Microsoft Flight Simulator Archives

AppWizard

April 27, 2025

This week’s hot PC gaming Steam Deals Apr. 20-26

A new wave of sales on Steam includes significant discounts on various games. The Xbox Game Studios Publisher Sale features discounts up to 90% on titles available until May 8, 2025. Highlights include: - The Hellblade Bundle - 34% off - State of Decay: Complete Collection - 75% off - Halo Infinite - Campaign - 67% off - Halo Master Chief Collection - 75% off - Avowed - 20% off - Microsoft Flight Simulator 40th Anniversary Edition - 50% off - Sea of Thieves - 50% off - Age of Mythology: Retold - 20% off - Grounded - 50% off - Ara: History Untold - 35% off - Age of Empires IV - 60% off - Sunset Overdrive - 80% off - Forza Horizon 5 - 50% off Indie games on sale include: - The Long Dark - 90% off - Little Nightmares II - 67% off - Overcooked! 2 - 75% off - Golf With Your Friends - 68% off - Ender Lillies: Quietus of the Knights - 60% off - Patrick's Parabox - 40% off - Trepang2 - 50% off - This War of Mine - 85% off - World of Goo - 66% off - Harold Halibut - 40% off Culturally significant games on sale include: - Returnal - 50% off - Resident Evil 7 - 60% off - Alien: Isolation - 80% off - Lies of P - 40% off - Dragon Ball Z Sparking! Zero - 25% off - Monster Hunter World - 67% off - Grand Theft Auto IV - 65% off - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - 10% off - Persona 5 Royal - 60% off - Resident Evil 4 - 50% off

AppWizard

April 19, 2025

The Best PC Games Right Now (2025)

PC gaming in 2025 features a mix of innovative remasters, indie titles, and new intellectual properties, providing a wide range of experiences for gamers. The most played games on Steam include Counter-Strike 2, PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, and Dota 2, with Counter-Strike 2 leading in player engagement due to its esports scene. Notable new releases include Blue Prince, The Last of Us Part II Remastered, and Promise Mascot Agency. Other popular games outside Steam are Minecraft, Fortnite, and Valorant. Genre-specific leaders include South of Midnight for action, Myst (Remastered) for adventure, and Street Fighter 6 for fighting. Upcoming anticipated titles include Grand Theft Auto 6 and Elden Ring: Nightreign. Trends in 2025 highlight esports engagement, indie innovation, purposeful remakes, and cinematic storytelling. Last Epoch's Season 2 update has revitalized player interest with new content and enhancements. The year 2019 was significant for PC gaming, with acclaimed titles like Resident Evil 2, Control, and Disco Elysium, and marked by the influence of digital distribution platforms.

AppWizard

February 28, 2025

Deadlock Adds NVIDIA Reflex, Reducing PC Latency By Up To 45% On GeForce RTX GPUs

NVIDIA Reflex, introduced in September 2020, has reduced PC latency in over 130 titles, with 90% of GeForce gamers adopting the technology. It is supported by nine of the top ten competitive shooters, including Call of Duty: Warzone, Counter-Strike 2, and Fortnite, as well as critically acclaimed games like Cyberpunk 2077 and God of War. In 2024, GeForce gamers have enjoyed over 10 billion hours of gameplay using Reflex. Recently, Reflex expanded to Deadlock and received updates for games like World of Warcraft and Apex Legends, integrating into an additional 11 games and further reducing latency for GeForce RTX gamers.

AppWizard

February 23, 2025

The Best VR Headsets for PC Gaming

In virtual reality, high-quality VR headsets paired with robust gaming PCs enhance the immersive experience, with most top-tier VR games benefiting from superior PC graphics and performance. The best VR headsets for PC include: 1. Valve Index: - Resolution: 1440x1600 per eye - Refresh Rate: 120Hz (144Hz experimental) - Field of View: 130° - Tracking: 6DoF - Weight: 1.79 lbs 2. Meta Quest 3S: - Resolution: 1832x1920 per eye - Refresh Rate: 120Hz - Field of View: 90° - Tracking: 6DoF - Weight: 1.13 lbs 3. HTC Vive Pro 2: - Resolution: 2448x2448 per eye - Refresh Rate: 120Hz - Field of View: 120° - Tracking: 6DoF - Weight: 1.9 lbs 4. HTC Vive XR Elite: - Resolution: 1920x1920 per eye - Refresh Rate: 90Hz - Field of View: 110° - Tracking: 6DoF - Weight: 1.38 lbs 5. PlayStation VR2: - Resolution: 2000x2040 per eye - Refresh Rate: 120Hz - Field of View: 110° - Tracking: 6DoF - Weight: 1.24 lbs Choosing the best VR headset involves evaluating technical specifications, comfort, and fit. A powerful PC is recommended for optimal VR performance, especially for demanding titles. Standalone headsets like the Meta Quest 3S and Pico 4 do not require a PC, while the PlayStation VR2 can connect to a PC with an adapter. VR headsets often go on sale during major shopping events like Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday/Cyber Monday.

