Future of MS Flight Simulater/competing products

[iainso]

I used to use FS 2002, but then had some kids and so had no more time to waste at weekends :-)
Anyway, my kids are older now, and I'd like to get back into it, but I've got a few questions:

1. Is it worth getting FSX? I've got a PC with following spec:

Intel Core 2 DUO E6600 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.40GHz (1066FSB)
G.Skill 2GB DDR2 PK PC2-6400 (2x1GB) CAS4 Dual Channel Kit
BFG GeForce 7300 GT OC 256MB DDR2 HDTV/DVI (PCI-Express)

2. When is MS predicted to come out with the next version of FS, and what expectations are there of it?

3. What about freeware alternatives? I had a look at flightgear a few years ago, but wasn't very impressed.

4. I really like the scenery and precise terrain relief in Google Earths flight simulator, I was extremely impressed at how good this was for less well known locations (like the cheviot hills in northumberland, england). Is FSX as good as this (compared to FS 2002).

5. Could Google Earth's flight sim be a threat to MS in the future, or is it more likely new versions of MS FS will use the same concept of downloading photographic scenery on the fly?

[loki]

1. Your video card is on the low side and I would recommend getting something faster, but the rest of your system looks good. It won't run FSX flat out, but it would run well at medium settings, depending on what video card you have.

2. The next version will be coming out after TainSim 2, which is due end of next year at the earliest. In other words, don't count on seeing the next FlightSim until 2010 or later.

3. FlightGear is still the main open source flight sim and has improved somewhat, though it still can't match Microsoft's in capabilities.

4. FSX does have better terrain than its predecessors in many areas, though I am not familiar with the UK. There are add-ons like FSGenesis that increase the detail.

5. I doubt Google is really interested in taking on FlightSim. It would take a lot of effort to create as open and flexible of a system as FSX is, and this wouldn't fit with any of Google's web/ad based business (unless there were ads plastered all over the virtual world...). Microsoft or someone else will quite likely create a legitimate system for downloading scenery at some point.

[Tim_A]

Take a look at Horizon's VFR Generation X for England and Wales. It is simply superb (1.2 metre/pixel photos, with water masks, and 5 metre mesh), and there's a great user community on their forum, with lots of additional downloads too. http://www.horizonsimulation.co.uk/