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Not only did Microsoft let me loose inside the game to fly a single-engine plane anywhere in the world, I also flew a real Cessna 172 over Seattle.
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This was not your average demo day, however. The final product is due out some time in 2020 for both Windows PC and Xbox One.Įarlier this month I traveled to the Pacific Northwest for a hands-on demonstration of an early version of the game. But, Microsoft surprised everyone at this year’s E3 by announcing a brand-new version of the classic, simply titled Microsoft Flight Simulator. That’s the same year as Gears of War and The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, both titles launched at the beginning of the last console generation. Microsoft Flight Simulator X was released over a decade ago, way back in 2006. And, for the last few years at least, I was pretty sure that franchise was dead. It’s Microsoft Flight Simulator, a game that has roots that go all the way back to 1979.
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Believe it or not, Windows isn’t Microsoft’s longest-running franchise.
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