If you’re still waiting on VR support for Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020), you won’t need to twiddle your thumbs for much longer. According to a recent developer Q&A, Microsoft Flight Simulator for PC will launch with full SteamVR headset support sometime in December.

Update (November 26th, 2020): A developer Q&A livestream revealed that VR support for Microsoft Flight Simulator is indeed arriving sometime in December, before the holidays.

ASOBO Executive Producer Martial Bossard confirmed that all users will be able to play the game using SteamVR headsets, and not just the new HP Reverb G2 and other Windows Mixed Reality headsets.

The original article announcing the closed beta follows below:

Original Article (October 5th, 2020): As first reported by Eurogamer, Microsoft Flight Simulator is expected to head into closed beta sometime in late October or early November.

Interestingly, project lead Jörg Neumann says in a developer Q&A video that beta testers with a Windows VR headset will be the first allowed in, with other PC VR headsets added as the closed beta continues into its second phase (see update).

To be considered, you have to own Microsoft Flight Simulator, be a registered Windows Insider, submit your DxDiag, and agree to a non-disclosure agreement.

Microsoft’s Windows Insiders program includes short surveys, access to private forums, and weekly newsletters—all of which is designed to help developers obtain user feedback. You can sign up for your chance to become a beta tester here.

The studio also says their next World Update, which follows their Japan Update, will include the United States. That update is said to arrive sometime later this year.

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Minimum Specs (closed beta)

  • OS: Windows 10 (November 2019 Update – 1909)
  • DirectX: DirectX 11
  • CPU: i5-8400/Ryzen 5 1500X
  • GPU: Nvidia GTX 1080 or equivalent
  • VRAM: 8 GB
  • RAM: 16 GB
  • HDD: 150 GB
  • Bandwidth: 5 Mbps
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Scott Hayden
Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 4,000 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • Harris

    GTX 1070, you have served me well…

  • JesuSaveSouls

    At least it’s a beginning.Lot of stuff required to get in and you need a wmr.At least it’s something.

    • Dave

      Not anymore whoo whoo! Rock on December!

  • xyzs

    When looking at Gran Turismo 7 trailer, cockpits details are 10x better.
    Even the latest DCS A10-C II Tank killer cockpit blows MSFS in term of graphics.
    I think Asobo needs to do a remake of their cockpit because current ones are not next gen at all, and if it feels ugly in flat, then it will in VR. Instruments are in general fine and quite well detailed but the cabins are made of low poly and bad textures. And in some models it is dangerously close to crappy even.

    Example of horrible graphics (and it’s valid for almost all cockpits) :
    https://imgur.com/sKvHmCP
    https://imgur.com/oO8KZO1

    • Dave

      “DCS A10-C II Tank killer cockpit blows MSFS in term of graphics.”

      I love DCS but the cockpits in MSFS can be absolutely as good. In fact the platforms share a developer Indafoxtecho, check out the MB.339 if you think MSFS cockpits are rubbish. The lighting engine in MSFS is superior and the general graphics outside the cockpit is much better also. Water is perhaps the only thing visually better in DCS World but I love the DCS flight models. I’m a DCS nut by the way so I’ve been around that sim a fair bit.

  • There are only 23 conditions to fulfill, not bad at all

  • david vincent

    “Minimum specs : GTX 1080”
    More like GTX 2080ti… (Even if the game is quite well optimized)

    • Raphael

      It could have if they supported VR hardware acceleration built into every Nvidia GPU since the 900 series.

    • Dave

      That’s interesting you say that, I think a GTX 1080 will be ok in VR. Remember to install OpenXR runtime library for Windows Mixed Reality, it adds a third frame of reprojection so your GPU only needs to render 1/3 of the frames (30fps). Not sure how well it works as this is still being rendered in super high resolution for both eyes but I think it gives the 1080 a chance.

      • david vincent

        Well you’re not supposed to play with reprojection/ASW always on (because of the visual artifacts), but even with it, I doubt a 1080 will be enough.

  • Raphael

    I can’t believe how ugly the game is outside of VR. I installed it and have done a few test flights. The scenery looks amazing but everything looks so flat and lifeless without VR currently. The cockpit instruments obscure the view. I’m not a fan of track-IR either (was ok back the days before VR but I couldn’t go back to that setup). I’m currently renting FS2020 on a monthly eggbox subscription but when the full VR launches I will buy the sim.

