Gamespot Estimates System Specs

Nels, I've been looking into this myself over the last week or two and personally I'll be going for the XBox. I know that more powerful components are available for PC's, but that's mainly because PC's have much more to do than consoles, which are purely media players. Apparently, a more powerful CPU in a console would only generate unwanted heat and have no actual game performance benefit. Back in 2002 I bought FS2002 and, because it was a PC title, I bought a PC. Next year when I buy MFS, because it'll be an XBox title, I'll buy an XBox.

Here's an article which even gives benchmark results for the Project Scarlett's new SoC CPU: https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/xbox-project-scarlett

The upcoming Xbox will likely be the best option for many people, especially those on a budget and those that simply don't want to mess around with all the other issues that are part of using a PC. This is a big part of why consoles took off with the original Xbox and PS3 many years ago.

Other other hand, we don't know how similar or different the sim will be between the two platforms. For example, historically the Xbox has been a much more locked down platform and it usually isn't possible to install mods/add-ons/DLC from third party websites, like Flightsim.com. All add-ons have to go through the game developer and Xbox store. There may also be restrictions on the quality of scenery and more limited space for a local cache for offline flying.

Other other hand, we don't know how similar or different the sim will be between the two platforms. For example, historically the Xbox has been a much more locked down platform and it usually isn't possible to install mods/add-ons/DLC from third party websites, like Flightsim.com. All add-ons have to go through the game developer and Xbox store. There may also be restrictions on the quality of scenery and more limited space for a local cache for offline flying.

This is true; the developers have confirmed that third party add-ons will be available from third-party websites, but they haven't mentioned that they'll be exclusive to PC users.

The XBox Project Scarlett will also have a 1TB next-generation SSD, which won't be cluttered up with an OS, so it'll all be available for storage.

There are also hundreds of existing XBox Digital titles which can be accessed already from XBox or other Windows 10 devices, including PC's, which appear to have identical features and content cross-platform.

If MFS were to be released with features and content which were exclusive to PC users, the likely reaction from XBox users would be outrage, along with ridicule from the competition and the world's press - it would be a disaster for XBox and Microsoft.

There are also hundreds of existing XBox Digital titles which can be accessed already from XBox or other Windows 10 devices, including PC's, which appear to have identical features and content cross-platform.

If MFS were to be released with features and content which were exclusive to PC users, the likely reaction from XBox users would be outrage, along with ridicule from the competition and the world's press - it would be a disaster for XBox and Microsoft.

This isn't true at all. There are many games where the PC version does have content or features that are not available on the Xbox One side. A common one is higher resolution textures and more detailed 3D models for PCs because they can handle them, while the Xbox one simply can't and there is no outrage at all. See this article about GTA V, for one example. The only way there would be outrage was if the Xbox Scarlett version was artificially handicapped, and I don't see them doing this at all. However, we don't know what it will take to run the sim on a PC yet, or what the Xbox version will be like. Asobo have said they're still focusing on the PC version and haven't put much into the Xbox side yet.

This isn't true at all. There are many games where the PC version does have content or features that are not available on the Xbox One side. A common one is higher resolution textures and more detailed 3D models for PCs because they can handle them, while the Xbox one simply can't and there is no outrage at all. See this article about GTA V, for one example.

Grand Theft Auto isn't published by XBox Game Studios, hence no outrage from XBox users.

All mobile and console games are developed on PC, before being re-compiled into the final mobile or console format(s) required, so Asobo will be concentrating on the PC version for some time! Bear in mind that the developers are technical people, and what they've told us so far is technically the truth but not necessarily the whole truth.

What was reported by Techradar here https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/xbox-project-scarlett states the performance target for Project Scarlett is 120mhz refresh rate at 8k resolution. The performance target for the first games to be launched on Project Scarlett is 60mhz at 4k, so it looks like Project Scarlett will absolutely MONSTER the new flight sim, and any HDR texture or detail updates, for the foreseeable future.

Grand Theft Auto isn't published by XBox Game Studios, hence no outrage from XBox users.

