Yes, we are a bit late but see it as last-minute suggestions! Lots of great stuff here!
What is it that we all love? New simming stuff! Be it software or hardware, there's nothing like enjoying our hobby with some nice goodies. Here are a few suggestions from our team.
Sérgio Costa
Well, if you don't have a good helicopter flight sim, that would be my first suggestions. Get X-Plane 11 and grab any of the two most amazing helicopters for it: the DreamFoil 407 or the X-Trident 412.
An excellent alternative would be DCS (the base sim is free, by the way - it comes with no helicopters but you'll be able to check how it runs in your computer) and he great Huey or the nimble Gazelle, which are my two favorite helicopters for this sim.
The other suggestion I'd like to do would be to get a VR rig. Either the Oculus Rift or the HTC Vive. Folks, it's that good! Do make sure you have a good graphics card (which would also be a great Christmas purchase, by the way).
Happy Holidays!
Bel Geode (Bel Geode)
When asked to make a Xmas "wishlist", it suddenly dawned on me that I already HAVE the items I wanted to get by Xmas. This year has been the year of the VR, so my xmas list to YOU would be things YOU would need to get going in the VR world (I'll spare the obvious of a VR headset): a good computer.
Joe Hudson
Holiday wish list you say?
Tristan Ayton (Novawing24)
So its that time of year when we get asked and ask ones self what do we want for the holidays? As a simmer it can sometimes be hard to sift through all the fabulous things available to us; the virtual smorgasbord of choices we have is really astonishing. From new and reinvigorated core simulators to a wide variety of addons to make it all so much more immersive; the struggle to choose is real. So I am going to pick my two, one for a perhaps mor advanced simmer and one that is equally applicable to new comers and old hands a like.
For the newcomer, or the old hand with older equipment, a good value set of controls is a must have. Some of the hardware in the market – while great quality – comes in at an eye wateringly high price. Thrustmaster has come to the rescue with a quality mid-range product that is extremely versatile and still affordable. The T16000M FCS Flight pack includes all the controls you need; Stick, Throttle and Rudder Pedals. The build quality is reasonable and the price of the whole set is less than US$200.00. This represents a great value “starter kit” for a new simmer; or for a more experienced simmer who wants to upgrade to a new full set of hardware without breaking the bank.
The second I have is something that is great for what it does to your sim, and its something you may not even realize is missing. The FS Global Ultimate Next Generation Terrain mesh will breathe an incredible amount of life into your flying experience (sorry X-Plane users this isn’t for you guys). In a nutshell terrain mesh is how pointy a mountain is, how deep a valley is and everything in between. This may not sound too important until you relaize that cliffs, mountains are just not rendered as well as they should in all flight sims. Enhancing these gives your experience a whoile new level of depth and complexity as you navigate around a far more dynamic and closer to real workld onditions in your sim. The great thing about this product is that it works across FSX, FSX:SE, P3Dv1-4 and FSW. So the main and upcoming polatforms can all take advantage of this incredibly detailed and in my opinion essential element of the flight simulation scenery build up. It compiles the latest refined data from around the globe to make your scenery far more representative of the real thing. It comes at a bit of a steep price but one that is worth it I believe!
Well they are my ideas for some Simulation Holiday cheer!
Safe Skies