Other than that, you’re most likely looking at X-Plane 11.Īnother plus for X-Plane is that it will run on a Mac, whereas Microsoft decided they will only allow the program to run on Windows 10 or 11. Microsoft's program requires a PC-or specifically a gaming PC -designed or manufactured within the previous two years. To avoid going down the rabbit hole of explaining what each specification means, it’s safe to say that the larger the number in the column, the more computing power or financial commitment the program requires. In the below image you can see the recommended specifications for each program. Plus, it’s a more seasoned and therefore streamlined program. That’s because X-Plane 11 requires less computing power than Microsoft’s program due to less of a focus on outside the airplane features. If you have a run of the mill desktop PC that’s 3-5 years old, you’re most likely better suited to run X-Plane 11 rather than Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. The very first item worth considering when starting down the flight simulation journey is what type of computer will be used to run the simulator. But which program to use? Let’s compare X-Plane 11 and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. Factor in customizable weather, live traffic, and electronic flight bag integration and you have simulator scenarios that couldn’t have been dreamt of 40 years ago. Today’s programs use Bing maps to relay an accurate portrayal of planet Earth, regardless of where and when you’re flying.

It was only 10 years after we first set foot on the moon, but compared to today’s software and computing power, this was an abacus.įast forward to today’s flight simulation consumer market and the options aren’t even in the same league as the 1979 offering. There were no online videos to assist in setup and it was four colors relaying graphical terrain, airspeed, altitude, a couple secondary control indicators, and a handful of aircraft instrument indications. When the first flight simulator program was released in 1979 by subLogic, it required a deep understanding of aviation in order to really enjoy it. Edition one of this blog will focus on the differences you need to know before buying either program. Each program has its strengths as well as its weaknesses and it’s worth researching those before financially committing to a software trainer. The purpose of this three part blog is to grade Microsoft Flight Simulator versus X-Plane on a wide range of features.

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