Yep, look at me, totally being part of the problem of... acknowledging the reality that Flight Simulator is used as a legit simulation application with a marketplace that allows third party content.

It's funny to see people who aren't familiar with flight simulators whining about this kind of pricing.

This is literally the best quality/value/price ratio you'll find at the moment not just in Microsoft Flight simulator, but in ANY flight simulator.

This is not your usual costume DLC, or a bit of story, a bunch of guns, or a few approximately simulated cars. This is an extremely complex aircraft simulated down to the smallest detail by what is considered one of the best if not the best third-party developer in the flight simulation market, fully licensed and endorsed by Boeing.

Its development took a whole development team *over two years* of work, without counting the work done for on it for previous flight simulators, which serves as a base. It's an extremely complex piece of software for advanced users that is by no means comparable to any DLC you'll find for any other game in terms of workload required to create it, complexity, and scope.

So yes, its developers require compensation comparable with the work they have put into it.

Aircraft of this caliber usually cost a minimum of $60, and for other simulators often they go as high as $100 or more.

Incidentally, nothing at all is "pieced apart." This is work done entirely by a third-party developer that has nothing to do with the original simulator, its developers, or Microsoft. The only point of connection is that it runs within Microsoft Flight Simulator. That's what it's an "add-on" and not a "DLC."

Microsoft (or anyone else) isn't "piecing apart" anything. They have delivered a massive amount of content from the get-go, and they continue to deliver TONS of free content on a bi-monthly basis, with the free 40th-anniversary edition coming in the fall that will include new aircraft, helicopters, and more for free to everyone who purchased the base sim.

As a matter of fact Microsoft Flight Simulator has gotten so much free content (and will continue to get it for the foreseeable future) that it blows out of the water pretty much every game on the market on any platform, and this is simply a fact.

Advanced add-on aircraft like this are a completely separate market for advanced users who want an extremely deep level of simulation, and this price is *extremely* low for this kind of content, which is defined "study-level" for a reason.

And it's priced this low for the purpose of providing an entry level for people who have not tried advanced airliner simulation and would like to get their feet wet to see if it's for them, because it's definitely not for everyone.

If you think this pricing is high, then you simply aren't the kind of advanced user this product is for. You can be content with flying approximately simulated cessnas and seeing the sights, or be awed by flying over your house. You won't need to spend a dime more than the base package.

People who have the slightest idea of what they're talking about, know that this is pretty much dirt cheap for the value it offers. Please educate yourselves before irrationally bashing something you obviously don't know.

“Yep, look at me, totally being part of the problem of... acknowledging the reality that Flight Simulator is used as a legit simulation application with a marketplace that allows third party content.”

A digital plane being $35 that could easily be $5 or $10. Yes you are part of the problem for defending the ridiculous price.

Abriael

This thing costs half the price of a full game and just to put things in perspective I'm just going to mention a game called RDR2 that cost €70 at launch. You're full of shit and you'll only manage to fool those that want to be fooled.

@Jin_Sakai: translation of what to say: "this should cost less because I say this should cost less."
That's not really how life works, buddy. I explained for your sake how things are from the point of view of someone who has been flying on flight simulators for nearly 30 years. You brought nothing to support your demand besides a meaningless "you're part of the problem" catchphrase. Try again, because there's no "problem" here besides some overentitled people who demand to be given products for less than their worth because they know nothing about said products.

And mind you, I guarantee that for all your demands of being able to own this for cheaper, you wouldn't even be able to start the engines, let alone take off.

If you think this is overpriced, feel free to use the much less complex aircraft that cost left or are free. There's a metric ton of them.

@Imalwaysright: and according to what parameter are you saying that this is worth less than half of RDR2? Come on. Tell us how you really feel. 😂

Abriael

Budget. That is the only parameter needed for those that aren't stupid in the head. According to analysts, RDR2 had a combined development and marketing budget between $370 million and $540 million so I dare you to reply to me with how much it cost to create this thing with another dumbass emoji.

Abriael, these guys don't know at all what they're really complaining about. They see a price tag and out comes the whining on something they'll go out of their way to ignore the proper context of.

@Imalwaysright budget is not in any shape or form the sole indicator of the value of a product, nor of its pricing. By that logic, any game that cost less than RDR2 to make should also cost less to the final user, which is as dumb an idea as it comes.

