Xbox Series X (coming 10 Nov 2020)

[44267547]

Yesterday I returned home from abroad and have finally played flight simulator

GOOD
-Ground breaking graphics and rendering for a gaming console. Only cost a fraction of a gaming PC but with no need to fiddle with settings. It works optimally out of thr box.

-Effective, short and sweet tutorials.

-Playing with a Controller is surprisingly satisfying and engaging if you use good sensetivity settings. I am using a profile created by Huddison on YouTube.

BAD
-The tutorials are too Cessna focused. This results in a skill gap when it comes to landing(slowing down) jumbo jets.

-The market place needs a rethink with more bundles. Some single airports and airplanes represent poor value at £8-16 each!

-Not enough hotas or jokes available at launch.

-Missed opportunity to sell a companion Bluetooth keyboard/programmable button pad for use with a Controller.

OVERALL
Epic game that has, in 24h, taught me how to fly aircrafts. Can't wait to see what my skills will be like in 12 months.

Do you know if you can purchase individual planes to add to the inventory if you want more? I bought the ‘standard’ version of flight simulator, but they made additional versions where it was more expensive, but included more airports and planes.

The initial download patch took two hours, aside from that, the experience has been very surreal. The plane physics look amazing with all the detail, but what I find most impressive, is actually the sound dynamics from the plane is just insane. It’s so detailed from when you throttle, take off, land, wind noise, it’s just so finely tuned and portrayed accurately, this is what makes this game so authenticated that was totally worth the wait. I remember back in February of this year, watching demo videos and I finally get to play this and what a joy it is, and there’s so much to explore in terms of content and learning.

Massive props to Adobo studios and Microsoft to make this project actually come to fruition to the console. This was one of the reasons I purchased the Series X was for this game and it did not disappoint.

 

[Macalicious2011]

Do you know if you can purchase individual planes to add to the inventory if you want more? I bought the ‘standard’ version of flight simulator, but they made additional versions where it was more expensive, but included more airports and planes.

The initial download patch took two hours, aside from that, the experience has been very surreal. The plane physics look amazing with all the detail, but what I find most impressive, is actually the sound dynamics from the plane is just insane. It’s so detailed from when you throttle, take off, land, wind noise, it’s just so finally tuned and portrayed accurately, this is what makes this game so authenticated that was totally worth the wait. I remember back in February of this year, watching demo videos and I finally get to play this and what a joy it is, and there’s so much to explore in terms of content and learning.

Massive props to Adobo studios and Microsoft to make this project actually come to fruition to the console. This was one of the reasons I purchased the Series X was for this game and it did not disappoint.

Yes. There are a few planes that can be purchased individually. I am playing the standard version through a £1/month gamepass trial.

I will likely buy the standard version and wait for the price of add-ons to dump leading up to black Friday or for new bundles to be released.

The game is a proper simulator and I believe that major additional features and upgrades are on the horizon. This is only the beginning. One pie in the sky wishlist from me is a joystick with force feedback

Finally the Series S is capable of something that the Xbox One isn't. I think that interest in Series S will now start to grow.

 

[44267547]

Yes. There are a few planes that can be purchased individually. I am playing the standard version through a £1/month gamepass trial.

I will likely buy the standard version and wait for the price of add-ons to dump leading up to black Friday or for new bundles to be released.

The game is a proper simulator and I believe that major additional features and upgrades are on the horizon. This is only the beginning. One pie in the sky wishlist from me is a joystick with force feedback

Finally the Series S is capable of something that the Xbox One isn't. I think that interest in Series S will now start to grow.

Yeah, you make a great point. I never thought about the continual ad on improvements that the developer will release over the course of time, with more tweaking and modifications for plane control, and of course the world itself with more detail.

I’m still considering the idea of purchasing manual option, like a yoke or joystick as you mentioned, I know Turtle beach hasn’t released their version yet either. A lot of those items are sold out, and I see why, especially for those who were probably previously PC owners of this game.

 

[Macalicious2011]

I’m still considering the idea of purchasing manual option, like a yoke or joystick as you mentioned, I know Turtle beach hasn’t released their version yet either. A lot of those items are sold out, and I see why, especially for those who were probably previously PC owners of this game.