Doesn't matter if it was a Microsoft studio or not, there was never outrage when the PC version had more than the Xbox because PCs were far more powerful and open. At the moment we can only wait to see what the new Xbox looks like. Keep in mind too that the Xbox hardware doesn't change very often after release while the PC side will keep getting more powerful. If the PC version of the sim doesn't grow with the hardware, this is where I would expect to see so called outrage. They have said this is a sim for the next ten years, so I would expect it to keep up with new hardware over that period.

If the PC version of the sim doesn't grow with the hardware, this is where I would expect to see so called outrage. They have said this is a sim for the next ten years, so I would expect it to keep up with new hardware over that period.

There won't be a PC version. There'll be the option to access the sim from a Windows 10 PC, which will be the same sim that can be accessed from an XBox Project Scarlett.

PC hardware is falling behind the cutting edge already and we have to face the possibility that it may never catch up, whereas the XBox Project Scarlett is expected to be more than capable for the next 7 years when it'll simply be replaced by an even more powerful XBox.

There won't be a PC version. There'll be the option to access the sim from a Windows 10 PC, which will be the same sim that can be accessed from an XBox Project Scarlett.

PC hardware is falling behind the cutting edge already and we have to face the possibility that it may never catch up, whereas the XBox Project Scarlett is expected to be more than capable for the next 7 years when it'll simply be replaced by an even more powerful XBox.

Sorry, going to have to completely disagree with all of that. Asobo have been pretty clear about there being two versions, the first for the PC and the second at some later point for the Xbox. As for hardware, the PC is not falling behind by any means at all. You're going to have to provide some pretty extraordinary evidence to back that up. The CPUs and GPUs available on the PC side will keep developing while the Xbox will be fixed.

As for hardware, the PC is not falling behind by any means at all. You're going to have to provide some pretty extraordinary evidence to back that up.

dogdish's post in this forum "Intel's CPU/ Chipset roadmap around FS 2020 release" shows that their 2020 CPU will use GDDR4 memory, and won't be getting GDDR5 until 2021 & 2022:

https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/attachment.php?attachmentid=212858&d=1571833059

The leaked benchmark results in the Techradar article https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/xbox-project-scarlett state that the AMD Flute CPU for the 2020 XBox Project Scarlett will use GDDR6 memory.

It's happening already.

dogdish's post in this forum "Intel's CPU/ Chipset roadmap around FS 2020 release" shows that their 2020 CPU will use GDDR4 memory, and won't be getting GDDR5 until 2021 & 2022:

https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/attachment.php?attachmentid=212858&d=1571833059

The leaked benchmark results in the Techradar article https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/xbox-project-scarlett state that the AMD Flute CPU for the 2020 XBox Project Scarlett will use GDDR6 memory.

It's happening already.

That doesn't prove what your saying at all. There is a difference between DDR4 and GDDR6, with the GDDR6 being aimed at GPUs and specialized cases like the Xbox. It is has already come to desktop PCs with the latest generation of GPUs.

On the other hand, Xbox Scarlett will apparently have a 12 core Zen 2 based processor, while AMD will release 24 and 32 core models this fall for the desktop.

https://www.anandtech.com/show/14994/first-details-about-3rd-generation-ryzen-threadripper-32-cores-280-w

Xbox Scarlett will be a powerful machine, but nothing about it says it will make desktop PCs obsolete at all. Consoles have never been about having the most powerful hardware, and other than maybe a short period after they launch, have always trailed desktop PCs. This generation looks to be the same.

Xbox Scarlett will be a powerful machine, but nothing about it says it will make desktop PCs obsolete at all. Consoles have never been about having the most powerful hardware, and other than maybe a short period after they launch, have always trailed desktop PCs. This generation looks to be the same.

The XBox One had GDDR5 memory when launched in 2013, yet Intel won't be releasing a CPU with GDDR5 until 2021.

But, as I said in reply to Nels, PC's need more power than consoles because they have much more to do than consoles. They're taking ever longer to get that power though, and the future cost of this power and whether it's viewed as a worthwhile investment for simmers remains to be seen - more powerful isn't the same thing as better.

