Microsoft Flight Simulator: Developer reveals share of VR users
Jörg Neumann, chief developer of Microsoft Flight Simulator, explains what role VR currently plays for the flight simulation that is particularly popular with VR fans.
The vast majority of hobby pilots still sit in front of a monitor - or several monitors. But support for VR headsets is playing an increasingly important role, as developer Asobo explains in a Twitch Q&A session.
Microsoft Flight Simulator: ten percent play with VR headsets
On the show, "Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator" Joerg Neumann casually mentions an interesting statistic: "We know that ten percent of you play virtually exclusively in VR."
Neumann goes on to report that the situation is similar for him: Sometimes he plays on other devices, but basically almost always with his VR headset.
It is unclear whether Neumann is referring to the total number of gamers or other data like monthly active users. Microsoft reported two million users as early as Dec. 18, 2020 - about a month and a half after launch.
However, the VR update was not released until December 22, 2020. Also, some players may have only gotten a brief look because the game was included in Microsoft's PC games subscription. Microsoft Flight Simulator was already available in Xbox Game Pass at launch.
So it is difficult to determine a concrete number based on the ten percent. Nevertheless, it at least provides an indication of the popularity of the VR mode.
VR bug fix is inbound
Neumann also touched on the planned fixes for VR mode bugs, which were officially listed back in February. While there is a lot of work to be done in general, the team will sit down in the next week or two and talk through the most important VR issues, Neumann said on March 24: "We heard your feedback, we know what's important, we just need to get the work done."
The listed VR bugs include mouse issues, washed out colors, and various wobbles and crashes with Windows Mixed Reality (WMR) headsets. Meanwhile, the team has already submitted some community requests, such as support for VR controllers in Microsoft Flight Simulator. It also supports eye-tracking, which could be interesting for next-gen VR headsets like Cambria.
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