offense to anyone who believes that because they can fly here they would be able to fly for real…you can’t.
But I have had pretty much the same problems until I deleted and turned off running cache live weather and live traffic. I hope it’ll help you in any way so we can try to find what else could be the problem. Also try using controller only to see if it is more stable. Let me know, good luck!

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To tell you the truth, I have no idea how simming on an Xbox could ever be as immersive as a PC. It’s a miracle it even works. Start saving some dough and seriously consider a PC. You will not be disappointed.

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You might be ready for a gaming PC.

I too work in Mac OS at home and game on XBOX.

And I am running MSFS on Boot Camp on my MacBook Pro. It isn’t ideal… but my Honeycomb plugs into it!

I also sim race a bunch… and I can say consoles are REALLY close to PC with hardware and graphics, with several great racing sims.

MSFS is the first flight sim on a console in like, forever. So we don’t have the hardware peripherals for it yet… they are rolling out about as slowly as 3rd Party add ons in the MSFS XBOX Marketplace but finally there is a reason for demand. So of course, eventually these things will come to XBOX.

PC will always be better but it is pricy to buy for just one program! And you will just keep spending more. On peripherals. On new planes. On PC upgrades.

Sometimes a console protects me from myself. It makes sims a less expensive hobby. Even though you cannot access as many things.

You know… someone who just buys a Bravo before it is even compatible with your console… you really may prefer this on a PC.

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Don’t get a PC! It’s a bottomless pit where you end up becoming poor because you always need ONE more expensive piece of equipment :wink:

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I have an Xbox S and a gaming PC (3080) and am enjoying both. Granted I’m not taxing the Xbox as I just play around with it for fun and relaxation. The upside is that the XBox was only $300 and, since nothing else was readily available at the time, was a nice way to get back into simming. Also, it is easy to pack up and take elsewhere if I want. So, in all, I appreciate it for what it is and what it isn’t. What I find interesting from reading the forum is that it feels like the XBox S seems to “perform” better than the X. I quote “perform” because I know the two devices have different quality settings, which affects the image quality. But I wonder if that also affects performance on the X.

Regarding the gaming PC. I like it. I have everything pretty much set to Ultra (or High) and the visuals are stunning - moreso after adding some packages to the community folder. And while I cannot get the VR graphics to match the quality of the 2D experience, the 3D experience is amazing. I absolutely love VR, which adds a lot more “depth” and richness to the experience. The downside - the PC is not leaving my office and, of course, it was a much more expensive alternative. That said, the ability to add to the sim (visually) combined with VR is a tough combination to beat.

So, I think the XBox is a great way to get introduced to FS2020, or to simply appreciate it in its base form. However, if possible, I think if you really want the most from the product, the PC option, while more expensive, is the way to go.

Either way - I hope you enjoy simming!

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I’m a relative noob here, only 24 hours of ‘flight’ time so far, also not a youngster at 58 :slight_smile: I wanted to get back to FS after a massive gap since FS2 in 1984

I priced up a PC but the total was stupid, the last one i built was a pentium pro about 1997 for work. But an X-Box-X was much more affordable and it runs FS2020 right?

Hmm, sort of. The first two weeks were amazing, it was smooth, the detail was stunning and the Cessna 152 looked just like the one i had a couple of ‘gift’ lessons in way back. Then we get some stuttering, I did a long (for me) trip of 45 minutes only to get a CTD when 200’ from the arrival runway.

Next the mouse drops out, then it ignores my Velocity-one yoke, then the keyboard drops out, followed by refusing to connect to servers, then I start tumbling across all the minor bugs - the ATC freaks out when it desires, the flight-planner cannot even plan a simple VFR route from point to point without zig-zags and “TIMECLIMB” points thrown in, the log-book only records what it fancies, graphic stutters, zero AI or real traffic, anywhere - it shows on the map but not on the screen, no ground traffic at all in any airports.

Turning live-weather on makes it worse. At present my sim time is about 65% flying and praying it does not CTD and 35% fixing bug workarounds and rebooting, entering my yoke sensitivities yet again and looking up fixes online.

I am pinning a lot of hope on SU8 but my faith is failing now and where i was 100% impressed at the start I’m only 50% now and find i’m using it less each day/week. I keep an eye on PC prices but can’t even find a spec list that actually works properly.

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Isn’t that flight simming in general? :wink:

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Yes, if you bought the game. I bought the game outright (deluxe/premium version) + add ons and aircraft and all marketplace purchases are ‘owned’ on PC once you install there, provided you log into your same windows/live/xbox account to do the install. Your user ID and progress should also transfer. Your user ID/progress can also switch between platforms so you can use either, but only one platform at a time (single license). I made this move (XBox->PC) in Sept/Oct 2021, haven’t looekd back, sold XBox X at Christmas for same $ that I had bough it for.

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My 2c on my XBox X->PC journey from another thread-

your Anti-Xbox stance is well documented in your posts…

what are you trying to achieve?