Lack of availability of peripherals has been a bit of a blessing in disguise. It has forced me to focus on the fundamentals of the game.

What I havs learned is that the yoke should be used as little as possible. I achieve a significantly smoother take off by using trim.

In order to nail consistently good landings, we must master the control of air speed and glide descent. Both entail minimal or no use of the yoke for pitching or diving.

For those reasons the controller work fine for now. I would love to see a wireless yoke to enable casual gaming without having to fetch it out of a cabinet, unwind the cable, walk up to the Xbox, plug it in and run the cable to the sofa.

I have also realised just how different some planes are to fly. Some, like the jumbo jets are incredible difficult to slow down. Landing them requires long forward planning while some smaller planes fall like a rock if you use too much flap and too little throttle.

My goal for this week is to master glide descent which is altitude and speed both dropping nice and gradually without the use of the yoke.

 

[44267547]

Lack of availability of peripherals has been a bit of a blessing in disguise. It has forced me to focus on the fundamentals of the game.

What I havs learned is that the yoke should be used as little as possible. I achieve a significantly smoother take off by using trim.

In order to nail consistently good landings, we must master the control of air speed and glide descent. Both entail minimal or no use of the yoke for pitching or diving.

For those reasons the controller work fine for now. I would love to see a wireless yoke to enable casual gaming without having to fetch it out of a cabinet, unwind the cable, walk up to the Xbox, plug it in and run the cable to the sofa.

I have also realised just how different some planes are to fly. Some, like the jumbo jets are incredible difficult to slow down. Landing them requires long forward planning while some smaller planes fall like a rock if you use too much flap and too little throttle.

My goal for this week is to master glide descent which is altitude and speed both dropping nice and gradually without the use of the yoke.

You’re way ahead of me in the learning curve. I’ve only put in two hours so far, because I’ve been so busy. I plan on playing more this weekend before I head on vacation. I haven’t experienced any weather effects, which I look forward to given that it is using ‘live mapping’. Also, what’s the furthest you have flown so far? Like from XYZ to XYZ.

 

[Macalicious2011]

You’re way ahead of me in the learning curve. I’ve only put in two hours so far, because I’ve been so busy. I plan on playing more this weekend before I head on vacation. I haven’t experienced any weather effects, which I look forward to given that it is using ‘live mapping’. Also, what’s the furthest you have flown so far? Like from XYZ to XYZ.

I highly recommend doing all the tutorials. The furthest distances I have done by choice is 20 nautical mile. I'm prioritising mastering:
Controlling speed
Controlled decent

I highly recommend watching Squirrel's FS tutorials on YouTube. They are exceptionally good and I recommend downloading them for the odd offline viewing on your vacation trip!

 

[44267547]

I highly recommend doing all the tutorials. The furthest distances I have done by choice is 20 nautical mile. I'm prioritising mastering:
Controlling speed
Controlled decent

I highly recommend watching Squirrel's FS tutorials on YouTube. They are exceptionally good and I recommend downloading them for the odd offline viewing on your vacation trip!

I couldn’t help myself. When I first started playing the game after the two hour download patch, I went to immediately start flying with no tutorials, which I did a short trip from a local regional airport in my area to a international airport that was ~20 miles north of my house. And I was amazed how technical this game really is with all the elements, and there really is a deep learning curve here, but it’s encouraging to know that the game offers tutorials and over the course of time as you continue to use the controls, familiarizing yourself with the aircraft, you become more confident.

I’ve probably played 500+ video games in my lifetime, and this game is the most unique experience that’s very visceral and challenging in it’s own right, that will permanently remain in my library, because I enjoy it that much.

 

[Macalicious2011]

I couldn’t help myself. When I first started playing the game after the two hour download patch, I went to immediately start flying with no tutorials, which I did a short trip from a local regional airport in my area to a international airport that was ~20 miles north of my house. And I was amazed how technical this game really is with all the elements, and there really is a deep learning curve here, but it’s encouraging to know that the game offers tutorials and over the course of time as you continue to use the controls, familiarizing yourself with the aircraft, you become more confident.

I’ve probably played 500+ video games in my lifetime, and this game is the most unique experience that’s very visceral and challenging in it’s own right, that will permanently remain in my library, because I enjoy it that much.

