<s>
Microsoft	B-Application
Flight	I-Application
Simulator	I-Application
X	I-Application
(	O
abbreviated	O
as	O
FSX	B-Application
)	O
is	O
a	O
2006	O
flight	B-Application
simulation	I-Application
video	O
game	O
originally	O
developed	O
by	O
Aces	B-Application
Game	I-Application
Studio	I-Application
and	O
published	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
Game	O
Studios	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
sequel	O
to	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Flight	I-Application
Simulator	I-Application
2004	I-Application
and	O
the	O
tenth	O
installment	O
of	O
the	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Flight	I-Application
Simulator	I-Application
series	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
first	O
released	O
in	O
1982	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
built	O
on	O
an	O
upgraded	O
graphics	O
rendering	O
engine	O
,	O
showcasing	O
DirectX	B-Application
10	I-Application
features	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
and	O
was	O
marketed	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
as	O
the	O
most	O
important	O
technological	O
milestone	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
FSX	B-Application
is	O
the	O
first	O
version	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
on	O
DVD	O
media	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2012	O
,	O
over	O
six	O
years	O
after	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
the	O
FSX	B-Application
multiplayer	O
matchmaking	O
system	O
over	O
the	O
GameSpy	O
network	O
was	O
discontinued	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
8	B-Application
,	O
2014	O
,	O
Dovetail	O
Games	O
,	O
the	O
developer	O
of	O
Train	B-Language
Simulator	I-Language
,	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
signed	O
a	O
licensing	O
agreement	O
with	O
Microsoft	O
to	O
continue	O
development	O
on	O
FSX	B-Application
and	O
the	O
production	O
of	O
new	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
18	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
the	O
FSX	B-Application
:	O
Steam	B-Application
Edition	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
simulator	O
was	O
made	O
available	O
through	O
digital	O
distribution	O
via	O
Steam	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
updated	O
release	O
of	O
FSX	B-Application
includes	O
support	O
for	O
Windows	O
8.1	O
and	O
later	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
updated	O
hosting	O
of	O
FSX	B-Application
multiplayer	O
features	O
through	O
Steam	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
last	O
version	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Flight	I-Application
Simulator	I-Application
to	O
support	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
,	O
Vista	B-Application
,	O
7	O
,	O
8	B-Application
,	O
and	O
8.1	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Flight	B-Application
Simulator	I-Application
X	I-Application
marks	O
the	O
tenth	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
popular	O
line	O
of	O
flight	O
simulators	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
features	O
an	O
immersive	O
air	B-Application
traffic	I-Application
control	I-Application
system	I-Application
and	O
dynamic	O
real-world	O
condition	O
weather	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Flight	B-Application
Simulator	I-Application
X	I-Application
was	O
officially	O
unveiled	O
at	O
the	O
2006	O
International	O
Consumer	O
Electronics	O
Show	O
(	O
CES	O
)	O
as	O
a	O
gaming	O
showcase	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
Vista	I-Application
and	O
is	O
now	O
also	O
compatible	O
with	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
,	O
and	O
with	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
or	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
via	O
Steam	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
released	O
screenshots	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
a	O
list	O
of	O
frequently	O
asked	O
questions	O
as	O
a	O
press	O
release	O
on	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Flight	I-Application
Simulator	I-Application
Insider	O
,	O
and	O
numerous	O
flight	O
simulator	O
communities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
August	O
17	O
,	O
2010	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Flight	I-Application
,	O
a	O
new	O
simulation	O
game	O
that	O
boasted	O
a	O
further-improved	O
graphics	O
engine	O
and	O
enhanced	O
simulation	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Flight	B-Application
Simulator	I-Application
X	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
two	O
editions	O
:	O
Standard	O
and	O
Deluxe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Compared	O
to	O
the	O
Standard	O
Edition	O
,	O
the	O
Deluxe	O
Edition	O
incorporates	O
additional	O
features	O
,	O
including	O
an	O
on-disc	O
software	B-Application
development	I-Application
kit	I-Application
(	O
SDK	O
)	O
,	O
three	O
airplanes	O
with	O
the	O
Garmin	O
G1000	O
Flightdeck	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
ability	O
for	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
act	O
as	O
Air	B-Application
traffic	I-Application
control	I-Application
(	O
ATC	O
)	O
for	O
other	O
online	O
users	O
with	O
a	O
radar	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	B-Application
Flight	I-Application
Simulator	I-Application
X	I-Application
:	O
Gold	O
Edition	O
combines	O
the	O
Deluxe	O
Edition	O
and	O
the	O
Acceleration	O
expansion	O
pack	O
into	O
one	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
New	O
features	O
