The in-sim Marketplace remains a popular place for many to download and buy their add-ons for Microsoft Flight Simulator. That said, many have been vocal about improvements that they would like to see in the future.
During FlightSimExpo 2024, we some initial user experience changes that would be coming to the Marketplace for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. This included a better search function, better discoverability of products, and also clear indications for which simulator a product was designed for. During the Global Preview Event earlier this month, we now know even more about what is to come.
Rental Period
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024’s in-sim Marketplace will introduce a new rental period for products. This can be set by the creator and enable them to set a period of time where the user can ‘rent’ a product. It could be for a day, a few days, or longer – each period having its own price band. Additionally, a creator can create a free trial period for customers. This is all set completely by the creator, giving them full control over how they wish a user to interact with their product.
If a user does rent a product for a week at the cost of $5 and the full price of the product costs $25 to buy to retain ownership, then provided it’s within a specific time period (not specified to us), then the user will only pay the difference (i.e. $20).
This rental option will be standard for all Microsoft content, but non-Microsoft developers will need to opt into the feature for their own content.
Gifting
In addition to the rental system, you will be able to gift products and virtual currency to a friend. Simply load up the product page, and choose the gift option instead. You will need to know their Gamertag and then once done, they will have the content added to their library, ready to download or stream.
New Rating System
To help people understand product ratings better, a new rating system is being introduced. You will be able to distinguish scores for visual quality, technical quality, and realism. Each score is aggregated together and can be viewed as separate ratings.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 Content
Any content that is already owned for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 will automatically be brought to your library (a small number may not be compatible with MSFS 2024).
Streaming Content
Because Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is built on the thin client architecture, any purchases made directly within the Marketplace can be streamed rather than downloaded locally to your machine, meaning you can get started straight. That said, you can also install any item to your disk if that is your preference.
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So what do you think of these new additions to the Marketplace? Leave your thoughts down below in the comment section.
