Every so often, a game comes along that’s so big in scope that it has to be stored on multiple discs. For PC games, this generally means having to switch discs during install. For console games, players would have to switch discs at some point during the playing experience.
This doesn’t happen so often anymore, thanks in part to the rise of digital downloads and technology producing larger physical media that can hold more data. It’s not an extinct practice, however, as we do still get games that are so epic, they can’t be contained to simply one disc. There have been a few games lately that require two discs. And then there’s the upcoming Microsoft Flight Simulator, which will come spread across 10 separate discs. That is not a typo.
Of course, most people will opt for the digital version, downloading the game rather than switching through nearly a dozen discs over what one can only assume is a very lengthy install. Before you scoff, however, consider the players with poor Internet connections.
Yes, it’s 2020, but there are still plenty of people out there who don’t have access to fast Internet. For those people, the 90-ish gigabytes that they would have to download for the digital version is an absolute deal-breaker. Yes, 10 discs is a crazy amount of discs, but the alternative is more or less impossible. This is a large game, and it needs that many discs to hold it all. For most of us, we get to sit back and laugh at the idea of juggling all these discs. For those who need it, however, this is a pretty sweet move on Microsoft’s part.
The team gets extra special props for managing all of this while the COVID-19 pandemic has caused production issues in countless industries. According to Aerosoft developer Mathijs Kok, the production complications were a “nightmare,” but it all worked out and the game is set for an August 18 release.
If you’re one of the few who will need to pick up the physical edition, you don’t need to worry that you’ll be missing out due to your lack of cloud access. As Kok explains:
“This is very much a simulator that depends on the cloud if you want to use it to its full potential. So the boxed version makes it possible for people on a slower internet connection to get the sim installed without downloading the ‘content’. So the simulator is in every way, 100% the same.”
I’d be very interested to know if any of our readers plan to pick up the physical edition. Are you doing it as a collector or as someone who needs it?