Flight simulation games have come a long way from their early pixelated versions to the incredibly realistic experiences available today. These games have always been at the forefront of pushing the boundaries of what can be visually recreated in a video game. While it may be easy to make space look good in a game, faithfully recreating the cockpit of a 747 and the vast world around it is a different challenge altogether.
In the latest episode of The Vergecast, part of a series on the five senses of video games, Polygon’s Charlie Hall joins the conversation to discuss the current state of flight simulation. With his extensive experience in virtual reality, including spending over four months in VR mapping the Milky Way galaxy in Elite: Dangerous, Hall provides valuable insights into how professionals set up their simulators for a realistic experience. He also explains why it is so complex to make a virtual world look like the real one.
Hall argues that while VR and XR headsets hold promise for even more realistic experiences in the future, the best virtual cockpits currently rely on multi-monitor setups and powerful GPUs. Whether you are playing at home or running official simulators for aircraft like the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning for the US Air Force, the most advanced setups can be truly impressive until seen in person.
For further information on the topics discussed in this episode, there are links provided to help you explore the world of flight simulation and
