First revealed in the Tokyo Game Show 2020 Xbox Showcase, Microsoft Flight Simulator‘s first major content update, ‘World Update I: Japan’, is now available for all Windows 10 and Steam players starting today. The Flight Simulator Japan Update is bringing a high-resolution mapping and photogrammetry upgrade across Japan, six hand-crafted airports, and more.
On the Xbox Wire blog, Head of Flight Simulator Jorg Neumann said that they are planning to release big updates each month. And this is just the start,
[…] the launch of Microsoft Flight Simulator in August was just the beginning. Our goal is to provide you with a meaningful update to the sim every month. Today, we are proud to begin our series of ‘World Updates’ which are intended to highlight and enhance specific regions of the planet. This first World Update for Microsoft Flight Simulator is focused on Japan. A country rich with ancient tradition and bustling with future-facing innovation, Japan presents a stunning panorama of old and new, urban and remote, mountains, forests, cities and coastlines — now enhanced with remarkable graphical improvements that span the volcanic island chain.”
World Update I: Japan features a high-resolution digital elevation map across the entire island country along with high-resolution 3D photogrammetry for six prominent Japanese cities: Sendai, Takamatsu, Tokushima, Tokyo, Utsunomiya, and Yokohama. Meanwhile, the previously mentioned six hand-crafted airports are: Hachijojima, Kerama, Kushiro, Nagasaki, Shimojishima, and Suwanosejima. Pilots who want to tests their skills can also try their hands on a trio of new Landing Challenges at Japanese airports.
To make flying around the land of the rising sun feel more immersive, the Microsoft Flight Simulator team has added new pagoda-style architecture as well as painstakingly hand-crafted around two dozen custom landmarks and points of interest like World Heritage sites, towering neon skyscrapers, iconic bridges, and sacred shrines. A great alternative to real-life traveling in these trying times.
Once you download the latest update for Flight Simulator, simply head to the in-game Marketplace to claim the Japan update. As well, Flight Simulator fans wouldn’t want to miss tomorrow’s content update stream on the Microsoft Flight Simulator Twitch channel at 10 AM PT. Save the date and tell me what countries’ details they should add with the next World Update in the comments below.