Value is determined by the nature of the product itself and what it offers, and the budget is absolutely irrelevant to that. Price is determined by the budget in relation to how many copies something can sell in a specific market. The market for RDR2 is massively bigger than the market for an aircraft that 99% of those who play RDR2 (optimistic estimate) wouldn't even be able to start the engines for, let alone fly or enjoy it.

RDR2 can provide 100+ hours of gameplay to a dedicated user, and so can this aircraft, easily. And that's how you compare value.

Speaking about budget, this aircraft has been in development for over 2 years for this simulator alone, but its development has been an ongoing project since 14 years ago for Flight Simulator X. If you think there's a small budget that doesn't compare with games of similar price behind it, you're completely delusional.

@Jin_Sakai You should stop trying to contribute to the conversation, you obviously have no idea how simulators work... its not just building a model and texturing it.. you're showing insane ignorance. The downvotes on all your comments prove my point.

"By that logic, any game that cost less than RDR2 to make should also cost less to the final user"

RDR 2 doesn't cost more than other games due to what economists call sticky pricing. When you have constant prices for 5 or even 10 years suddendly asking consumers to pay more for a product than they're used to is something that most of them wouldn't accept. That is why publishers need a good excuse to raise pricing of games such as: "it's a new generation so development costs will increase..." and even then some, like me, won't take kindly to them because we know how much money these companies are making.

"Value is determined by the nature of the product itself and what it offers"

Bullshit. Production costs and supply and demand determine the price of a product but for this industry you also have to take in account sticky pricing. Considering that this game can be easily be obtained through a download and that supply isn't a issue then I have to ask again: how much did it cost to create this thing? Go on, tell me with another dumbass emoji.

PMDG has a total of 8 employees according to Wikipedia.

This is how REAL simulators have always been. One of these planes has more controls and things to learn than a standard AAA game.

You’re learning an entire flight system that teaches you how to fly the real thing. It’s not like driving a car.

Abriael put the price in the title knowing full well people would complain about a single dlc plane costing $35 and would there by generate heat. Genius.

3rd party add on, kids. Entirely unaffiliated with the makers of the base sim. Would you prefer MS blocked the sim from 3rd party content just so everything was free (i.e. these products wouldn't exist at all)? Do you seriously have zero clue how sims generally work? It's basically like an open platform where anyone can make their own content and sell it. And flight models/aircraft systems happen to be some of the toughest programming out there...the base sim only provides a general environment. Don't want to buy it? Fine! DON'T. Wait for someone else to make an add-on, maybe even for the same plane, for less. Not that uncommon. Honestly, you people critical of this have no clue what you're talking about. This is the dumbest dead horse in recent memory. Freaking gen-Z noobs man...

Don't buy it then

Compared to scam citizen, that's actually a bargain, there you can buy single ships for the price of a ps5

Umm because its cheap? A real Boeing 737-600 costs $9,500,000.00, so this is a great deal. Thank you again, Microsoft

@Abriael

" I can guarantee without the slightest doubt that this took a LOT more work and research to create than Stray. And not by a small margin."

You are seriously saying that just the ONE plane took a LOT more work and research than a full game like Stray?

WOW.

@RpgSAMA: I'm not just seriously saying that. I can absolutely guarantee it with zero doubt.

This aircraft is an extremely precise simulation of a $80 million airliner. Every single system works as it does in real life. Every part is physically simulated, from its function to potential failures.

To give you an example, if you pilot an aircraft in a normal game, say GTAV, when you pull up on the stick, the aircraft pulls up simply because the programmer set that command to artificially have that consequence.

In this aircraft, your input on the stick has an effect on the physically simulated hydraulic system of the aircraft, which in turn moves (according to the status of the hydraulic fluid in the physically simulated hydraulic lines) the elevators a certain amount, which determines their interaction with the airflow, and as a consequence moves the nose of your aircraft up. And this goes for every single system in the aircraft.

As a matter of fact, it's very likely that programming the sole autopilot and flight management computer of this aircraft took more effort and research than the whole making of Stray.

Then don't buy it. Complex sims aren't for you. Get a more normie model of the same plane.

Sad how out of touch and entitled N4G's base has become. If $35 is too much for this, you kids aren't the target market. This isn't some new thing. Real sims have ALWAYS been like this.