Microsoft Flight Simulator is finally getting a much-anticipated VR update for the PC this holiday season. This was announced during a live developer Q&A on Twitch a few days ago. The VR support will launch with the free Sim Update 2. It was a change from their previous plan back in July to launch VR support solely for the upcoming HP Reverb G2 headset. Instead, this holiday update will include all VR devices such as the popular Oculus and Valve family. Martial Bossard, the executive producer at Asobo Studio, clarified this point during the live stream.
We are going to open the VR for everyone […] It’s not only the sim experience in VR, but also all the menus, so you won’t have to put it on and off as we did for the alpha. So everybody will get access to VR now, and when I say everybody […] it will also be open to all devices, including the Oculus family, Valve family, really every family of headset are going to be supported there
The VR update will include both the gameplay and the menus to offer a fully immersive experience without having to remove the headset as players had to do during the alpha. This includes the pre-flight menu system. While VR support is the biggest aspect of the Sim Update 2, it will also include two new tutorials for the Airbus A320neo jetliner. This update will launch on December 23.
Looking towards 2021, World Update 3 is set to launch in late January and is to add more detail and gameplay to the United Kingdom; Including fifty to sixty new points of interest, landmarks, and bush trips as well as new landing challenges and flights. Replay functionality and multiple-screen support are also rumored to come out sometime in 2021. Even further away, flyable helicopters are planned for 2022.