Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is out now on the PS5 and it’s excellent, but it’s bound to get even better when it adds optional PSVR2 support next year.
Those of you who own the headset will know Gran Turismo 7 becomes even better when paired with Sony’s headset, and we’re expecting similar from Xbox Game Studios’ outstanding flight sim.
Speaking with XDA, franchise boss Jorg Neumann said virtual reality support was always planned for the game, and has been encouraged by Sony who pointed out the headset has a very engaged fan base.
But considering how demanding MFS24 is overall, it’s no easy feat to get running with PSVR2, as the aviation expert explained.
He said:
“Ultimately, VR is all about frame rates and making sure that comfort is there. So, the bare minimum you need to hit is 48fps, and ideally, you hit 60fps with dual rendering. We have things like foveated rendering, which is basically focusing on where the eye is, and all the smart ways that people have come up with to optimise this. We're actually pretty close, but not 100% there, so we're going to spend a few more months optimising. That's really the effort right now.”
Neumann added that he already has access to an early build which is “fun and looks amazing”, but he added it’s “not quite ready for prime time”.
Apparently, the team did debate including the feature at launch as a kind of beta version, but decided to spend a few more months on “getting it right so people can enjoy it”.
Given the overall graphical fidelity of MFS24, we’re super curious to test this out for ourselves and see how it fares. But generally, we find cockpit-style experiences work very well in virtual reality, so we reckon this seems like a good fit.
Things could obviously get hairy if you’re jolting your plane around and taking sharp, lurching turns – but if you’re focusing on a clean flight, then we reckon this should be pretty comfortable overall. And it’s basically guaranteed to take the game’s virtual tourism to an entirely different level.