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True but I feel like because of the lack of equipment for Xbox, it makes the pit a little less deep, lol.

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With all do respect I’m not sure why you have that amount of CTDs on Xbox (SeriesX?), I’ve had a few for sure but I could probably count them on two hands since release. I’ve never had my Velocity one be ignored, not sure why you’re having that problem - maybe conflict with mouse and keyboard which I currently don’t have?

Not a popular angle but my time with the PC version was vastly worse - It was just installation and update issues, reinstalls, and yes, the same performance problems you’ve just noted to boot! I think I largely stopped the torture on PC when I I had to do a full reinstall yet again because road traffic just decided to stop showing entirely - turns out a package had corrupted during install.

For VATSIM and liviries PC is great but this thread seems to paint PC as a solution to all problems - it isn’t, there’s loads of issues on PC that don’t exist on consoles. At the end of the current Beta you’ll se swathes of people complaining their sim has uninstalled yet again, this kind of thing isn’t an issue on Xbox so it does have its positives.

The zigzag vfr planning, if you mean in the world map when placing waypoints, was super irritating; but it’s been fixed since SU7. I absolutely hated that bug and it took far too long to fix!

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Hi, i may have worded it poorly but only had two CTD’s in the 6 weeks i have been simming. Always at the point where you have finally got the approach nailed and looking at a nice landing :wink:

I have lots of devices connected but have custom profiles for each one so there is no input conflict. Each one has its purpose and need - keyboard, mouse, VF1 Yoke, HOTAS for the pedals, gamepad for the drone camera, nothing overlaps.

I have no idea yet why there is no ground or air traffic, I presume there ‘should’ be? There are a few cars on roads but nothing in major airports and i’ve never seen another plane in the sky - should there be?

I eagerly await SU8, at least the sensitivity saving issue should be fixed - stupid bugs like that should never have got past beta, ATC i can live with if i have to, the planner needs major work - see yesterdays blooper below, the logbook also need work but thats common on PC too it seems.

No idea. If only he put that effort into helping those on PC with issues. No shortage of those threads.

With how much time and money OP has already spent, they are a perfect candidate for PC. You’ll never achieve perfection, but you get to chase it there.

I think for a lot of people the xbox is a perfect fit. It’s downplayed just how many sim using a mouse/keyboard or even a controller. It’s impressive we have options beyond that given the way the die hard PC guys were talking.

I saw a guy post here saying he’s selling his Xbox and wants a PC because it flies like a dji drone on xbox. It got a lot of support from these same characters. It’s a joke because the flight model is the exact same unless you’re too simple to figure out the settings and it’s not like there aren’t alternatives to the controller. By that logic flying on PC feels like filing my taxes.

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I hope PC will provide you with the experience you are looking for.

I’ve experienced the opposite. I used to sim on the PC and then switched to Xbox and haven’t looked back. I’m enjoying a smoother, more consistent and convenient experience at a fraction of what I would have paid for a equivalent PC.

It’s odd that the Xbox experience seems to be so variable. Sorry to hear that your experience isn’t great OP.

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I also went from Xbox to PC. I still have my Series X and enjoying it, but for MSFS pc is the best platform for it. Better graphics, mods and so on.

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Sir, I literally yesterday was round a friend’s house whose got a decent PC and runs MSFS.

He had several CTDs, had to restart the machine. Made me smile.

Yes the graphics is better, the draw distance seems better. Yes he got a good yolk setup. Yes more content more options, more settings. Everything is better.

You know what though. He’s at a desk.

When I chill on MSFS - I’m on my couch with the controller playing on my big ■■■ TV.

I spent 250 and 450 on my S and X. It’s still 2K less than my friend spent on his PC that’s before all the peripherals.

There’s no way I’m changing back to PC. I’m going to be patient on Xbox and appreciate the couch flying. Lol.

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For me personally, I think the biggest joy-killer has to be the CTD.

I can live with the odd stutter or even lower frame-rate to a point but a CTD makes me just turn off and go watch TV. Mostly because for me this is not a game - i spent money on controls, I invest my time to try and get the most out of each flight only to have that feeling of “is it going to CTD before i land” feeling looming all the time.

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I think it’s a miracle that they have made such a huge product run on a games console. Especially with software written in France (IME French software tends to be very resource-heavy).
They did it to be able to sell the product into a much bigger market.
However, although lots of Xbox users will buy MSFS2020, there is no doubt that the Xbox is not powerful enough to run the sim properly.
If you are serious enough about it to buy dedicated peripherals, you would be far better spending money to get a good PC.
The ongoing chip shortages are still keeping PC prices high. You might save a bit of money by persevering with the Xbox for another year. That depends on your finances.
Don’t buy a medium power PC, thinking it’s better than an Xbox. Get the best you can manage.

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On my desktop MSFS does CTD, but only every few days or weeks. It’s not a regular problem. If your friends does, there is a problem to be fixed.
That’s where the Xbox wins. No adjustments to be made that can cause better performance and/or instability.
You get what you get.