AppWizard

February 21, 2025

‘A massive, massive moment of wow.’ Microsoft CEO predicts AI-generated games are a ‘CGI moment’ for the industry

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella discussed the company's plans for artificial intelligence and quantum computing, particularly focusing on their AI-powered game generation platform, Muse. He compared Muse's potential impact on gaming to the influence of CGI in the film industry, despite its current limitations of generating games at a resolution of 300 by 180 pixels. Nadella envisions a future where users can request unique gaming experiences, indicating that the integration of AI into gaming is imminent. He also highlighted the broader implications of AI on economic growth, cautioning against the hype surrounding artificial general intelligence (AGI) and emphasizing the importance of AI's impact on GDP growth. Nadella believes in a collaborative future for AI development, suggesting that the market can support multiple successful players. The timeline for when gamers can fully engage with Muse remains uncertain, with some experts cautioning that its capabilities may be overstated.

AppWizard

December 27, 2024

Alan Wake 2 set such a high technical bar last year that few games in 2024 came anywhere near, but it wasn’t all abject disappointment

Alan Wake 2 debuted late last year, leading to assumptions of a 2024 release. Dragon's Dogma 2 launched in March but had excessive hardware demands and inconsistent performance. Nixxes Software's port of Horizon Forbidden West showcased effective traditional rendering. In May, Nixxes also released the Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut, which lacked ray tracing but was well-executed. June saw the release of Shadow of the Erdtree, the first expansion for Elden Ring, which did not include engine updates, causing performance issues for PC gamers. In August, Black Myth: Wukong and Star Wars Outlaws featured ray tracing but faced performance issues. September brought a port of God of War Ragnarök and Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2, both performing well. The Silent Hill 2 remake encountered glitches and performance issues on PC, while Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 struggled at launch. Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl had visual appeal but suffered from performance problems and required patches for stability. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle performed well on lower-end hardware but was glitchy. High-profile titles like Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth are anticipated for 2025.

Winsage

December 27, 2024

Windows Ugly Sweater winner of last year is …

The readers of The Register participated in a light-hearted competition, with the winner receiving a Windows XP Christmas sweater. Suggestions for the placement of Microsoft’s Copilot included integrating it into itself, incorporating it into Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, replacing elected officials, and providing blunt advice in Excel. A straightforward suggestion was made to simply ask the AI what to do. ChatGPT humorously proposed unconventional ideas for Copilot's placement, such as assisting in the bathroom or helping with toasting bread. Sureo's suggestion to ask the AI was deemed the most sensible, leading to their win of the XP sweater.

AppWizard

December 24, 2024

PC Gamer’s highest review scores of 2024

Concerns about "score inflation" in gaming reviews have been raised, with a score of 90% expected to represent an exceptional game. PC Gamer has not awarded a score higher than 98%, with Baldur's Gate 3 receiving the highest score of 97% in its UK edition. The 2024 Game of the Year Award winners are not included, but the year featured quality titles. Scores and their corresponding games include: - 89%: - Persona 3 Reload - Tekken 8 - Dragon's Dogma 2 - V Rising - Little Kitty, Big City - Lorelai and the Laser Eyes - 90%: - Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 - Shogun Showdown - Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred - Satisfactory - Riven - Animal Well - Granblue Fantasy: Relink - 91%: - Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake - Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance - Wild Bastards - Balatro - 92%: - Destiny 2: The Final Shape - Factorio: Space Age - 94%: - Caves of Qud - 95%: - Not specified in the provided text.

AppWizard

December 22, 2024

The Best PC Games to Play in 2025

The PC gaming landscape in 2025 will feature major AAA releases such as Grand Theft Auto VI, Avowed, Assetto Corsa Evo, Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Frostpunk 2, and Indika. Technological advancements like ray tracing and DLSS will enhance graphical quality and performance, while cloud gaming services will offer new ways to access games. Players can expect a variety of genres, including RPGs, FPS, simulation, and strategy, each with unique pros and cons. The most anticipated games include Grand Theft Auto VI, Avowed, Assetto Corsa Evo, Stalker 2, Frostpunk 2, Indika, Death Stranding 2, Homeworld 3, Broken Roads, and Pacific Drive. Popular PC-exclusive titles include Valorant, League of Legends, Crusader Kings III, and Factorio. The most played PC games currently are Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, PUBG: Battlegrounds, Apex Legends, Grand Theft Auto V, Baldur’s Gate 3, Naraka: Bladepoint, Team Fortress 2, Rust, and Cyberpunk 2077. Counter-Strike 2 has the highest concurrent player count on Steam.

Winsage

December 18, 2024

Elevate your PC gaming experience with Windows 11 this holiday season

Windows 11 offers new gaming experiences for PC Game Pass subscribers, including titles like Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle™. Key features include: - Auto HDR: Enhances SDR games to HDR for improved colors and contrasts. - DirectStorage: Reduces load times using NVMe SSDs, optimizing data loading for better performance. - Game Bar Compact Mode: Simplifies navigation on smaller screens, providing quick access to games and performance metrics. - Dynamic Lighting: Allows synchronization and customization of RGB lighting across devices. - Optimizations for Windowed Games: Introduces Variable Rate Refresh (VRR) to reduce tearing and stuttering in windowed modes. - Advanced Hybrid (CASO)/UMA: Improves performance on hybrid laptops with integrated and discrete GPUs. - Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 support: Enhances online gaming with faster speeds and lower latency. - Color filters for colorblind players: Helps colorblind players differentiate colors while improving frame rates. - Automatic Super Resolution for Arm Copilot+ PCs: Upscales lower-resolution content in real-time. - Xbox app on Windows PC: Manages PC gaming content and facilitates cloud gaming and cross-platform connections.