FS2020 epitomise the term 'open world gaming'. The last time I had such a euphoric sense of escapism was when I played GTA 3 for the first time.

Last night I did flight from my childhood home to all the schools that I attended.

One thing to be mindful of is that planes can greatly differ in how they behave during flight and most specifically landings. To learn a plane I recommend making small adjustments to throttle, trim or flap, and waiting for the affect to happen. As a beginner there was a habit in over correcting and not letting the plane settle. You don't steer a plane the same way that you would wrestle a performance car 😄

Departing from a terminal by switching on the electrical power and making requests to ATC for push-back and clearance to taxi etc is very immersive and satisfying.

My Gamepass trial ends in 3 weeks. I might pull the trigger on the Delux version. 15 additional planes&airports work out at roughly £1.10 each. This is significantly cheaper than buying individual airplanes or airports for £6-15 each.

 

[MacRazySwe]

I’m thoroughly enjoying Flight Simulator as well. It, together with the Forza franchise, was one of the reasons I stuck with Xbox this time again.

It didn’t disappoint!

I’ve so far got to experience my childhood home from above, current hometown, nearby archipelago, as well as some of my all time favourite travel destinations like NYC (astonishing btw), Miami, Whistler, Greece, the Nurburgring in Germany and much more,

To me, Flight Simulator is the first game that truly feels next gen.

 

[Macalicious2011]

I’m thoroughly enjoying Flight Simulator as well. It, together with the Forza franchise, was one of the reasons I stuck with Xbox this time again.

It didn’t disappoint!

I’ve so far got to experience my childhood home from above, current hometown, nearby archipelago, as well as some of my all time favourite travel destinations like NYC (astonishing btw), Miami, Whistler, Greece, the Nurburgring in Germany and much more,

To me, Flight Simulator is the first game that truly feels next gen.

My £1 gamepads trial ends next week. I have taken the plunge and bought the Premium Deluxe version of FS. It's the most expensive game that I have bought. However it's a bargain given just how expansive and detailed is it. Furthermore man maths proved that's the additional planes and airports work out at £2/each versus £8-16 for a single add-on from the marketplace.

Although I have spent many hours playing the game, I've barely explored 0.5% of earth. I look forward to flying during the boring and dark days of winter.

 

[44267547]

Some great posts above regarding flight simulator. My experiences has been excellent, I’m actually just still trying to grasp the controls of flying the aircraft and understanding the little things, like using the speed-brake to slow the acceleration of the plane, the timing of the flaps opening, weather adjustments, etc.

I haven’t even explored anything out of my home state, I’ve just been flying to local airports to still learn the plane as I mentioned, but I did fly through some pretty adverse weather effects, which was definitely affecting the flight in terms of wind speed and even lightning made visibility difficult at times.

So far my aircraft of choice has been the Airbus 320. And after just flying on a real Airbus 320 this week, I just can’t believe how perfectly tuned the sounds of the plane are in this game, from the engine start up, to the landing gear retracting, the radio frequencies, etc. I’ve never played anything like this, which in terms of being a ‘simulator’, Asobo/Microsoft just really redefined of what detailed exploration is all about.

 

[TopherMan12]

I returned my Xbox Series S and am looking for an Series X. The graphical downgrade was more jarring that I expected even on a 1440p screen. XSS is best at 1080p, I think. Still a good value, but not for me.

Now.....the long wait for Series X stock. Or a 3080 GPU. Whichever comes first.

 

[Macalicious2011]

I returned my Xbox Series S and am looking for an Series X. The graphical downgrade was more jarring that I expected even on a 1440p screen. XSS is best at 1080p, I think. Still a good value, but not for me.

Now.....the long wait for Series X stock. Or a 3080 GPU. Whichever comes first.

The Series S is a 1080p console with previous gen graphics. FS and watch dog Legion is are two of the very few games that look reasonably next gen on the console.

Two weeks I saw gameplay footage of Halo Infinite. I was appaled by how low res and low FPS it looks on the XSS for a first party flagship game.

It looks like Halo Infinite is previous gen game running in BC mode on XSS, rather than being a next gen game.

