You really do have the world at your fingertips with an incredibly detailed new flight simulator game that uses satellite maps to allow you to fly anywhere you want.
It also takes live readings from weather stations and airports around the world to create accurate up-to-the-minute climate conditions - including hurricanes
Microsoft has unveiled the latest version of its Flight Simulator that pulls satellite data from Bing Maps and machine learning to create realistic environments and weather patterns.
Users simply upload their desired destination and use the ‘realistic’ training system to navigate the area – the simulator is set to be released for PC in 2020 and will launch for Xbox shortly after.
The simulator lets ‘pilots’ sit in a realistic cockpit, allowing them to learn the ins and outs of a real airplane.
Users can travel from or to more than 40,000 real-world airports and visit the sites in between.
Microsoft’s Flight Simulator franchise is the tech giant’s ‘longest-running software property’, according to Engadget.
'Microsoft Flight Simulator is the next generation of one of the most beloved simulation franchises,' Xbox shared on its website.
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'From light planes to wide-body jets, fly highly detailed and stunning aircraft in an incredibly realistic world. Create your flight plan and fly anywhere on the planet.'
'Enjoy flying day or night and face realistic, challenging weather conditions.
First released in 1982, the game has provided wannabe pilots with a realistic training system that lets them explore the world without having to leave their couch.
The last version of the simulation was launched in 2014 – but now Microsoft has redesigned the game with the latest technology.
The system has harnessed the power of machine learning, pulled satellite data from Bing Maps and uses Azure cloud system to make sure every landmark is exact, every skyscraper in its exact place and everything is displayed into frame in 4K.
Microsoft has also teamed up with Asobo Studio, which is the firm behind Fuel – the 2009 open-world racing game that awarded a Guinness Book world record for having the "largest playable area in a console game.’
In Flight Simulator, Asobo’s technology is digitizing 196.9 million square miles of land, man-made landmarks and open sea area.
In addition to Asobo, Microsoft has also employed the help from third-party companies such as airports and weather data providers in order to have live information available to users.
Right before the preview event was set to kick-off for the simulator, Hurricane Dorian made its way through the Bahamas, which sat over the island for a few days.
But from the safety of their own offices in in Bellevue, Washington, and Bordeaux, France, Microsoft and Asobo developers flew through the hurricane -- entering the eye of the storm and getting an idea of what it was like to be in the center of it.
This means players will be able to see a breakdown of actual flights departing and arriving at any airport on the globe, and experience natural disasters as they happen, from a safe, digital distance.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
