The first official paid DLC for 2020's Microsoft Flight Simulator has launched in the form of an ultralight plane, the Top Rudder Solo 103. While Microsoft and third-party creators have been regularly expanding the game's content since August until now only the latter groups had been charging a fee.
Like other ultralights, the Top Rudder Solo 103 is a barebones prop plane consisting of little more than wings, a frame, and an engine. This makes it best suited to short, low-level flight, particularly since its open cockpit offers maximum visibility for Flight Simulator's scenery. In fact, the real plane requires no license or registration in the U.S. and costs just $22,000 - less than most new cars. The tradeoffs are mostly a 50- to 100-mile range and a cruise speed of just 50 miles per hour.
The Solo 103 is now available for $9.99 or €9.99 via Flight Simulator's in-game store, according to Twinfinite. The purchase includes eight different paint schemes and nothing else, but compared to other ultra-realistic simulators, $9.99 is an extremely low price tag. In X-Plane 11, for example, a single jet - the CRJ-200 - is $44.99 on Steam. Even airports in X-Plane can cost as much as $29.99 apiece. This is because of the niche market for most civilian simulators, and the amount of work involved in producing fully realistic models, controls, and/or physics. Real-world pilots will often use games like Flight Simulator to train, pairing them with flight sticks, throttles, and pedals. Recent years have allowed pilots to throw VR headsets into the mix.
Since August 2020, Microsoft has focused mostly on delivering free regional expansions that improve landmarks and overall scenic detail. March's and Benelux update, for instance, added and expanded on scenery like Belgium's Museum aan de Stroom and 's Arc de Triomphe. November updates saw roughly 60 points of interest improved across England, Wales, and Scotland, and work on U.S. locations like the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Separately, it introduced VR and a pizza paint scheme for the X-Cub.
Console gamers are still waiting for Flight Simulator to appear on the Xbox Series X/S. The port is due sometime in summer 2021, but there are a variety of technical obstacles to overcome. As powerful as the Series X may be, the game can strain even top-end PCs at higher detail settings, and the Xbox controller is less than ideal for the amount of controls each plane has. Microsoft will almost certainly need to limit realism settings to prevent console players from getting overwhelmed.
Source: Twinfinite, Steam