included	O
in	O
Flight	B-Application
Simulator	I-Application
X	I-Application
include	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Learning	O
Center	O
has	O
been	O
carried	O
over	O
from	O
FS2004	B-Application
,	O
which	O
introduces	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
the	O
various	O
features	O
of	O
FSX	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
(	O
AI	B-Application
)	O
aircraft	O
are	O
non-playable	O
aircraft	O
built	O
primarily	O
for	O
scenery	O
and	O
ambience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Three	O
aircraft	O
,	O
the	O
McDonnell	O
Douglas	O
MD-83	O
,	O
the	O
Piper	O
Cherokee	O
,	O
de	O
Havilland	O
Dash	O
8	B-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
Boeing	O
737-800	O
are	O
present	O
in	O
the	O
simulation	O
as	O
AI	B-Application
aircraft	O
only	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
released	O
the	O
first	O
service	O
pack	O
(	O
SP1	O
)	O
for	O
Flight	B-Application
Simulator	I-Application
X	I-Application
on	O
May	O
15	O
,	O
2007	O
to	O
address	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
released	O
another	O
service	O
pack	O
for	O
Flight	B-Application
Simulator	I-Application
X	I-Application
about	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
as	O
its	O
expansion	O
pack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
update	O
is	O
primarily	O
for	O
Vista	B-Application
users	O
that	O
had	O
DirectX	B-Application
10	I-Application
compatible	O
graphics	O
adapters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
version	O
takes	O
advantage	O
of	O
DX10	O
's	O
improved	O
shader	O
model	O
and	O
more	O
pixel	O
pipelines	O
and	O
increased	O
performance	O
for	O
Vista	B-Application
,	O
approaching	O
overall	O
FSX	B-Application
performance	O
on	O
XP	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
adds	O
the	O
capability	O
for	O
players	O
who	O
do	O
not	O
have	O
the	O
expansion	O
pack	O
to	O
participate	O
in	O
multiplayer	O
activities	O
with	O
users	O
of	O
the	O
expansion	O
pack	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
support	O
for	O
multi-core	B-Architecture
processors	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
FSX-SP2	O
also	O
fixes	O
some	O
more	O
bugs	O
over	O
the	O
original	O
release	O
of	O
Flight	B-Application
Simulator	I-Application
X	I-Application
.	O
SP1	O
is	O
not	O
compatible	O
with	O
SP2	O
or	O
Acceleration	O
in	O
Multiplayer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
released	O
an	O
expansion	O
pack	O
for	O
Flight	B-Application
Simulator	I-Application
X	I-Application
,	O
titled	O
Flight	B-Application
Simulator	I-Application
X	I-Application
:	I-Application
Acceleration	I-Application
,	O
on	O
October	O
23	O
2007	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
preview	O
of	O
the	O
DirectX	B-Application
10	I-Application
rendering	O
engine	O
was	O
available	O
with	O
later	O
versions	O
of	O
FSX	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
could	O
easily	O
switch	O
back	O
to	O
DirectX	B-Application
9	I-Application
via	O
a	O
toggle	O
in	O
the	O
settings	O
menu	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
soundtrack	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
main	O
menu	O
for	O
Flight	B-Application
Simulator	I-Application
X	I-Application
was	O
composed	O
,	O
orchestrated	O
and	O
produced	O
by	O
the	O
Seattle-based	O
musician	O
Stan	O
LePard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
default	O
audio	O
track	O
,	O
named	O
"	O
Pilot	O
for	O
Hire	O
"	O
or	O
"	O
FSX01	O
"	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
gained	O
nostalgic	O
prominence	O
with	O
users	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
featured	O
in	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Flight	I-Application
Simulator	I-Application
(	O
2020	O
)	O
as	O
a	O
menu	O
music	O
option	O
titled	O
"	O
Legacy	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
late	O
2007	O
,	O
Aces	B-Application
Games	I-Application
Studio	I-Application
announced	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
licenses	O
to	O
use	O
Microsoft	O
Enterprise	O
Simulation	O
Platform	O
,	O
the	O
engine	O
which	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Flight	I-Application
Simulator	I-Application
X	I-Application
is	O
based	O
on	O
,	O
to	O
companies	O
who	O
would	O
like	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
technology	O
to	O
create	O
products	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
closure	O
of	O
Aces	B-Application
Game	I-Application
Studio	I-Application
in	O
January	O
2009	O
,	O
American	O
Aerospace	O
company	O
Lockheed	O
Martin	O
announced	O
in	O
late	O
2009	O
that	O
they	O
had	O
negotiated	O
with	O
Microsoft	O
a	O
licensing	O
agreement	O
to	O
purchase	O
the	O
intellectual	O
property	O
(	O
including	O
source	O
code	O
)	O
for	O
the	O
Microsoft	O
ESP	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
code-base	O
of	O
Flight	B-Application
Simulator	I-Application
X	I-Application
Service	O
Pack	O
2	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lockheed	O
Martin	O
hired	O
members	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Aces	B-Application
Game	I-Application
Studio	I-Application
team	O
to	O
continue	O
further	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
product	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
simulator	O
offers	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
advantages	O
over	O
Flight	B-Application
Simulator	I-Application
X	I-Application
,	O
including	O
updated	O
scenery	O
,	O
vehicles	O
and	O
weather	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
engine	O