Desktop PC's in general will be around for as long as business users need them, we can all be certain of that.

The XBox One had GDDR5 memory when launched in 2013, yet Intel won't be releasing a CPU with GDDR5 until 2021.

But, as I said in reply to Nels, PC's need more power than consoles because they have much more to do than consoles. They're taking ever longer to get that power though, and the future cost of this power and whether it's viewed as a worthwhile investment for simmers remains to be seen.

Desktop PC's in general will be around for as long as business users need them, we can all be certain of that.

You're still misreading and conflating two different things. While the names are similar, GDDR and DDR RAM are two separate designs for different purposes. PCs used GDDR5 memory for GPUs long before the Xbox One was launched, and already use GDDR6 today on the latest GPUs. Where Xbox Scarlett will probably be sharing its 12 GB of GDDR memory between the CPU and GPU, gaming PCs will probably have 8-16GB of DDR RAM for the CPU plus 8GB, or more, of GDDR6 RAM for the GPU.

Those with home cockpits may well need to go with a PC to use multiple monitors and physical switches, especially custom built configurations, for one use case. The gaming PC market is still growing and quite healthy, and I expect will be around for some time yet.

You're still misreading and conflating two different things.

The XBox CPU's have an incorporated GPU, as stated in the Techradar article:

"the benchmark results also suggest the engineering sample uses 16GB of memory – though the type of memory is not mentioned. It could mean that the Flute SoC shares 16GB of GDDR6 memory between the CPU and GPU, in a similar way to how the Xbox One X shares GDDR5 memory."

Whatever the if's, but's and maybe's are; it all comes down to cost, and which is best - not the most powerful. It also depends on the game (or sim) in question as to whether it's better on PC or console, and that's a matter of personal taste really.

Well after about a five year hiatus on this forum (I see my avatar is no longer there nor my sig) and selling my simming PC and sim hardware, I'm so glad MS is bringing back FS! As one of countless members here who built simming rigs since 1999 for FS98 and owned every version through FSX, man this just gets my sim juices flowing again!

Now the questions for me are many regarding the amount of money to spend on a new build and obviously nobody can really say for certain (yet):

Will more cores and hyperthreading help improve performance with weather and complex scenery add-ons? I want to know if spending more on an i9 over a non-hyperthreading i5 would be worth it.

Will a more powerful GPU help in frame rates? I want to know if I can get by with a GTX 2060 or it would be beneficial to spend more on a 2070 or even 2080.

Will overclocking the CPU help with frame rates like in previous versions? We overclockers here all saw tremendous frame rate boosts in FSX and on back with aggressively overclocked CPUs (my last one was an i5 4690K running at 4.8GHz).

Will 4K resolution and/or multiple monitors impact performance? FSX and prior versions didn't much run off the GPU so resolution upgrades didn't impact performance to the extent like regular games.

Regarding the discussion about console vs. PC, there is no comparison and there is no way a console can keep up with a gaming PC with dedicated graphics. The reason is simple: dedicated graphics. As enthusiasts know, the higher up you go in resolution the less the CPU speed/power means in games and the more the GPU comes into play (same with memory speed and type).

That's the limiting factor of the console: no dedicated graphics. It is a shared graphics platform and that means developers have to detune and lower graphics quality for consoles vs. the PC game version. As one who had both PC and PS4 and played a few games on both (Project Cars being the last one), the differences are enormous when PC settings are cranked up. That and the fact moving up to a 1440p display over a console's 1080p output. A recent excellent example of that is here where the PS4 version of Red Dead Redemption 2 is compared to the PC version recently released:

https://www.guru3d.com/news-story/red-dead-redemption-2-pc-vs-console-early-graphics-comparison.html

And yeah, PC gaming is going nowhere anytime soon. I like the convenience of my PS4 but in racing sims like Asseto Corsa I know I am missing a lot of eye candy detail over what my PC offered. I don't see FS on the console vs. on the PC being any different. Microsoft knows there is still a massive PC flight sim community, and you can be assured they didn't just start it back up for the Xbox which new version along with the PlayStation is due out a year from now.