If “better late than never” were a product, then it’d probably be Sim Update 15 for Microsoft Flight Simulator. Like a badly-delayed flight, the update has finally arrived at the gate, albeit weeks since initially proposed. Despite the long time coming, it delivers a substantial set of improvements and additions—the last of which that will be delivered to the sim on this scale until 2025.
Cargo drop
Sim Update 15 includes a litany of entries in its changelog, but the primary highlights are the arrival of the enhanced Airbus A320neo (for free) from iniBuilds, performance enhancements, upgrades to various avionics, as well as bug fixes and changes across a variety of aircraft. Those that play the sim via Xbox Cloud Gaming can now also take advantage of touch/gyro support for added versatility.
The new Airbus A320neo has been in the works for several months, and is now out in the wild. Dubbed as the “A320neo V2” in the sim, it serves as an enhanced rendition of the world’s most popular airliner.
More complex systems, a wide array of new animations, new sounds, and more accurate flight behaviour make up the list of changes/advantages over the original Asobo-produced A320neo.
MSFS2020 launched with the A320neo as the sole airliner available to all players. While the original version remains in the sim, this new version has been released as an optional upgrade; PC players get the full package with a fully-enhanced version available in the Marketplace (also for free) which includes a virtual cabin.
Bits and bobs galore
The extensive list of changes to other aircraft along with core sim improvements all point towards solidifying this as the last major update for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 for quite some time. This isn’t hearsay; Asobo confirmed as such a few weeks ago.
As a result, Sim Update 15 was delayed for such a long time. The team wanted to ensure it was as right as rain in hopes the community would be left with a stable platform moving forward.
This doesn’t mean that all work has now ceased on MSFS2020. There’s still more to come on the near horizon, including new City Updates, World Updates and more aircraft releases for Asobo’s own Local Legend and Famous Flier collections.
Of course, third-party add-on makers are also continuing to produce new content in the form of new planes, utilities and sceneries; all of which are expected to be compatible with the ever-approaching Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.
Final approach
Truth be told, as a player of Microsoft Flight Simulator since its very beginning back in the summer of 2020, the arrival of Sim Update 15 is rather bittersweet to me.
On one hand, it stands a signoff to a incredibly long, extensive journey for Asobo as it has carved out a truly gargantuan new entry in the formerly long-dormant series. Yet, as the sequel approaches, it means that MSFS2020 is, for all intents and purposes, soon to be outdated.
That said, the improvements made to it thus far have only served to better the existing product, in addition to serving a (hopefully) smooth and stable foundation for what’s to come. MSFS2024 promises to fly farther and higher in terms of both scale and complexity; a promise the community is eager to see fulfilled.