updates	O
and	O
rewrites	O
including	O
the	O
transition	O
to	O
DirectX	B-Application
12	I-Application
and	O
64	B-Device
bit	I-Device
architecture	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
some	O
add-ons	O
developed	O
for	O
FSX	B-Application
are	O
compatible	O
with	O
earlier	O
versions	O
of	O
Prepar3D	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
significant	O
changes	O
in	O
its	O
codebase	O
,	O
may	O
no	O
longer	O
work	O
as	O
intended	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
18	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
Dovetail	O
Games	O
re-released	O
Flight	B-Application
Simulator	I-Application
X	I-Application
on	O
Steam	B-Application
,	O
titled	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Flight	I-Application
Simulator	I-Application
X	I-Application
:	O
Steam	B-Application
Edition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
includes	O
content	O
provided	O
with	O
the	O
original	O
release	O
of	O
FSX	B-Application
:	O
Gold	O
Edition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
includes	O
FSX	B-Application
:	O
Deluxe	O
Edition	O
,	O
the	O
Acceleration	O
expansion	O
pack	O
and	O
both	O
official	O
Service	O
Packs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Steam	B-Application
Edition	O
also	O
includes	O
an	O
overhaul	O
of	O
the	O
multiplayer	O
functionality	O
to	O
use	O
Steam	B-Application
rather	O
than	O
the	O
then-defunct	O
GameSpy	O
,	O
improved	O
stability	O
on	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
and	O
8	B-Application
,	O
and	O
minor	O
performance	O
tweaks	O
including	O
a	O
complete	O
recompile	O
using	O
Visual	O
Studio	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
Dovetail	O
Games	O
worked	O
with	O
various	O
addon	O
developers	O
and	O
publishers	O
to	O
distribute	O
their	O
content	O
on	O
Steam	B-Application
as	O
Downloadable	O
Content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
June	O
2021	O
,	O
there	O
are	O
272	O
add-ons	O
available	O
on	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
DLC	O
store	O
from	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
third-party	O
developers	O
including	O
Aerosoft	O
,	O
Carenado	O
,	O
and	O
Virtavia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
most	O
add-ons	O
developed	O
for	O
the	O
original	O
releases	O
of	O
FSX	B-Application
are	O
compatible	O
with	O
FSX	B-Application
:	O
Steam	B-Application
Edition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2017	O
,	O
Dovetail	O
Games	O
announced	O
Flight	O
Sim	O
World	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
Flight	B-Application
Simulator	I-Application
X	I-Application
,	O
and	O
released	O
later	O
that	O
month	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2012	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
released	O
a	O
new	O
flight	O
simulator	O
titled	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Flight	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Developed	O
by	O
The	O
Coalition	O
(	O
as	O
Microsoft	O
Game	O
Studios	O
Vancouver	O
)	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
not	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Flight	I-Application
Simulator	I-Application
series	O
,	O
but	O
instead	O
was	O
designed	O
to	O
replace	O
it	O
and	O
aimed	O
at	O
drawing	O
new	O
users	O
into	O
flight	B-Application
simulation	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
does	O
not	O
allow	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
existing	O
Flight	B-Application
Simulator	I-Application
X	I-Application
add-ons	O
(	O
including	O
aircraft	O
,	O
objects	O
,	O
and	O
scenery	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
9	O
,	O
2019	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
their	O
E3	O
conference	O
announcements	O
Microsoft	O
revealed	O
that	O
they	O
would	O
be	O
bringing	O
back	O
the	O
Flight	O
Simulator	O
series	O
with	O
an	O
updated	O
release	O
,	O
simply	O
titled	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Flight	I-Application
Simulator	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
August	O
18	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
for	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
alone	O
,	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Flight	I-Application
Simulator	I-Application
X	I-Application
had	O
sold	O
1	O
million	O
copies	O
by	O
late	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
gave	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Flight	I-Application
Simulator	I-Application
X	I-Application
a	O
7.0/10	O
,	O
criticizing	O
its	O
framerate	O
and	O
lack	O
of	O
graphical	O
improvement	O
over	O
its	O
predecessor	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Flight	I-Application
Simulator	I-Application
2004	I-Application
:	I-Application
A	I-Application
Century	I-Application
of	I-Application
Flight	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameSpot	O
gave	O
the	O
game	O
an	O
8.4/10	O
,	O
praising	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
attention	O
to	O
detail	O
,	O
realism	O
,	O
graphical	O
improvements	O
,	O
and	O
approachable	O
missions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2016	O
,	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Flight	I-Application
Simulator	I-Application
X	I-Application
placed	O
23rd	O
on	O
Time'''s	O
The	O
50	O
Best	O
Video	O
Games	O
of	O
All	O
Time	O
list	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
editors	O
of	O
PC	O
Gamer	O
US	O
presented	O
Flight	B-Application
Simulator	I-Application
X	I-Application
with	O
their	O
2006	O
"	O
Best	O
Simulation	O
Game	O
"	O
award	O
.	O
</s>