 

[maflynn]

I returned my Xbox Series S and am looking for an Series X. The graphical downgrade was more jarring that I expected

Yeah, i didn't want to say anything negative, especially if you were happy, but given the cost, for me the X is the best option. Too bad it didn't work out

 

[TopherMan12]

The Series S is a 1080p console with previous gen graphics. FS and watch dog Legion is are two of the very few games that look reasonably next gen on the console.

Two weeks I saw gameplay footage of Halo Infinite. I was appaled by how low res and low FPS it looks on the XSS for a first party flagship game.

It looks like Halo Infinite is previous gen game running in BC mode on XSS, rather than being a next gen game.

I was a bit shocked. I know it isn't PS5 or XSX level, but honestly I think games looked better on Xbox One X. A bit bizarre.

Yeah, i didn't want to say anything negative, especially if you were happy, but given the cost, for me the X is the best option. Too bad it didn't work out

The other kicker is the SSD space is only 500 GB or so. I soon realized I'd need to expand. Well....that's $220. Why bother? Just get the XSX.

I was disappointed, because I loved the form factor. Such an elegant console design. Too bad the performance didn't match the aesthetics.

 

[44267547]

I returned my Xbox Series S and am looking for an Series X. The graphical downgrade was more jarring that I expected even on a 1440p screen. XSS is best at 1080p, I think. Still a good value, but not for me.

Now.....the long wait for Series X stock. Or a 3080 GPU. Whichever comes first.

My advice is to keep watch at the end of the month, IGN had a community thread where someone stated that Microsoft does ‘drops’ at the very last week of the month, and that’s exactly how I found my Xbox purchase originally. If that is accurate, I would keep close tabs on the likes of Best Buy and Target.

Also, I can’t take credit for @Eggtastic suggestion, but look into the ‘Hotstock’ app, which will give you alerts of various retailers of in-stock items.

 

[Macalicious2011]

I was a bit shocked. I know it isn't PS5 or XSX level, but honestly I think games looked better on Xbox One X. A bit bizarre.

The XSS marketing needs a rethink. You can't even call it an 1080p console because in many games draw distance, reflections, shadow and texture detail is noticeably downgraded compared with the XSX.

Increase the frame rate and resolution drops to 570-800p.

In my opinion, MS should give the XSS a spec bump or drop the price by 20%. If they can't make the console shine in a flagship title.like Halo infinite then 3rd party studios won't bother either.

 

[diamond.g]

The XSS marketing needs a rethink. You can't even call it an 1080p console because in many games draw distance, reflections, shadow and texture detail is noticeably downgraded compared with the XSX.

Increase the frame rate and resolution drops to 570-800p.

In my opinion, MS should give the XSS a spec bump or drop the price by 20%. If they can't make the console shine in a flagship title.like Halo infinite then 3rd party studios won't bother either.

Maybe that is the downside of Smart Delivery? Games are not really made to take advantage of all the neat tricks the XSS should allow because they are targeting the XSX then have to figure out how to cut stuff out to run on the XSS.

 

[TopherMan12]

My advice is to keep watch at the end of the month, IGN had a community thread where someone stated that Microsoft does ‘drops’ at the very last week of the month, and that’s exactly how I found my Xbox purchase originally. If that is accurate, I would keep close tabs on the likes of Best Buy and Target.

Also, I can’t take credit for @Eggtastic suggestion, but look into the ‘Hotstock’ app, which will give you alerts of various retailers of in-stock items.

Good stuff. I will definitely do that. I used nowinstock to nab my PS5 and I'm still using that for XSX hunt, but I'll grab the app for sure.

Thanks.

The XSS marketing needs a rethink. You can't even call it an 1080p console because in many games draw distance, reflections, shadow and texture detail is noticeably downgraded compared with the XSX.

Increase the frame rate and resolution drops to 570-800p.

In my opinion, MS should give the XSS a spec bump or drop the price by 20%. If they can't make the console shine in a flagship title.like Halo infinite then 3rd party studios won't bother either.

I don't think any of these consoles really live up to their claims, really. XSX and PS5 brag about 4K but both depend on dynamic resolution a great deal. Games have gone down as far as 1080p. Don't get me wrong. I think they look great overall because 1440p is really optimal in my mind, but the marketing is off all around.