    • jack thoms

      bruh evrything looks fine unless you dont change the graphics setting for example if you go into general you can set buildings to ultra high medium or low settings depending on your specs its probably because you dont have a good graphics card or proccesor i mean i us use a gtx 3080 but still its not the game its the player and how the settings are configured so i dont want to be mean but your veery very wrong if you actually want the game to be in 3d make sure your settings are configured well its not the game its you or your computer ok

      • Raphael

        Not sure what you’re talking about. The visuals look nice. Textures look very realistic, especially terrain textures. But without VR it’s flat and lifeless. Staring at cockpit instruments that block the outside world and in some cases make it hard to see where you’re flying.

        There’s a reason all flight sims support VR.

    • Matthijs de Rijk

      Guess what the surface world is pretty flat.. If you shrunk it to a billiard ball it would have a surface as flat as that..

      • Raphael

        Have you heard of VR?

        • Matthijs de Rijk

          I basically live VR, play many flight simulators in VR. I have 3 different headsets. I make VR games myself. And yes VR makes makes the flight sim experience much better. But not prettier… Things look EXACTLY the same in VR except you trick your eyes/brain in believing there is real depth..

          • Raphael

            Did I use the word “prettier”? I re-read my statement and I can’t see anywhere I stated it looked ugly?

          • Matthijs de Rijk

            I can’t believe how ugly the game is outside of VR.

            Oh my mistake, this word must mean something else then… My honest excuses for not understanding that the word ugly is not the same as the word ugly.

          • DanDei

            don’t mind the troll. Raphael has always been an edgelord attention seeker around here.

          • Raphael

            What do you mean an edgelord attention seeker around here? I would say an edgelord attention seeker.

          • Raphael

            Clearly the sim has photorealistic visuals. I personally can’t fly with a 2d display. I will be buying the sim when the VR hits.

      • JohnnyCaps

        ….surface as SMOOTH as that….

    • Adam Broadhurst

      Universally praised for it’s absolutely stunning graphics and yet you think it looks ‘ugly’?
      Absolutely mental!
      And even better..’The cockpit instruments obscure the view’ lol,no,really?

      • xyzs

        The cockpits are quite ugly. He’s right. The instruments are very polished but the rest that is not instrument like the seats and cabin are really crap graphics. Low poly and horrible textures. I hope they update the models and textures soon.

        • Adam Broadhurst

          Are we talking about the same game,maybe you installed Flight Sim X?

          Please show me a flight sim with better detailed cockpits.
          Oh and the troll said “I can’t believe how ugly the game is” ,y’know,the game as a whole is ugly,so your you opinion on the cockpits is irrelevant to the argument unless you are the only other person on the planet that thinks MSFS2020 is ugly?

          • xyzs

            No, we are just not sharing the same expectation level.
            That’s all right I understand that and good for you if it is good enough for your eyes.

    • Keep Honkin I’m Reloading

      Get ready to buy a new PC too

    • Robert

      IKR VR flying, compared to “normal” flying (outside VR)–is like getting a taste of driving a F1 RACE CAR, and then returning to your “normal” Ford pickup. Gee, I wonder which style of driving is preferred? LOL

      • Raphael

        No going back to flat-earth gaming for me. FS20 needs a lot of optimisation for VR though. If only they’d support VRworks – single-pass stereo etc. Double that FPS.

  • flamaest

    This version of flight simulator better be faster paced. I don’t see anybody being able to keep a VR headset on for the hours that you usually have to play the game today on a pc. It would be intolerable.

    • Gildahl

      Actually, it’s completely normal to be in VR for hours at a time; especially on upper-end PC/roomscale equipment which is designed for extended sessions. Long-session VR is nothing new for DCS and X-Plane users.

    • bakterius

      I have 130+ hours in fallout vr and my playtime is 4-5 hour/day. My record is 8 hour but this happen only once. IL2, Elite,DCS same

    • Austin

      As a commercial pilot, i have sat through many typical flight plans in VR on Xp11.

  • DanDei

    great, now I just need a new graphic card in stock I don’t have to sell a kidney for.

  • Wild Dog

    Any confirmation on whether it’ll have tracked controller support?

  • Fantastic news!