Microsoft Flight Simulator will be released as a whopping 10-disc box set
European gamers will be able to pick up a physical copy of Microsoft’s new Flight Simulator that will take the form of a whopping 10-disc box set.
Flight Simulator launches for PC on August 18, and while most will purchase the game digitally, Microsoft has partnered with publisher Aerosoft for physical release – and it’s one of the biggest of all time.
The physical edition will comprise of 10 double-sided DVDs, which come packed in a “speculaular” accordion-style box, according to Aerosoft. The retro-styled box set will include a hefty 90GB of data (still less than the 150GB required by Microsoft) the bulk of which is graphical assets for the airplanes and detailed ground scenery.
What’s more, those who purchase the physical copy will still require an update from Microsoft before the game will launch.
In a forum post, Aerosoft’s Mathijs Kok said the physical release will also include the simulator code itself, along with an equally-nostalgic physical booklet. Those who purchase the retail version will have the same access to the rest of the game’s content, which is drawn from more than two petabytes of Bing data including satellite imagery and photogrammetry data.
Kok said the physical copy “makes it possible for people on a slower Internet connection to get the sim installed without downloading the ‘content.’”
“So the simulator is in every way 100% the same,” he added. “The boxed retail version just gets you a nice box, printed manual and about 90GB you do not have to download.”
In terms of hardware requirements, Aerosoft notes that you’ll need either a Ryzen 7 Pro 2700X or Intel Core i7-9800X CPU paired with an AMD Radeon VII or Nvidia RTX 2080 GPUs with at least 8GB of VRAM, 32GB of RAM, 150GB of storage and a 50Mbps connection for the best visuals.
As with the digital version of the game, they’ll be multiple editions of the physical release. Aerosoft is selling the standard version of Flight Simulator for €69.99 (around £64, $78) and the “Premium Deluxe” version – which includes an additional 10 aeroplanes and 10 international airports – for €129.99 (£118, $148). Both variants will start shipping on August 18.