 

[44267547]

Good stuff. I will definitely do that. I used nowinstock to nab my PS5 and I'm still using that for XSX hunt, but I'll grab the app for sure.

Thanks.

Now, I got a question for you in return.😁 I’m not familiar with ‘nowinstock’, and I gandered at the desktop site. I’m looking to purchase a second PS5 for my downstairs spare room. Do you have any suggestions on that site, as in, like what was your method when you found your PS5 on that site?

 

[TopherMan12]

Now, I got a question for you in return.😁 I’m not familiar with ‘nowinstock’, and I gandered at the desktop site. I’m looking to purchase a second PS5 for my downstairs spare room. Do you have any suggestions on that site, as in, like what was your method when you found your PS5 on that site?

Sure.......I just left nowinstock open in a browser all day with the alert turned on. When one of the stores they are monitoring have it in stock, the page will start beeping. When I got mine, Best Buy suddenly had it stock. I jumped on it quick and was one of the lucky ones.

I haven't had such luck with Xbox Series X yet, but I have that window open right now......

 

[44267547]

Sure.......I just left nowinstock open in a browser all day with the alert turned on. When one of the stores they are monitoring have it in stock, the page will start beeping. When I got mine, Best Buy suddenly had it stock. I jumped on it quick and was one of the lucky ones.

I haven't had such luck with Xbox Series X yet, but I have that window open right now......

Excellent. I actually just enabled the alarm now, I didn’t see it at the top of the page.

I was talking to a Target employee months ago about stock issues with both consoles, and he said it’s less than three minutes before they sell-out when it goes ‘live’ online.

In the gaming industry, we’ve never seen anything like this before, and not so much necessarily the ‘hype’, but how long it’s been since these consoles have been available and people still can’t get them. I’m grateful to have both, but I think as we press towards the holiday season, it’s only going to pose more difficulty unfortunately.

 

[44267547]

@TopherMan12

Welp, I was alerted by ‘now in stock’ for a PS5 at Walmart, by the time I had my debit card in my hand, it was sold out in _two_ minutes exactly. I am entirely convinced it’s near impossible to purchase online via alert third party sites, unless you have your info already pre-established on the retailer site. Fortunately I already have one, but finding a second one is even becoming that much more arduous.

 

[TopherMan12]

@TopherMan12

Welp, I was alerted by ‘now in stock’ for a PS5 at Walmart, by the time I had my debit card in my hand, it was sold out in _two_ minutes exactly. I am entirely convinced it’s near impossible to purchase online via alert third party sites, unless you have your info already pre-established on the retailer site. Fortunately I already have one, but finding a second one is even becoming that much more arduous.

Well I finally got one. I've had the Hotstock app you recommended notifying me every time one pops up. This morning it said Best Buy had them in stock. So I jumped on it and was able to snag one. It is going to be delivered to my local Best Buy on October 8th.

So took me just over a month to get one. Not too bad. Thanks again for the suggestion. And @Eggtastic as well.

 

[44267547]

Well I finally got one. I've had the Hotstock app you recommended notifying me every time one pops up. This morning it said Best Buy had them in stock. So I jumped on it and was able to snag one. It is going to be delivered to my local Best Buy on October 8th.

So took me just over a month to get one. Not too bad. Thanks again for the suggestion. And @Eggtastic as well.

Best Buy has had a few drops lately. And some people were mentioning that they even had some in stock in stores, where people were lining up. But I’m glad the app worked for you, and it’s actually a really well-managed and streamlined app, and one little feature they have, is for $5.49 a month, they can put you on a ‘priority list’ to alert you over others.(Which you can do month to month for the fee.)

The only downside to the HotStock app, is that it’s extremely popular and it’s very well-known, which obviously means it’s much more difficult to land a specific graphics card or console when the world knows about it. But the developers did a really nice job, and it’s one of the many tools trying to battle scalpers to not give them your business.

Any specific titles you’re looking for this year for the Xbox? I’m still hooked on Microsoft flight simulator, and it’s just absolutely unreal the globe is at your fingertips and the realism is just something we’ve never seen before.