Just a few days ago, Microsoft held a virtual Ignite developer conference and took a trip back down memory by showing a video of the evolution of Microsoft Flight Simulator. The much-loved PC game was originally released back in 1982 for IBM-compatible PCs, and the video showcases the entire history of the game. Today’s Microsoft Flight Simulator has evolved so much that it can now map out the real world into the virtual one quite accurately.
The video begins with the Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.0 that shows how the first game looked at that time. The first version of the game allowed players to fly a Cessna 182 across the various cities and states of the US. Compared to today, the video demonstrates how much the game has changed in these nearly 40 years.
Evolution of Microsoft Flight Simulator
Microsoft released the first version of the game in 1982, and two years later, it released the second version of the game. In this update, the company added crucial joystick support to Flight Simulator 2.0 in 1984 and also improved the overall graphics. Version 3.0 took some time to arrive and came in 1988 with customizable displays and additional aircrafts.
Then came a major update of the game with the arrival of Flight Simulator 4.0 with its debut for Mac. This update added new features like weather and dynamic scenery to enhance the gaming experience of players. In 1991 Flight Simulator 5.0 was released that improved the game with a more realistic experience. A similar update came with version 5.1 that focussed more on improving realism.
In 1996 Microsoft Flight Simulator debuted in Windows 95 with more options for aircrafts and higher frame rates. The new versions continued to come till the release of Flight Simulator 2000 in 1999 — a major release in an age of increasing 3D games. Later in 2001, Flight Simulator 2002 arrived with the 3D virtual cockpit that gave the player the feel of being a real pilot sitting in the flight cockpit. Microsoft released Flight Simulator X in 2006 on DVDs for the first time. The company revived the game fully earlier this year, aided with Azure artificial intelligence.
In the video, you can see the changing graphics when there is a jump in the game version. You can see the video below:
