PMDG has shared some brand new previews images of the upcoming PMDG 737 for Microsoft Flight Simulator. Robert Randazzo of PMDG has taken to the forums to talk a little more about the plane, the development cycle so far and also shared some exterior shots.
Robert began by saying that the development of the 737 for Microsoft Flight Simulator has been “difficult thus far” due to how different the platform is from what they’re used to. They were also reliant on the Asobo team to help them identify and add elements to the simulator to help PMDG bring the aircraft to the simulator. As the core simulator was still a moving target for many, often the development agency didn’t line up and this is what resulted in an announcement from PMDG last year that the 737 wouldn’t release until “late 2021/early 2022”. Whilst progress picked up again, it slowed back to a crawl in July/August due to holidays and the release of Sim Update V causing some issues.
Throughout September, the team made more progress on bringing the popular aircraft to the simulator. As such, the current release guidance is that the aircraft will release in this quarter. With that out of the way, let’s see some in-sim previews of the iconic jet.
Robert made it clear that the images you are seeing above are work-in-progress and there may be some changes required here and there. On the PMDG forums, Robert goes into a lot of detail about some of the visual qualities you can see in the images above. The team has made great use of Microsoft Flight Simulator’s engine to take full advantage of the light mapping and surface material tools that are part of the SDK. Everything from the leading edge, bleed air vent holes and many other surfaces are extremely accurate and well represented.
Whilst seeing the plane from the outside will surely fill people with joy, there will be the question of where are the interior shots. Well, PMDG said that they will be coming soon once some more clean-up has happened inside and they have removed some of the customised tools they are using to help develop the aircraft. Alex from the team is currently working on the cockpit lighting
When it comes to functionality and the feature set, PMDG can’t yet comment due to the varying situation with the platform itself. Even as close as June 1st 2021, many things weren’t in the aircraft, but things have improved since then with more features added. Right now, PMDG is working on a list of items and they’ll update the community further when the time is right. Finally, Robert said that they are working on the ‘options’ list and working to preserve the rich list of optional items you can have on the 737 (e.g. satellite antenna locations).
When it comes to pricing, Robert made a statement that will undoubtedly please many people. He said that they have largely settled on a pricing structure for the plane, but more details will follow in the future. However, Robert said that the “goal is to make it easier and less expensive to add a PMDG airplane to your MSFS hangar.”
So to recap, the PMDG 737 for MSFS is due to come out by the end of the year and will be priced in a way that is “easier and less expensive to add a PMDG airplane to your MSFS hangar.” Exciting!
Thanks to buffegg for the tip.